Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant, 3rd, chairman of the U.S. Civil War Centennial Commission, said today he was sorry he distributed a piece of anti-Semitic literature because “I had no idea the article was going to get into the hands of the general public.”
Gen. Grant, grandson of the Civil War hero, had sent out thousands of copies of “Abraham Lincoln and the Rothschilds” which blamed the Civil War on “Jew financiers.” The article also sought to characterize the assassination of Lincoln as part of a Jewish plot. According to the article, “international” Jews sought to split the United States to exploit the two struggling sections.
Gen. Grant dispatched the article last month to members of “military order of the loyal legion of the United States”–all descendants of Union Army commissioned officers. Protests ensued with the Anti-Defamation League raising the issue in Washington. Gen. Grant explained that “it was meant to go only to a supposedly friendly group.”
The same article was published in 1940 by the controversial Father Charles E. Coughlin and also in Nazi publications. It was recently revived by the “Seaboard White Citizens Council” headed by John Kasper. When he distributed the article, Gen. Grant recommended its content as “illuminating” and endorsed it.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
