Vigorous criticism of the International Olympic Committee for placing faith in Hitler “at a time when the world at large has every reason to mistrust his words and his intentions” was voiced last night by former Supreme Court Justice Jeremiah T. Mahoney, president of the U.S. Amateur Athletic Union, at a dinner in his honor in the Hotel Commodore.
He scored Avery Brundage, chairman of the American Olympic Committee; Brig. Gen. Charles H. Sherrill, American member, and Count Baillet-Latour, chairman of the International Olympic Committee for “a willingness to compromise with fundamental principles and exchange the honor of sportsmanship for worthless Nazi promises.”
He pointed out that “Hitler has broken every promise ever given by him, including his promises with reference to the Olympics.”
Attacking the American Olympic Committee, he held “they have completely ruled themselves out as leaders of American sportsmanship by their un-American perversion of the principles and facts relating to the Olympic games.”
More than 1,500 persons attended the dinner. Among those on the speakers’ list were James W. Gerard, Judge Ferdinand Pecora, Gen. John F. O’Ryan, Matthew Woll, Roger W. Straus and Mme. Sonja Branting. William Dalton, president of the New York Athletic Club sat on the dais but did not speak.
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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.
