Rev Coughlin Denounces Bias in Radio Talk

Father Coughlin, the Detroit Catholic “radio priest,” in his opening radio address of the Fall season, denounced racial and religious bigotry and called on Jews and non-Jews to stand together.

Stating that he plans to steer clear in the future of “the destructive shoals of racial, or religious and of national bigotry,” Father Coughlin spoke as follows:

“… if there is anti-Jewish propaganda being maliciously circulated it will never find support from a Catholic pulpit. And be it recorded for the benefit of the slanderers of the Jew that to my knowledge not many Jews of any importance held office in Washington during the period of the past twenty years which was recently characterized as “the period of conspiracy against the poor.’

“On the other hand,” he declared, “I admire the majority of our Jewish people for withholding their support from the frenzied few who clamored for embargoes against Germany where Protestant and Catholic citizens are suffering at the hands of Hitler, a religious persecution surpassed only by the Communists of Russia and of Mexico.”

In his introductory remarks, Father Coughlin charged that “tainted interests of the exploiting class, both by innuendo and by malicious suggestion have endeavored at one time and another to turn against me, for instance, the good will of the Polish people and at another time to arouse resentment in the hearts of the Jewish people because of imaginary slanders supposed to have originated over this microphone.”

The priest then stated that all sects and colors “must stand shoulder to shoulder undivided by the paid agents of those few Jews or few Gentiles who either through ignorance or malice hold us fast in financial servitude. Not all Jews are in this. Thanks be to God, the vast majority of them as well as the vast majority of gentiles are fellow sufferers and, if need be, fellow battlers for our independence.”