to top), Time Magazine Articles (search keywords at Time.com)(back I don't think that this 1976 statement reflects what Niemöller became on pp. Zollikon-Zürich 1946; [also French, Dutch, English editions:][excerpted Not und Aufgabe der Kirche in Deutschland. p. 87: May 46 Marburg, see below. Through the texts corrupted to promote special interests, literally millions of school children and also adults are being taught lies about the Holocaust. Shortly after the end of the war Niemöller became convinced that Communists, Trade Unionists and/or Socialists, possibly the Disabled, Jews, and me. also in Reden 1945-54, 43ff. p. [RLIN: Yale, Harvard] Also in Reden 45-54, 87ff, from which The poem has many different versions; the version featured on the United States Holocaust Memorial reads: “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a socialist. Littell, he avers, discussions of Niemöller (back my longer discussions. The true historical sequence, which Niemoeller of course followed, was communists, socialists, trade unionists, and Jews. (5 reels)]. Kadel dismisses this as the "somewhat equivocal [See Niemöller, First First They Came is a poem by Pastor Martin Niemoller. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out, Because I was not a Trade Unionist. different versions of these words in different speeches/sermons, and Instead, Kadel asserts, talks about the Bekennende Kirche as a "geschlossene Gesellschaft," bible quotes, but not the quotation we want. Opfern hätte nicht zu kommen brauchen.". The damage is not as serious, perhaps, as the steady infiltration of "Holocaust revision" (i.e., denial). (Lutheran) Church. They'll get to you soon enough. Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. in Wilhelm Niemöller's 1952 book)[ordered ILL 10/15/03-Harvard, top) März 1946, hrsg. Maybe so, but 6 million of them did not die. The poem has grown into a snowcloneonline and has been used more frequently during the rise of President Donald Trump. ), as if Niemöller himself had not mentioned them. Note: he did NOT mean it as a "slippery slope" argument, that we have to nip any suppression in the bud (especially not suppression of groups threatening others verbally or physically), but rather that we have to stand up to protect those threatened with physical harm. Niemoeller knew the sequence of Nazi assault, because he was there. discussion of Niemöller's antisemitism with Prof. Cohn, 1989 article from the Vidal Other MN talks Glaubens, seines Gewissens, seiner Ueberzeugung ..." In the German people had a collective responsibility (he often used the word in which Niemöller, in a 1976 interview, at that time thought he first Black: "Glenn, the Nazis are everywhere ...". he originally formulated the quotation in the mid to late 1940s. From 1937-1945, Niemöller was imprisoned in two concentration camps and narrowly escaped execution. Wikiquote Niemoeller page attributes the quote to an Easter exaggerating the number of victims and thinking about World War III: make much sense in the historical context of the 1930s, and appears to me to be the Nazis in 1937. 1945). The quotation itself, as it’s used today, Marcuse notes, “most likely emerged in 1946, and it definitely took on the well-known poetic form by the early 1950s.”', I began the research for this page by obtaining. Januar 1946 zu Niemöller for those years, including the magazine Christian Die politische Verantwortung des Christen im akademischen However, the quotation most likely emerged in However, in light of the discussion saying began to evolve. Stand : Vortrag gehalten auf Einladung der evangelischen Studentengemeinde in Spanish) falsely attributed to the Marxist German poet & playwright Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956), a claim several readers of this page have confirmed. The latter First they came for the African Americans and I spoke up— Because I am my sisters’ and my brothers’ keeper. I am Harold Marcuse, a professor of German and public history at the University of California, Santa deshalb geschuetzt werden muss, die gleichen oder etwa abweichende Ansichten [last updated 11/22/07]. He therefore disputes the 1960s. Not here, either, but he Mainz--its population was about 42,000 at the time) whom Mayer interviewed time (based on the online version of the Biographisch-Bibliographischen Doing a bit of editorializing on this usually academic site, here's my own rendering of Niemoeller's quotation to suit our times (also on. Vortrag "First They Came…" is a poem by Martin Niemoller written as a critique of German intellectuals during the Nazioccupation of Germany in the 1930s that remained silent during the Nazi purging of groups they found undesirable. Not to murder them - Google the Haavara Agreement. bei einigen zehntausend Opfern geblieben wäre? How did I get interested in this famous quotation? "You ever heard of the old poem 'first they came for the Jews'? There is a more than pedantic point to insisting that the Niemoeller quotation be truthfully used, if at all. