The sensational confession of an SA man to have been involved in the Reichstag fire in 1933 is probably of little value. According to doctors, this Hans-Martin Lennings was a psychopath.
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An affidavit by Lennings in 1955 had made headlines worldwide this summer. The hitherto unknown document seemed to end the bitter dispute over the arsonists. Most scientists believe that the Dutch anarchocommunist Marinus van der Lubbe infected the parliament building on February 27, 1933. Others argue that the Nazis are behind the crime; Lenning's confession seemed to confirm that assumption.
But there are two psychiatric reports on Lennings before, as the SPIEGEL reports. Accordingly, the SA man suffered from memory loss, epileptic seizures, anxiety disorders. His brain was severely damaged, which the reviewers attributed to head injuries. German Chancellor Adolf Hitler had accused the communists of arson and used the fire as an opportunity to abolish fundamental rights and thereby legalize terror.
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