ers : ▁ ▁that ▁the ▁Dec laration ▁was ▁merely ▁an ▁internal ▁church ▁document ▁that ▁did ▁not ▁attempt ▁to ▁address ▁political ▁gu ilt ▁for ▁the ▁war ; ▁that ▁only ▁the ▁German ▁leadership ▁had ▁to ▁be ▁ash amed ; ▁or ▁that ▁it ▁was ▁not ▁tra itor ous ▁to ▁conf ess ▁gu ilt . ▁ ▁Of ▁the ▁eleven ▁sign ator ies , ▁only ▁Niem öll er ▁chose ▁to ▁public ize ▁it : ▁" For ▁the ▁next ▁two ▁years ", ▁he ▁claimed , ▁" I ▁did ▁nothing ▁but ▁pre ach ▁the ▁Dec laration ▁to ▁people ." ▁This ▁bold ▁approach , ▁along ▁with ▁his ▁intern ment ▁at ▁D ach au , ▁helped ▁create ▁his ▁controvers ial ▁reputation . ▁ ▁Effect s ▁Many ▁Germ ans ▁object ed ▁to ▁the ▁conf ession ▁of ▁gu ilt , ▁on ▁the ▁ground ▁that ▁they ▁had ▁also ▁suffered ▁in ▁the ▁war , ▁as ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁Al lied ▁wrong do ing ▁( part icular ly ▁Soviet ). ▁ ▁... the ▁dread ful ▁mis ery ▁of ▁ 1 9 4 5 - 1 9 4 6 ▁held ▁the ▁Germ ans ▁back ▁from ▁all ▁rem or se . ▁Because -- most ▁people ▁believed ▁this -- the ▁occupation ▁troops ▁were ▁responsible ▁for ▁the ▁mis ery . ▁" They ' re ▁just ▁as ▁in human ▁as ▁we ▁were ", ▁was ▁how ▁it ▁was ▁put . ▁And ▁with ▁that , ▁everything ▁was ▁even ed ▁up . ▁ ▁Some ▁Germ ans ▁quickly ▁drew ▁compar isons ▁to ▁the ▁" war ▁gu ilt " ▁clause ▁of ▁the ▁Vers a illes ▁Tre aty