On October 14, 1968, Congressman Henry Reuss of Wisconsin made some remarks in Congress that included what became a very famous quotation – and created one of the great quotation muddles.
The quote Reuss read was recorded in the Congressional Record as follows:
“When Hitler attacked the Jews, I was not a Jew, therefore, I was not concerned. And when Hitler attacked the Catholics, I was not a Catholic, and therefore, I was not concerned. And when Hitler attacked the unions and the industrialists, I was not a member of the unions and I was not concerned. Then, Hitler attacked me and the Protestant church – and there was nobody left to be concerned.”
Reuss credited the quote Howard Samuels, Administrator of the Small Business Administration and, according to Reuss, “a leader of the Nation’s Jewish community."
It was soon pointed out that the quote was not created by Samuels, but was actually a version of words said by the German theologian and Lutheran pastor, Martin Niemöller (1892-1984). And, books of quotations mistakenly began attributing the lines in the Congressional Record to him.
Niemöller was one of the brave German church leaders who spoke out against Hitler’s persecution of the Jews and other minority groups. He was put in a concentration camp for his views, but survived. And, starting in 1946, he began talking in his sermons and speeches about the collective guilt Germans shared for going along with Hitler’s insanities.
A brief summary of Niemöller’s remarks on this topic was cited in the 1955 book by Milton Mayer, They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45 (Phoenix Books)
The book’s passage later morphed into the quote read by Congressman Reuss. Then some anonymous person turned that into a poem which was and still is erroneously attributed to Niemöller.
The poem appears in various versions naming various groups in varying order. A commonly seen version is the one that starts with the Jews:
“First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.”
Here’s the bottom line: Niemöller DID say words similar to what is in the Congressional Record, Mayer’s 1955 book and the poem. But he didn’t say anything exactly like any of those “quotes.”
The version read into the Congressional Record by Congressman Reuss omitted “Communists,” which no savvy American politician could publicly sympathize with, and inserted “industrialists.”
Niemöller himself never mentioned industrialists in his postwar sermons, but he did include Communists in his list of groups that were persecuted by Hitler. Indeed, when asked about his famous “quote,” Niemöller said he preferred versions that included them.
The most definitive research on the “First they came for...” quotation was done by Harold Marcuse, a professor of German history at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He posted a summary of his research online and it’s well worth reading if you’re a fan of this famous misquote or a fan of quotation history.
Here are some of the other famous quotes and phrases linked to October 14:
• “Breakfast of champions.” - The famed slogan for beer. No, just kidding to see if you’re paying attention. It’s the famed slogan for General Mills’ breakfast cereal Wheaties. It was created in 1933 by American adman Knox Reeves. According to the U.S. trademark database, it was first used in commerce on October 14, 1933.
• “As quickly as you can, snatch the pebbles from my hand. When you can take the pebbles from my hand, it will be time for you to leave.” - The famous TV quote in the opening sequence of the series Kung Fu (1972-1975), starring David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine, which began its first season on October 14, 1972. The pebbles line was spoken by Master Kan (Philip Ahn) to Caine as a young boy. Later in the opening sequence, Caine is shown as a young man who succeeds in grabbing the pebbles. Then the Master says: “Time for you to leave.”
