Reiterating the American Military Government’s policy of granting preferential treatment to Jews and other sufferers of Nazism, Col. James Newman, military governor of the Greater Hesse district, today warned the German people that they must rid themselves of anti-Semitism and other Nazi ideologies if they expect food or other assistance from the United States. He made this statement at a press conference with German newsmen.
In an interview with a Jewish Telegraphic Agency correspondent, Col. Newman said that he knows “from personal inspection” that Jews employed by the military government live more comfortably than “most Germans.” He cited an instance where Germans employed by the military government were forced to leave their quarters to make room for a group of Jews who were moving in.
The AMG and German authorities are constantly striving to impress the German people that Nazi victims deserve preferential treatment, he declared, adding that agencies were established to assure this preferential status. “Unfortunately,” Col. Newman said, “the AMG and the German Government cannot undo in not quite a year’s time what the very effective Nazi propaganda machine did in twelve years.” He concluded that he is convinced that the Greater Hesse Government was “sympathetic” to the military government’s policy.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.