POPITS Johannes (Popitz)

Popits, Johannes (Popitz), (1884-1945), Minister of Finance of Prussia, by profession a lawyer, member of the resistance. Born December 2, 1884 in Leipzig. He studied law, economics and political science, worked as a lawyer, was a professor at Berlin University. In 1919 became a member of the Privy Council, and in 1925 became the State Secretary of the Ministry of Finance. In 1933, Hitler appointed Popitsa minister without portfolio and Reich Commissar of the Prussian Ministry of Finance. For services to the Reich Popits was awarded an honorary Golden party badge. However, dissatisfaction with Hitler and his policies forced Popitsa join one of the conspirators, who had hoped to remove Hitler from power in favor of Crown Prince Wilhelm. To this end Popits decided to hold a cautious negotiations with Himmler on behalf of the conspiracy

. In the summer of 1943 he, along with Karl Langbenom Himmler visited and invited him to support a coup, . saying, . what, . despite the genius of Hitler, . war was lost because Himmler needed to separate negotiations with the Allies on the conclusion of the armistice,
. Himmler had evaded a direct answer. Later, Langbehn was arrested, and Popits was under the supervision of the Gestapo. After the failure of the July 1944 conspiracy Popits was also arrested and sentenced on 3 October 1944 the People's Tribunal to death. The sentence was delayed for several months on the orders of Himmler, who hoped to use Popitsa as a mediator for negotiations with the Western Allies. However, after the failure of plans Reichsfiihrer Popits was hanged in PlцІtzensee Prison in Berlin on Feb. 2, 1945.