A group of 14 noted Americans today issued an amply documented dossier of Nazi activities outside Germany to prove that these activities, if permitted to continue in the United States, would cause friction between Germans and the rest of the American people that “might result in unrest and possible bloodshed.”
The 58-page book, titled “The German Reich and Americans of German Origin,” is published by the Oxford University press of New York. The material is largely reproductions of documents and statements originating in the Reich. The sponsors are Charles C. Burlingham, James Byrne, Bernard Flexner, Monte M. Lemann, Howard Chandler Robbins, Samuel Seabury, Henry L. Stimson, Nicholas Murray Butler, Alfred E. Cohn, Felix Frankfurter, George Wharton Pepper, Monsignor Ryan, Murray Seasongood and Nathan Straus.
“At present the influence of such (German Government) propaganda on German-Americans is slight,” the preface declares. “But if this agitation is permitted to continue unchecked, it cannot fail to create a cyst in the body politic of the American people. It will result in setting apart a large group of inhabitants of the United States whose duty it would be to render primary allegiance to the ruler of a foreign power. Friction between this group and the rest of the American people might result in unrest and possible bloodshed.”
Hitler’s rise to power is analyzed in another book, “Why Hitler Came to Power,” by Prof. Theodore Abel of Columbia University, published today by Prentice-Hall. It is based on autobiographies of followers of Hitler which Prof. Abel obtained by offering a prize in Berlin for the best such autobiography.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.