The Justice Department has filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in New Haven, Conn., in a move to revoke the citizenship of a former Yale University lecturer because of his alleged participation in Nazi war crimes and because he withheld his Nazi background from American authorities when he entered the U.S. in 1951 and when he obtained his citizenship in 1957.
The Department of Justice charged that Vladimir Sokolov, 68, of Milford, Conn., was a Nazi propagandist who advocated the annihilation of all Jews and called for the conquest of the United States and imposition of Nazi rule throughout the world.
According to the Department’s complaint, Sokolov worked for Nazi propaganda units from the end of 1942 to August 1944. He was a writer and edit or of the Russian language newspaper,”Reich,” in German-occupied sections of the Soviet Union in 1942 and later wrote for the Nazi-government-sponsored Russian language newspaper, “Vola Naroda, ” in Berlin, the Department said.
Sokolov was a lecturer in Slavic language at Yale University for 17 years before retiring in 1976, the Justice Department’s complaint stated.
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.