Dr. Edward Sittler, the American-born Nazi radio commentator who has been teaching in the Long Island University’s C. W. Post College here as an assistant professor, resigned today as a result of protests against his appointment and following the refusal of the faculty to endorse his hiring. His resignation was accepted by the college.
The 43-year-old teacher renounced his American citizenship in 1939 to become a member of the Nazi party in Germany and eventually became an enemy broadcaster during the war. The faculty refused today to endorse the hiring after questioning Dr. Sittler closely. The faculty members erased Dr. Sittler’s name from a resolution offered by the administration and endorsed only the right of the school to hire its own faculty members. The vote was 27 for, three against and 18 abstentions.
Dr. Sittler, who has been trying to regain his American citizenship, defended himself at the faculty session. He denied that he ever swore allegiance to Hitler, that he was aware of Nazi Germany’s concentration camps or that he had overacted traitorously. He claimed he was misquoted in an interview with a New York daily which attributed anti-Semitic statements to him.
At least six Long Island veterans groups have demanded a federal probe of the case, and one New York State Assembly member had demanded that the state halt support of the college pending Dr. Sittler’s suspension and an investigation of his background.
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.
