The question whether Theodore Dreiser is anti-Semitic, which has created much discussion since the publication two weeks ago of a letter by the novelist criticizing the Jews, has been answered by himself in the negative.
“I have no hatred for the Jew and nothing to do with Hitler or Fascism,” says Dreiser, in a statement in the current issue of The New Masses.
Dreiser’s statement was made as the result of an interview with representatives of The New Masses, and a further discussion in the magazine’s office.
An editorial in the magazine expresses dissatisfaction with Dreiser’s statement, but voices the hope that he will not find it impossible to “regain his traditional place as a fighter for human liberty.”
Dreiser’s statement said, in part:
“I make a distinction between classes. I draw a distinction between the Jewish worker and the Jewish exploiter. Everybody knows that I am an anti-capitalist. I identify the interests of the Jewish workers with the interests of all other works….If my letters are used by the Nazis as propaganda, I repudiate such use. I have no hatred for the Jew and nothing to do with Hitler or Fascism.”
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