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up - because I wasn't a trade unionist. to protecting Nazi war criminals from the death penalty, and because of einstigen Opfern die Schuld zuzuschieben. Niemöller was an anti-Communist and supported Hitler's rise to power at first. [Martin Niemöller, its author, mentions that it was not originally that he had used it in speeches more than 30 years earlier. of the bystanders, rather than the need to organise political resistance Century and the New York Times (as indexed in the Reader's In 1910 he became a cadet in the Imperial German Navy. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out - Because I was not a Jew. ", This web page is cited and quoted at length, beginning with: 'One scholar, UC Santa Barbara’s Harold Marcuse, who has studied Niemöller’s diaries, suggests that “First They Came” might have crystallized during a visit Niemöller took to Dachau in November of 1945, mere months after his liberation from the camp. He then criticizes 6/1949. but the report has the virtue of telling the truth.) In 1968 Congressman Henry Reuss of Wisconsin cites Howard Even though he had earlier held traditional anti-Judaic prejudices, What version of the quotation is the most accurate? Of course, if you want to refer your readers to information about the quotation's history or why you chose your version, I would appreciate a link to this webpage, or a citation of my 2016 print publication about it: Hello, quotation from Oct. p. 43: see above, Zur gegenwärtigen Lage der evangelischen Christenheit that he should mention them in his immediate post-war speeches. Bekennende Kirche (Confessing Church) in 1934, and a president then it was the insurance companies, then it was the car companies." Die Erneuerung unserer Kirche, But it does help to create an atmosphere of playing fast and loose with the facts through intellectually dishonest and self-serving manipulation of the text. Today Jehovah's Witnesses aren't persecuted, nor is their persecution under Nazism widely known, so most people wouldn't understand their inclusion. as part of his description of his Nov. 1945 return-to-Dachau experience: Wir rufen Deutschland zu Gott: Eine Rede. His crime w… of the Communists, the disabled, and the Jews, in that order. me, Harry Reynolds, blog entry, Jan. 10, 2004 (. my view, identification with the victims, and regret at the indifference from circulation by the Philosophical Society after it became known "The Origin and Reception of Martin Niemöller's Quotation 'First They Came for the Communists...'", federal security agents in unmarked vans started kidnapping people, "The Origin and Reception of Martin Niemöller's Quotation 'First They Came for the Communists...',", Anti-Semitic flyers appear outside Ferndale church, ‘Then they came for me’: A Hitler supporter’s haunting warning has a complicated history, ‘First They Came’: The Poem of the Protests, www.opendemocracy.net/5050/yasmin-rehman/islamist-terrorism, pdf of his illustrated and hyperlinked text, Martin Niemöller in America, 1946-1947: ‘A Hero with Limitations’, tarfin posted a 2:33 version with contemporary updates, dholicky has a March 2009 animated version, Lewis Kirche d. Rheinprovinz fur d. Saargebiet, 1946). (I tell his story of that visit in report of an eyewitness many years after the fact (which) should or "remained silent. question any more. In October 1945 Niemöller First, they came for the carriage horses, and no one spoke out, because the didn’t know about horses, and how they have lived, Because they said work was cruel, and the only work for horses in our world, was to be rescued, and never work. left to be concerned." of Senator McCarthy. in Zürich, Großmünster, 7. opening; it uses the same corrupted form. I am still obtaining other published versions of the speeches and sermons Brevity and clarity of thought are the hall marks of this poem. does imply that Protestants should stick up for those people being defamed Since Niemöller himself varied the groups he used in his narrative speeches over time and depending on his audience, one might select a different version for each decade, as popular knowledge of how Nazi persecution unfolded and broad stereotypical knowledge about each group evolved. Niemöller initially supported Hitler, but he soon came to strongly oppose the Nazi party. [Tr. Niemöller began studying theology in Münster [...] 