Klemperer discusses the infamous “Night of the Long Knives”, or Rohm Revolt, which occurred on June 30 and July 1, 1934. On those two days, Ernst Rohm and other high-up SA guys were shot on Hitler’s orders. Hitler thought they might be plotting against him. On the Night of the Long Knives, Hitler also had a bunch of his political opponents shot as well.
“Yesterday Hitler put on a big show in front of his Reichstag. A loudspeaker was mounted on a statue in the fountain at Chemnitzer Platz; I heard a few sentences of Hitler’s speech as I went to go get a taxi in the evening. The voice of a fanatical preacher. Eva says: Jan von Leyden. I say: Rienzi. Today I read the whole speech in the Freiheitskampf. I almost feel pity for Hitler as a human being. The man is lost and feels it; for the first time he is speaking without hope. He does not think he is a murderer. In fact he presumably did act in self-defense and prevented a substantially worse slaughter. But after all he appointed these people to their posts, but after all he is the author of this absolutist system … The dreadful thing is that a European nation has delivered itself up to such a gang of lunatics and criminals and still puts up with them.”
— July 14, 1934
