Adolf Hitler knew that the concentration camps were not universally popular in Germany. Conscious of his image, he publicly kept his distance: apparently, he never toured a camp. But in private, Hitler supported Himmler’s vision of a camp system based on extreme terror. In 1935, Hitler made several crucial interventions. He secured long-term financing for the camps and pardoned guards convicted of prisoner abuses. The following letters of 6 November 1935 also make clear that Hitler sided with Himmler against the Reich Ministry of Justice, which had raised concerns about prisoner deaths and demanded legal representation for prisoners.
I showed your letter of 16 October and also the summary of deaths in the concentration camps to the Führer himself on the occasion of my presentation to him on 1 November 1935. As the concentration camps are already run in a meticulous manner, special measures are considered unnecessary. H. Himmler
In the matter referred to us concerning permission for lawyers to be involved in cases of protective custody, I put the request to the Führer and Reich Chancellor on 1 November 1935. The Führer prohibited the involvement of lawyers and told me to convey his decision to you. H. Himmler
Source: M. Broszat, “Nationalsozialistische Konzentrationslager”, in H. Buchheim et al. (eds), Anatomie des SS-Staates (Munich, 1994), p. 353
Translation: Lesley Sharpe and Jeremy Noakes