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Last Hitler plotter dies: Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist, a German soldier who plotted to kill dictator Adolf Hitler, died last week.
Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin (R), a former German army officer and last surviving member of the July 20 Plot, talks with former German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg during a ceremony for new recruits on July 20, 2010 in Berlin in 2006. (Rainer Jensen/AFP/Getty Images)
A would-be assassin of German dictator Adolf Hitler has died in Munich, according to reports on Tuesday. He was 90.
Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist passed away in his home Friday, his wife confirmed with The Associated Press.
During World War II, he once wore a suicide vest to kill the Nazi leader after joining the German army. He was approached by Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, who gave him the offer to assassinate Hitler after von Kleist was chosen to model a new uniform for Hitler.
He was supposed to stand next to Hitler wearing the uniform—and a suicide vest laden with explosives—before the vest would detonate, killing him and Hitler. But the plan never came about because he never met with Hitler.
Von Kleist’s father, Ewald von Kleist, an opponent of the Nazi regime, told his son: “Yes, you have to do this,” when Ewald-Heinrich described the plot to him. His parents were active in the German resistance against Hitler.
“Fathers love their sons and mine certainly did, and I had been quite sure he would say no,” von Kleist had said. “But, as always, I had underestimated him.”
Von Kleist was also asked to carry a briefcase containing a bomb to kill Hitler, which was depicted in the 2008 movie “Valkyrie.” He placed the bomb in a conference room, but when the blast went off, Hitler escaped.
His father and von Stauffenberg were arrested after the plot, while von Kleist “was arrested and sent to a concentration camp, but was later allowed to return to combat duty,” the BBC said.
Later, von Kleist became a publisher and founded his own publishing company, the Ewald-von-Kleist-Verlag.
He also founded the Munich Conference on Security Policy, which brings together top diplomats to discuss global issues, according to the BBC.
“I learned a great deal over the years from Ewald’s wise counsel and statesmanship. I enjoyed the great pleasure of his company and the privilege of his friendship, for which I will always be grateful,” U.S. Senator John McCain said in a statement about von Kleist’s death, according to the broadcaster.
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