 Some historians believe that the Nazi government had been contemplating a planned outbreak of violence against the Jews and were waiting for an appropriate provocation; there is evidence of this planning dating back to 1937.In a 1997 interview, the German historian Hans Mommsen claimed that a major motive for the pogrom was the desire of the "Gauleiters" of the NSDAP to seize Jewish property and businesses.Mommsen stated