Celler Makes Radio Speech

other nations, charging that by not inviting them to participate, Germany had again violated the spirit of the Olympics.

“The spirit of the Olympics,” Mr. Celler said, “is one of international friendship and one of brotherhood among all nations. Even the cities of ancient Greece, continually warring among themselves, laid aside their arms and participated in the games held in the shadow of Mount Olympus, without any thought of the petty hatreds and rivalries which during the rest of the year occupied so much of their attention. That is the spirit in which the modern Olympics have always been held. All the nations of the world have been invited in true democratic fashion to participate, but Germany has violated the spirit. She has not invited the non-Aryan countries—whatever they are.”

These uninvited nations, Mr. Celler named as Russia, Egypt, Honduras, Persia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Lithuania.

TOO MANY JEWISH ATHLETES

“Lithuania,” Mr. Celler declared, “was probably omitted because the Germans thought it likely that her teams would contain many Jewish athletes. Why should Egypt be discriminated against? In the last Olympics, the Egyptian athletes acquitted themselves with great distinction. The exclusion of Russia can, of course, be traced to the German phobia against everything Russian. But these phobias, these international hatreds, these prejudices should be laid aside for such occasions as the Olympic games. Foreign press almost everywhere has taken the view that Jewish athletes will be relentlessly discriminated against.”