Hitlerites within the ranks of the German-Austrian war veterans association were roundly scored here at an election meeting of the association attended by unit representatives of three leading counties in New Jersey and New York.
Aegin Hammer, of the German Legion of New York, in criticizing George Ganss of Newark, former president of the association who resigned, pointed out that the latter had introduced Heinz Spanknoebel, American Nazi leader, now a fugitive from justice, at the last board meeting of the veterans’ association and that since then the Nazi leader had tried to bring the war veterans under his influence and that of his alleged associate, Dr. Ignatz T. Griebl.
Bert Cohrf, also of the New York German Legion, in answering charges made by various representatives that the respective organizations had failed to protest against the boycott of German goods and against the “slurs hurled at the country of our birth” questioned the honest intention of those who had “attempted to utilize the German veterans association as a political tool. Neither Spanknoebel nor Dr. Griebl is part of the element that really could do honor to our old country. That must be left to others with a clear record,” the speaker declared.
Anton Uhrig, president of the New York German Legion, took what might be regarded as a more conciliatory viewpoint. In describing Griebl as a “fanatic”, Uhrig declared that his group adopted the swastika flag not because of any belief in its political significance, but because they felt it was the acknowledged flag of Germany today.
“After all,” said Uhrig, “Hitler must be given credit for bringing about a unification of Germany, and he and his government demand equal respect for the stand taken in the war guilt question at Geneva.”
A warning to the veterans’ association “not to out-Herod, Herod” was voiced by Paul Zillgitt of Queens, New York. Richard H. Krueger, past commander of the Newark unit of the veterans, in reply to previous speakers, was outspoken in denouncing the swastika “as the symbol of a political party and of anti-Semitism, which the Austrian members of the organization were bound to consider as a gross insult to their own loyal feeling to their native country.”
The successor to Ganss as president is Fred Obermueller. Dr. Zillgitt was elected first vice-president.
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