Goering and Hitler, 1938. Photo: WikiCommons

Nazi leader Hermann Goering, who went to trial at Nuremberg after World War II, refused to pray to Jesus before his death because he believed the Christian savior to be “just another smart Jew,” according to a new book published this month, Britain’s Daily Mail reported.

In Mission at Nuremberg: An American Army Chaplain and the Trial of the Nazis, author Tim Townsend charts the exploits of American Army chaplain Henry Gerecke who ministered to Goering and 12 other Nazis as they were tried and ultimately executed at Nuremberg for their heinous war crimes.

On the day they were to be killed, Gerecke sat with the condemned men in his charge and asked them to join him in a prayer he had written. They were also offered communion for their sins by the pastor. However, when he approached Goering, the Nazi told him he could not say “Jesus, save me,” according to excerpts of Townsend’s book published by the Daily Mail.

Goering added, “This Jesus you always speak of – to me he’s just another smart Jew.” He still wanted communion just in case there was any truth in Christianity, but Gerecke refused and left his prison cell.

Goering poisoned himself before ever reaching the gallows. When the prison lights went down after Gerecke left him, Goering broke a glass vial of potassium cyanide he had hidden and cracked it between his teeth. He began gurgling and frothing at the mouth and died quickly.