Nicole Tomlinson
Source C
Question b)
What impression of Kristallnacht does source C give? Explain your answer.
(b) Source C is an account by David Buffman, the American Consul in Leipzig. Buffman was an American diplomat- his job was to be the eyes and ears of America in order to give America an impression of what was going on in Germany. Along with the fact that the account was written at the time- making it a primary source, this makes it a very reliable, as he would have no reason to lie because he was American and was therefore safe from the wrath of the Nazis’ censorship. He reaccounts that the Nazi press described Kristallnacht as ‘a spontaneous wave of anger’, though contradicting this by saying; ‘the local crowds were obviously horrified by the Nazis’ acts’, thus suggesting that it was not a spontaneous attack on the Jews. Buffman describes to us what the Nazi press claims as the origin of the shattering of shop windows as ‘a spontaneous wave of anger, as a result of the cowardly Jewish murder of Von Roth in Paris.’ Ernst von Roth was an official for the German Embassy in Paris and the Jewish man shot him dead on the basis of revenge for the mistreatment of his parents by the Nazis. Buffman goes on to say that the local people were ‘obviously horrified by the Nazis’ acts’; he is obviously accusing the Nazis of committing vile acts of vandalism and murder, which he conveys by using the general publics apparent views.