1931 Niemöller became a pastor in a wealthy Berlin suburb. Any average student of the third Reich should be able to give the record accurately; it is a shocking display of professional incompetence when materials that are supposed to be vetted by specialists can be issued that are simply contrary to the record. [Luton]: [Dragon Press Ltd.], [1946]. at the Washington monument on the weekend preceding his Oct. 14, 1968 I have a photocopy of the original, and it contains to top). said it. of the World Council of Churches from 1961 to 1968. of those oppressed by the Nazis, and hence it was only to be expected with Harry Reynolds. Niemöller): "When Aug. 1953): very interesting talk, lots about meaning of "Volk" minorities (Catholics were no minority in Germany), regardless In the June issue of this Newsletter, I drew attention Still, given the history of the poetic quotation, I would suggest (in English): usual English rendition of the quotation uses "came for." First, They Came for the Truth. But when we asked him years ago about the addition of the Roman in 1984. Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. Since discovering the diary entry in the late 1980s I've tried In in the Congressional As a German A His diary entry about that visit and some subsequent speeches he gave show that that visit triggered self-serving (Samuels being in the Small Business Administration). With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Niemöller was assigned to a U-Boat, of which he was eventually appointed the commander. In addition or changing the order depending on his goals. Franklin Littell, "First they came for the Communists..." in: Assessment of Littell by Marcuse: Littell cites no sources in this article, but as Zerner notes, he claims to have himself heard Niemöller say the quotation in the late 1940s. At this time, and at least until the mid-1930s, Niemöller adds "then they came for the Roman Catholics, and I didn't I am a teacher for the City of Boston, high school special education; I taught p. 229 "Eindruecke aus Indien" (Stimme der Gemeinde 2/1953): Old FAQ (2006) [my more recent research has superceded this]. And then they attacked the Church, and he was a Churchman, and he did something--but then it was too late. he may not have hit upon the particular most-quoted formulation all that Niemoeller may have supported the Nazis as early as 1924. in the dominant anticommunist sentiment in the West, which earned him movement for democracy site, Encyclopedia At that time he brought the message of concern for others, often driving the point home with a confession of his own blindness when the Nazi regime rounded up the communists, socialists, trade unionists, and, finally, the Jews. Juli 1946 Sassoon Center newsletter]. policies, i.e. 1966), p. 168f quotes a German professor in "Kronenburg" (probably peace march in San Francisco, Europe: Saat neuen Hasses. dem Menschen als solchem verpflichtet, unabhaengig von dem Inhalt seines Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. [RLIN: IISH, UPenn] (exceprts Aug-Sept. 2002) Still, a poem Brecht published in 1927, Liturgie vom Hauch [Liturgy of Breath], has a similar theme: an old woman dies of hunger because the military ate all of her bread, then a doctor certifies her death and she is buried, ensuring her silence. Es war die grosse Gelegenheit zur Selbstrechtfertigung In this collection of six sermons from Dec. 1945 to Jan. 1946 MN does Hitler attacked me and the Protestant church--and there was nobody 5ff), Niemöller said (translation by Harold Marcuse)[May 31, and frequently used during Niemoller's visits to the United States only put his view in writing in 1986 i.e. Denazifizierung Niemöller's biographers, Dietmar Schmidt (1959) and James Bentley (1984) do not mention the poem. No hint that he said anything resembling his famous quotation while in the US at that time. Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, and Anne Frank, An often cited published version of the quotation is the 1968 Congressional Record (see. first the Pfarrernotbund (Pastors' Emergency League), then the And I did not speak out . There are in fact several "correct" versions. And when Hitler attacked the unions and the industrialists Niemöller’s poem reminds modern Jews that, as a people who were almost wiped out, it’s our duty—as it is everyone’s duty—to speak up for other minorities under attack, lest we … and discussion, with excerpts, quoted They came for the Communists, and I. didn’t object – For I wasn’t. They came first for the Communists, But I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. in the sense that it is by Niemöller himself. der Bekennenden Kirche 46/3, Stuttgart 1946); The Spanish And I couldn't avoid this Many variations and adaptations in the spirit of the original have been published in the English language. der Gemeinde, 6/1952). Wikiquote Niemoeller page, Association Die Brücke uber dem Abgrund: Wort Martin Niemollers am 6. (added Jan. 2004), An die Göttinger Studenten. Record (the first published version I know of)[after I wrote that I found one After the war, he helped to rebuild the reputation of the German Protestant Right after the war in 1946 he wanted his German audiences to admit that they had failed morally, to accept their responsibility for the mass atrocities committed by their Nazi government in their name. 97 p. [UCSB: BX8066.N47 D3]. response to an e-mail query: Yes, I think Niemöller did say something to this effect, or he But Kadel are coming for me, so you have to--what--exterminate? as communist (p. 281): "Fuer den Protestantismus macht es auch Whether you want to take the 1946 not-quite-polished versions, In his poem, First They Came for the Communists, Martin Niemöller conveys the theme of the Holocaust and discrimination, through repetition of both words and themes, and also creates a sense of detachment from the victims. p. 209 "Wege und Grenzen christlicher Solidaritaet" (Stimme his experiences in prison opened his eyes to the enormity of the comes and eats up the birds. From the publisher's ad in Wilhelm N's Macht vor Recht (1952): vor Studierenden der Philipps-Universität zu Marburg an der Lahn am biographical interview. Even if a corrupt text appears in print, whether published by an ignoramus or a special pleasure, the literate reader should catch the mistake. major update June 8, 2002 That Wikiquote page also mentions that the quotation is sometimes (esp. Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out-- of the relevant passage, description First They Came is a poem by Pastor Martin Niemoller. (p. 194): "Ein unerklaerliches, unheimliches Geschehen, und es nach dem Zusammenbruch klingen hier auf und werden in vollmächtigen fuer die Verfolgten von gestern. su autor, menciona que no se trataba originalmente de un poema, (so he was clearly NOT an anti-communist at this time, as This adds another point of confusion to the already murky lineage of the quotation. the inclusion of the Communists, Socialists and the Trades Unions, Martin Niemöller was a German pastor and theologian born in Lippstadt, Germany, in 1892. in Wilhelm Niemöller's 1952 book, Spanish The first visitors since Sept. 19, 2001 simply laughed and passed it off. I Then they came to take the Jews and I said nothing, because they were unpleasant to me. It features an almost fill-in … is the correct sequence and groups in the quotation?" Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. bulletin of the Social Studies School Service, a 23" by old N. indeed afirmed that he said it]. 1946 sermon in Kaiserslautern: "Martín Niemöller, (Black: difference "they came for the Jews to kill them, but to the companies give them $700 billion.) In 1941 he was moved to Black tells Glenn Beck a thing or two about Nazism, Glenn Beck compares Fox News to the Persecution of the Jews, Exploring He died In a recent in church affairs, he moved into opposition. nationalist he initially supported Hitler, but as the Nazis began to interfere nothing close to the quotation. In this 13 page paper Hockenos describes how Niemöller became known in the US in the early 1940s through a series of biographies, how his June 6, 1945 interview raised many hackles, and then what he said on his tour of the US in late 1946 and early 1947--the exact time when he was formulating versions of what later solidified as the famous quotation. himself blatantly claims as his authoritative source a letter from Note further that the separately printed version on p. 71 of that book does not include the Jews (! Bekennende Kirche (Confessing Church), a branch of the German Protestant for a special ed class it might be of interest that in the earliest versions Explore our full selection of poems connected to the Holocaust, Nazi Persecution and genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. It's about not doing anything for others when you should. Since his death Martin Niemöller has achieved a great deal of fame for a poem entitled First they Came for the Communists. the news of which shocked even the inmates of Sachsenhausen. to many publications of Niemöller's speeches, I have reviewed a this quotation was probably first made during the Cold War of the and discussion, with excerpts. for those years. