Eighteen million copies of anti-Semitic papers are published daily in Germany against the Jewish population who number 450,000 in a total population of 65,000,000, Dr. Lion Feuchtwanger, the distinguished German novelist, told a gathering of writers and leaders yesterday at a tea at the Hotel Commodore arranged in his honor by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Dr. Feuchtwanger, who was introduced by Jacob Landau, the managing director of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, expressed some diffidence in discussing the present political situation because, as a “German writer of Jewish extraction,” he may be made the object of reprisals on his return to Germany.
“I feel deeply related to the German language and culture,” he explained. “I feel an urgent desire to go back to Germany as soon as possible. Therefore it might be more politic for me not to talk about Hitler the Chancellor and politician, but rather about Hitler the writer.”
The German novelist has been the target of persistent attack by the Nazi press because of his Jewish origin.
He pointed out that there are an average of 40 anti-Semitic copies of papers per Jew published daily.
Chancellor Adolph Hitler, who refused to accept a salary as Chancellor on the ground that he makes his living by his pen, was ridiculed as a writer by Dr. Feuchtwanger.
Discussing Hitler’s book “The Struggle,” he asserted that it was replete with errors of fact and language and despite an extraordinary sales propaganda sold only 200,000 copies.
He scored as misrepresentative the broadcast last week to Germany of the Nazi representative in the United States, Kurt G. W. Luedecke, who declared that the American press is jubilant over Hitler’s rise.
“Perhaps you know that at the beginning of his career Herr Hitler called himself a writer,” Dr. Feuchtwanger said. “I remember in this connection that there was a violent discussion in a society of professional literary people, who are very broadminded in accepting new members. The subject of the discussion was, what shall be the lowest grade of printed matter that shall entitle its author to membership in this society. Is, for instance, a man who composes a bill of fare for a restaurant a writer, or is he not? There was no definite decision because in the end Herr Hitler did not apply for membership.
“Herr Hitler, however, has written a
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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.
