An expanded “Reich list” of people to be arrested or shot circulated
beforehand among Hermann Göring, Werner von Blomberg, Hein-
rich Himmler, and Reinhard Heydrich. Röhm was captured at
the Bavarian resort of Bad Wiessee in the presence of Adolf Hitler
and, unwilling to take his own life, was killed in his jail cell two
days later. Other important victims included Gregor Strasser, Erich
Klausener, Kurt von Schleicher, Ferdinand von Bredow, and 13
Reichstag deputies.
In a lengthy speech before the Reichstag on 13 July, Hitler at-
tempted to justify these murders, claiming that a vast conspiracy to
overthrow the Reich had been eliminated, but tacitly conceded the
criminality of the purge. Its ranks depleted by over 40 percent within
a year, the SA ceased to be a major player in the Third Reich, while
the SS shed its subordinate status and was made directly responsible
to Hitler. During the 1950s, two former SS officers—Kurt Gildisch
and Sepp Dietrich—received prison sentences in the Federal Repub-
lic of Germany for their role in the affair. See also DU MOULIN-
ECKART, KARL LEONHARDT COUNT.NOÉ, KARL GUSTAV (1789–1885). The first head of the Mainzer
Informationsbüro (MIB), Karl Gustav Noé entered the senior
administration of the Viennese police following the completion of
his studies in 1822. His early assignments with the political police
included the diplomatic congresses at Verona and Milan. In 1828,
Noé journeyed to Brussels to investigate the secret activities of revo-
lutionary refugees. In 1830, he examined firsthand the repercussions
of the Warsaw uprising in Galicia. Even in the eyes of his opponents,
he gained a reputation for intellectual discernment and adaptability.
Following his appointment as high commissioner in 1831, he advo-
cated a series of reform measures designed to help the plight of poor
farmers.
In 1833, Noé became head of the MIB, the newly created foreign
intelligence office for the Habsburg monarchy. From all accounts,
Noé (employing his supplementary name of Norberg) directed its
activities in a circumspect and successful manner. On the instructions
of Austrian chancellor Klemens von Metternich, he made two no-
table trips to Paris in 1836 and 1838 to gain French cooperation, but
neither mission bore fruit. His requested resignation took effect on 23
322 • NOÉ, KARL GUSTAV