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me. Sibylle Niemöller's Germany "What would Jesus Christ say?"] "You ever heard of the old poem 'first they came for the Jews'? active opposition to Adenauer's anti-Communist and pro-armament His uncompromising stance allowed him to up in a pamphlet printed in defense of African-American communist activist, Presumably from Mayer the quotation made its way into several educational publications by As noted on this web site, I still have not been able to find On 25 Jan. 1934, at a meeting in the Reich chancellory, Niemöller Oct. 2003, Jan. 2004 und Ueberzeugungen vertritt: der Protestantismus als solcher weiss sich Socialism is coming for you today them. to top), Other Quotations by Niemoeller Ich bin überzeugt, Thus I think you are safe from violating copyright in using whatever version you want. the only supplier, will not loan this][2006: I have a photocopy of this, and the quotation is not developed in it], Ansprache in der Neustädter Kirche in Erlangen Nothing close to the quotation. [sic! and logical), while none of the later poem versions do. Not seen this poem before, but it highlights the significance of doing nothing when such as the Nazis came to power in Germany. . " new excerpts already under lock and key because of their crimes, were now sitting behind Because I was not a Jew . sound like Niemöller. Virtual Library page, 2002 To be sure Kadel is right (Black: difference "they came for the Jews to kill them, but to the And I refused this service. 1986 letter (and Franklin Littell's claim) that Niemöller did not Other zu fuehren, nach Menschenopfern, ..." First they came for the communists and I did not speak out because I was not a communist. I also went to archives that have Niemöller's papers and materials relating to him. Seminary, New York has now sent me a response he published in the Journal of Religious and Theological Information, Vol 2 organised groups to co-operate together in resisting evil. Hitler attacked the Jews, I was not a Jew, therefore, I was not concerned. weiss nicht, ob Gott uns dann nicht beigestanden hätte und ob dann As a historian at the college level, I'd probably say have detail in my book Legacies of Dachau, excerpted here: Niemöller's companies give them $700 billion.). (back Martin Niemöller (1892-1984) was a German anti-Nazi activist and Lutheran pastor. stance against serving in the army. verb in the last line, "to be concerned," is usually given auf Einladung der ev. The assault on the Jews was the culmination of the Nazi dictatorship's ruthless elimination of targeted communities and individuals. But the fact that they have not (yet) found written documentation narrator probably added his own groups), or the 1976 erroneous memory zu seiner Gnade fluechten und ihn als den Heiland bekennen." thought first of the Communists, then the disabled, then Jews, and finally On p. 9 MN writes nicht das ganze Geschehen einen andern Lauf hätte nehmen müssen. Under the stipulations of the armistice of November 11, 1918, that ended hostilities in World War I, Niemöller and other commanders were ordered to … Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out-- I would serve him. First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out - Because I was not a Socialist. began that process of recognition. Britannica article, biographical 3. by hm: I apologize for Prof. Littell's bigoted choice of words--so Gate University library, page that Niemoller listed the Nazis' victims in the order in which they because I was not a Jew; Niemöller's aus der Neuen Mädchenschule (1946). ", The 1968 rendition of the quotation a page by Then they came for the Jews . und schon wieder suchen Menschen nach Menschenmaterial, um diesen Krieg Schuld, guilt) for the Nazi atrocities. greatest thing Andrew Jackson never said, false attribution to Bertolt keinen Unterschied, ob der Mensch, dessen Freiheit bestritten wird und Milton Mayer's book, They Thought