"The only one who really knows about the Reichstag is I, because I set it on fire!"
— Hermann Göring

January 1, 1970

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People from BavariaPeople indicted for war crimesPeople of Nazi GermanyAviatorsMilitary leaders from Germany
Original Language: English

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Statement at a luncheon on 20 April 1942, as recounted by General Franz Halder, about the Reichstag fire, which the Nazis had blamed on "Communist instigators" in securing many of their dictatorial powers. In a way that might indicate Göring was simply joking, Halder testified: "At a luncheon on the birthday of Hitler in 1942 the conversation turned to the topic of the Reichstag building and its artistic value. I heard with my own ears when Göring interrupted the conversation and shouted: 'The o