"The majority of the German nation shared the position that Hitler took on the Treaty of Versailles: that it was unfair, and that the imposition on Germany of sole responsibility for the war was wrong.

"At the same time, the Allies had among them many prominent individuals who believed that only a strong Germany could allow Europe to recover economically.

"So there were those on both sides who believe that what had happened to Germany was a grave mistake. The problem was: what could be done that would enable the millions of people who had lost loved ones, to believe, that somehow, those responsible for the deaths of their loved ones, had paid the price for it – at the same time is reviving Europe with a strong Germany. There's no way to do that.

"Revenge and reconciliation are incompatible. They tried both and got neither."