The difference between the anti-Semitism in Germany before the war and the present type is that economic difficulties were never so severe as at present, Professor Hans Speier, of the University in Exile, said in an address before the History society of City College yesterday. Professor Speier’s topic was the “Social Aspects of National Socialism in Germany.”
Commenting on the part of one of the largest unions in Germany in reviving anti-Semitism, Professor Speier said, “the National Association of German clerks, the founders of which were politicians, not clerks, acted as the intermediary between the old anti-Semitic organizations and the present Hitler ideology.”
“Anti-Semitism and everything that is fashionable in Germany today can be found in the doctrines of this union. The union was very well organized, which means militaristically organized,” the lecturer declared.
When asked about the public reaction to Hitler, Professor Speier laughed and replied: “There is no public opinion in Germany any more. Jokes have taken the place of public opinion. You people who read the American press know more about Germany than the people there.”
In reply to another student query, the lecturer declared that in his opinion “the educated people will not stand for this treatment in the long run.”
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.
