Further story of George Wittenstein:
Organized resistance was practically impossible. One could not speak openly, even with close friends, never knowing whether they might not be Nazi spies or collaborators. So well organized was the control and surveillance by the party, that each city block had a party functionary assigned to spy on his neighbours.
I remember only too well an incident in a cinema: someone sitting a few rows in front of me was led away by the Gestapo. Apparently, he had made a derogatory remark to his companion about Hitler during the preceding news. Whoever had overheard him must have, as a patriotic duty, tipped off the secret police.
If you see how people out of fear betray each other now, and how without any hesitation they steal the freedom our heroes fought for we are like back in the thirties.
Sure, there were individuals, and small, local groups who were opposed to the regime, but it was nearly impossible to establish contacts, nor to maintain communications. Thus, the existing groups were small, isolated, and did not know of each other.
Students, throughout history, have been idealistic, rebellious against existing order and old empty conventions, and willing to take chances.
Most of our group had been members of youth organizations. In essence they grew out of a disillusionment of young people with the old established order. Their ideals and stated goals were personal freedom, self-imposed discipline, and strict adherence to highest moral and ethical principles.
All of us were of the same political conviction: against Hitler and the Nazi Regime. But, in a way typical for millions of Germans at the time, we withdrew into our own private sphere, in our case the arts, philosophy, our circle of friends, aptly called inner emigration. When German atrocities became known, for us this detachment gave way to the conviction that it was not good enough to keep to oneself, one’s beliefs, and ethical standards, but that the time had come to act.
Our leaflets called for a “rebirth of German student life to make the university again a living community devoted to the truth.”
And that for the sake of future generations, an example must be set after the war, so that no one will ever have the slightest desire to try anything like this ever again. Do not forget the minor scoundrels of this system; note their names, so that no one may escape…We shall not be silent – we are your bad conscience. The White Rose will not leave you in peace.
Deeply shaken, our people behold the loss of the men of Stalingrad. 330,000 German men have been senselessly and irresponsibly driven to their deaths and destruction by the ingenious strategy of the WWI private. Führer, we thank you.
Do we want to sacrifice the remainder of our German youth to the base ambitions of a Party clique? No, never!
We demand the return of personal freedom, the most precious treasure of the Germans which cunningly has been cheated from us. We have grown up under a government which deprived us ruthlessly of free speech and forcibly anesthetized us in a fog of empty phrases, our budding ability to think and judge for ourselves.
