As early as 1938, the carpenter Johann Georg Elser decided to kill the leading National Socialists: Hitler, Göring, and Goebbels. He hoped this act would prevent the impending war. Knowing that Hitler regularly gave a speech in the Munich Bürgerbräukeller on November 8 to mark the anniversary of his attempted putsch in 1923, Elser gained access to the venue and found that the hall was not guarded. A year later, he spent several weeks preparing a supporting pillar in the event hall to conceal an explosive device.
On November 8, 1939, Hitler left the assembly room unexpectedly only minutes before the explosion, and thus evaded the assassination attempt. Customs officers arrested Elser at around the same time, previously unrecognized, as he was attempting to escape to Switzerland. He was handed over to the police because of suspicious items in his pockets. After several days of interrogations in Munich, Elser confessed and emphasized his intention to open up a path for peace in Europe by killing Hitler.
The National Socialists initially thought Elser was an instrument of the British secret service. Many others shared this assessment at the time, including members of civilian and military resistance circles. Now, however, there is no doubt that Elser was acting entirely of his own accord. He was murdered in Dachau concentration camp on April 9, 1945, only weeks before the end of the war.