Between the Lines

The Nation this week starts a series of articles on “Nazi Jew-Baiting in America,” reviewing Nazi activities in the United States which were reported months ago in the pages of the Jewish Daily Bulletin.

Similar series of articles have appeared recently in the magazine Today and in other American publications, bringing to light the Nazi movement in different parts of our country and the anti-Semitic activities it is conducting throughout the nation.

While the Jews of America will certainly be grateful to The Nation and the other publications for exposing the Nazis in the same way as the Ku Klux Klan was once exposed by the general press, it seems to me that these exposures, though they are well intended, also have their negative side.

HARMFUL PUBLICITY

Some may agree and others disagree with me when I say that the Nazi movement in America is not so strong as to deserve the publicity it is given. This publicity only serves the Nazi cause. It keeps the Nazis always in the public eye. It makes the average American believe that the Nazi organization in America is a strongly organized force. It quotes the Nazi speakers and brings their words to the attention of millions of readers who would otherwise never have known about the Nazi propaganda in this country.

This is exactly what the Nazi leaders in America desire. They know very well that they could not reach the large American public through their own sheets. They know very well that their meetings would hardly be attended by Americans. They are therefore more than satisfied to see articles and reports about them in the general press, no matter how antagonistic these articles may be.

A MYSTERIOUS INFORMANT

It is no coincidence that the Jewish Daily Bulletin, being a Jewish publication and naturally 100 per cent anti-Nazi, is nevertheless being constantly informed of the Nazi activities in America by Nazis themselves. From time to time someone with a marked German accent telephones our editorial offices, offering information on the doings of the Nazis. This information is always of an unfavorable nature to the Nazis. Nevertheless, some mysterious informants seem to be very much interested in seeing this information published.

The information offered is very seldom used, although upon verification, it turns out as a rule to be correct. The mystery about it is, however, that the informant, who seems to be a well-posted Nazi insider, never consents to give his name when he gives information over the telephone.

SILENT CHECKING PREFERABLE

It is quite clear that any publicity given to the activities of the Nazis in America is only helping them. Ignored by the press, and left to themselves, the Nazi groups in America would die a natural death since very few would hear of their existence.

This does not mean, of course, that the Nazi work in the United States should be left unchecked. The checking should be done, however, by institutions, such as the MacCormack Congressional Committee or any other private or government investigating body, rather than by the press. The organizations interested in investigating the Nazi machinations in America will get much better results if the press of America ignores the Nazis for the time being.

The articles in the Nation on “Nazi Jew-Baiting in America” will certainly be appreciated by the Jews. I am afraid, however, that they will be appreciated also by the Nazis. They convey Nazi propaganda indirectly by reproducing Nazi leaflets and quoting Nazi slogans. This is exactly what the Nazis in America wish. They wish to reach those Americans whom they cannot attract through their own publications and their own meetings.