Jewish War Veterans Disturbed over Film “the Desert Fox”

The Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America today urged the State Department to employ every course within its means to withhold the showing of the American-produced film, “The Desert Fox,” from motion picture theaters in Germany.

“Exhibition in this country and overseas of the motion picture ‘The Desert Fox’ poses a problem which has given rise to serious concern among the members of our organization,” Paul Ginsberg, national commander of the Jewish War Veterans, declared in a communication sent to the State Department. “Specifically, we are disturbed by the possibility that this film, which deals with the career of the former Nazi general, Erwin Rommel, in generally laudatory terms may be shown in Germany.

“In light of the marked resurgence of extreme German nationalism and the vehement arguments of German veterans organizations for German military ‘equality,’ we are convinced that exhibition of ‘The Desert Fox’ in the German Federal Republic can only serve to complicated still further the already difficult problems confronting United States occupation authorities,” Mr. Ginsberg stated. “The film’s characterization of Marshall Rommel is bound to reinforce present-day German extremists who are bidding for popular favor by clamoring for vindication of the ‘honor of the German soldier, ‘”he warned.

The national commander of the Jewish War Veterans drew the attention of the State Department to the fact that strong feelings against “The Desert Fox” prevail in Britain and in France. He pointed out that in Great Britain, the “Desert Rats,” an association of veterans who fought against Rommel in World War II, declined an offer to hear recorded excerpts from the film on the occasion of their recent convention. “We understand that in France, during the filming of sequences with a French background, French motion picture technicians agreed to participate in the production of ‘The Desert Fox’ only after assurances that the picture would not be exhibited in France.” he added.

“It seems reasonable to assume that these reactions of veterans and skilled workers are reflective of even wider areas of public opinion in Great Britain and France,” he declared. “We conclude from these facts that exhibition of ‘The Desert Fox’ in Germany would not be welcomed by our friends and allies any more than by Americans who find it difficult to swallow the portrait of Marshall Rommel as an anti-Nazi bravo who went about killing Allied soldiers out of a devotion to nothing other than pure military science.”