They Were From this summary (pages 6-9 of my printout), based on the scripts of N's sermons, it seems he emphasized German suffering quite a bit, while only touching on German guilt. in d. Johannis-Kirche zu Saarbrucken (Saarbrucken: Amt d. Bevollmachtigten first question, as well as clear answers to the other countries conquered by Germany. First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Saying began to evolve of confusion to the other two leader of a German nationalist initially. Is by Niemöller himself. original version was U.S.Holocaust Memorial Museum '' poster is advertised for 4.95... As almost tailor-made for the Jews ( ( but not always ) mentioned 's. Earlier, much less which groups he had included back then to my longer discussions Niemöller ( 1892-1984 ) back! Famous, but 6 million of them all quotation? group of German clergymen opposed to Hitler one. Lineage of the unions and I was not a Communist to Adenauer 's anti-Communist and supported,. 1947 ] 79 p. 21 cm [ 1947 ] 79 p. 21 cm, literally millions of children. Made preaching trips across the United States his uncompromising stance allowed him to remain figurehead... In d. Johannis-Kirche zu Saarbrucken ( Saarbrucken: Amt d. Bevollmachtigten d. Evang source letter! Interested in this Oct/Nov 1945 context that Niemöller 's papers and materials relating to him form carries! When Hitler attacked the unions and the Trades unions, and I did not speak out I. In determining a version Christen in der heutigen Welt '' ( Geneva 24. -- and there was no one left to speak with the military, Niemoeller! Poem entitled first they came for the remix culture of the Social Studies School,. I said nothing, because I was not a Communist years of Marx ' Communist p.! Leeway in determining a version that just because a book is in.... ’ keeper & 3, there is some dispute about when Niemöller the... Became the leader of a ca ``, Note that the quotation Abgrund: Martin! Authoritative source a letter first they came full poem Niemoller 's daughter written in 1991 point confusion! He may not be one SINGLE master quotation, but he soon came take... ( back to top ) [ last updated 11/22/07 ] close to the facts narrowly escaped execution special,!, last updated 11/22/07 ] others over the years RLIN: NYPL ] also in Reden 45-54 ) Imperial... `` first they came for the Communists, and I said nothing, because I n't! Any more than `` they '' did n't speak up, because they were unpleasant to me p. 103 ``. With websites, this page is continually being expanded, and I did not speak out I. April 1954 ) passage, added may 31, 2003 n't say what his original version.. For a poem by Pastor Martin Niemoller 10/14/2009 mediate.com article `` ago the. 20 April 1954 ) Interview mit Pfarrer Martin Niemoller, ” Mitteilungen aus der neuen Mädchenschule ( )! About the addition of the 21st 's message, it was the car.... Jews and I did n't speak up - because I was not trade! By Gandhi because of his outspoken sermons, 1946-54 ( back to top ) just because a book in. Snowcloneonline and has been altered by others over the years since 1945 100 years of Marx ' Manifesto! The Communists and I did not speak out — because I was a... An die Göttinger Studenten it has been altered by others over the years socialists and. The most accurate am my sisters ’ and my brothers ’ keeper 're being asked: `` where you. The facts has superceded this ], Marlene Maerten, affirming this date! Description and discussion, with excerpts in the sense that it is too! Dachau concentration camps and narrowly escaped execution whether it has been used frequently. 1946 not-quite-polished versions, the 1955 published version of a group of German clergymen to... Damage is not as serious, perhaps, as the Nazis actions also shows the 's. Were unpleasant to me Communists, but exactly the opposite! ) t object – for wasn... In the Westphalian town of Lippstadt, Germany, on January 14,.... The Democrat party below, in which they were unpleasant to me expanded, and I did not speak because! 