Hans Litten: 1903-1938 (Dachau)

The lawyer who in 1931 cross-examined Hitler for three hours…

Benjamin Hett’s page, the historian behind the book: Crossing Hitler: The Man Who Put the Nazis on the Witness Stand. From the book: “Nothing that Hitler and the National Socialists did is unique, or particularly German. Other regimes have violated the norms of domestic and international law, and still do; other regimes have stripped minorities of their rights, and still do; … other regimes have committed genocide and still do”. These regimes, adds Hett, do not exclude countries like the US.

Excerpts from the trial
Litten: (…) Did you know that in the circles of the SA there is talk of a special rollkommando?
Hitler: I haven’t heard anything about a rollkommando. (…)
Litten: You said that there will be no violent acts on the part of the National Socialist Party. Didn’t Goebbels create the slogan, “one must pound the adversary to a pulp?”
Hitler: This is to be understood as “one must dispatch and destroy opposing organizations”. (…)

Excerpts from Die Gedanken sind Frei – his gift to Hitler from Dachau:
Die Gedanken sind frei, wer kann sie erraten,
sie fliegen vorbei wie nächtliche Schatten.
Kein Mensch kann sie wissen, kein Jäger erschießen
mit Pulver und Blei: Die Gedanken sind frei!

Thoughts are free, who can guess them?
They flee by like nocturnal shadows.
No man can know them, no hunter can shoot them
with powder and lead: Thoughts are free!