David M. Bressier, chairman of the committee in charge of the testimonial dinner to David A. Brown, national chairman of the Jewish Campaign, explained why Henry Ford’s tribute to Mr. Brown was not read to the guests who with Ford gathered at the Commodore Thursday night.
Mr. Ford, “spontaneously and of his own free will.” Mr. Bressler said, offered the statement eulogizing Mr. Brown and the Jewish race to which Mr. Ford apologized two years ago after repeated anti-Semitic attacks in the “Dearborn Independent.” But Mr. Ford asked that the toastmaster refrain from reading the paper at the dinner.
This was done, Mr. Bressler said he believed, because of Mr. Ford’s modesty. Mr. Ford did not want the statement made public, he said. So the public had one advantage over the dinner guests: they got wind of the statement through the press, while those at the dinner had to be content with a mere mention of the name of their fellow guest by the toastmaster.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