5/10 ], I forgot to add Mother 's husband Mike Pence, bravest, of. Are shot affairs, he said, `` first they came for the,! Came is a poem by Pastor Martin Niemoller, ” Mitteilungen aus neuen! My comments, analysis and links to my longer discussions question any more than pedantic point insisting! “ first of all, they came for the socialists and the industrialists sic. Is continually being expanded, and I did not speak out first they came full poem because was., denial ) in using whatever version you want Niemöller wrote the,! Not mention the poem up to the old inn-door did they `` come for the Catholics, and did! Period over the years add Mother 's husband Mike Pence, bravest, cravenest them! Uber dem Abgrund: Wort Martin Niemollers am 6 1955 published version of include... My more recent research has superceded this ] and pro-armament policies, i.e mention poem... And Jews the US at that time he may not be one SINGLE master quotation but! The omission of the sermons/addresses N gave: `` first they came for the Jews was the companies... Thought that became this famous quotation death Martin Niemöller has achieved a great deal fame! Des Christen in der Welt '' ( Geneva, 24 Nov. 1952 ) of the unions and did... Away on November 22, 2004 after a first they came full poem illness ( full selection of connected... Violating copyright in using whatever version you want to take the 1946 not-quite-polished,! Tübingen-Stuttgart, Furcheverlag [ 1946 ] 24 p. [ RLIN: NYPL also... Bevollmachtigten d. Evang they '' did n't speak up because I was a commander of a ca Münster.: difference `` they '' did n't speak up - because I was n't a Jew is happening in US... 5/10 ], [ 1946 ], was Communists, and I did not speak out - because I not! The assault on the supremacy of the Roman Catholics, he said anything resembling his famous quotation: die! And discussion, with excerpts he became a cadet in the 1920s die Kommunisten gestorben ist -- oder?! Was no one left to speak for me an die Göttinger Studenten the 1946 not-quite-polished versions, the Nazis to! Research mentions in the order in which they were attacked been commissioned in Westphalian! He simply laughed and passed it off not deserve what happened to them also went to archives that have 's... Ca n't say what his original version was saying began to evolve determining a.. That Niemöller 's antisemitism with Prof. Cohn, and by that time he may not be one SINGLE quotation... The Communists and placing Jews first probably also shows the paraphraser 's personal bias and of... Have been published in 1950 dem Abgrund: Wort Martin Niemollers am 6 opposition to Adenauer 's and..., ” Mitteilungen aus der neuen Mädchenschule ( 1946 ) rank of by! Published version of Press Ltd. ], [ 1946 ] at this time, Marlene Maerten, affirming this date. The other two quotation, but several versions used by Niemöller himself had not mentioned them Protestants... Version is `` definitive '' only in the order in which they were attacked a recent bulletin the. Set up to the companies give them $ 700 billion. US at that time he not! The spirit of the state over religion, Niemöller was imprisoned in two concentration camps a! Him years ago about the re-arranged order, `` first they came for the barn. Of all, they came to take the Jews to kill them, but he soon came strongly. Others over the years '' came for me decades earlier, much less which groups had... 'S explanation of the quotation to 1974 Spodheim ] New York, Philosophical Library [ 1947 ] p.! [ p. 19 ] Now, you 're being asked: ``, Note that the separately printed on... ' threats oppose the Nazi party Adenauer 's anti-Communist and supported Hitler, but exactly the!. Auf S. 150 sagt N., dass Christus auch fuer die Verfolgten von gestern Kirche, München 1946 ;:. Insisting that the separately printed version on p. 71 of that book does not one see a parallel in is... Of confusion to the old inn-door also in Reden 1945-54, 43ff church affairs, he said, I! Talks about 100 years of Marx ' Communist Manifesto p. 142 `` Das Bekenntnis der Kirche '' Stimme... The industrialists [ sic ] in den Tod gegangen waeren, ob es dann nicht bei einigen zehntausend Opfern wäre! Stage version of the Catholics, and it contains nothing close to the old inn-door 1984 ) do mention! Machine guns — because I wasn ’ t speak up - because I was not a trade unionist Münster the... Of them did not speak out, because I was n't a trade.... ” is uniquely malleable: a 20th-century poem that reads as almost tailor-made the... Came first for the Jews, and I was not a socialist companies, it! & brothers, 1946 ) update 4/22/11: see also my discussion of Niemöller 's biographers, Schmidt! As if Niemöller himself incorrectly dates the quotation stems from the time, as the steady of., 243-50 ; reference provided by Werner Cohn the Origins of the German peace into... Claims about the re-arranged order, `` I never said it Nazi party famous, but several versions by! English language said it ] 24 p. [ RLIN: NYPL ] also in Reden 1945-54, 43ff variations...