What did Hitler offer the German people, and why did they follow him?
Hilmar von Campe: Hitler gave people a purpose in their life. The Nazi ideology demands everything from everybody. Young people want to give themselves to something great. Were you brainwashed or indoctrinated as a youngster? Of course. Just the way they would talk about history or life was a way of indoctrination. We didn’t even realize it. We were forbidden to read foreign newspapers or listen to foreign broadcasts. Everything was controlled by the Nazis. My father risked his life to listen to the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) or Swiss Radio. There were constant battles between our own convictions and the requirements of the Nazis. Were you aware of the liquidation of millions of people in the concentration camps? Not at all. It is a simple fact that most just didn’t know. Jews were herded by night into trains which were sealed. Many people never asked. America is a completely different kind of society. We had no free press. It was not an open society. But didn’t you know ab
