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Eight Percent of Germans Believe Myth That Jews Are ‘most Powerful Group’

August 6, 1969
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Although little more than 20.000 Jews remain in West Germany today out of a population of 60 million, eight out of 100 Germans still believe the Nazi-perpetrated myth that “the Jews are the most powerful group in the country.”

This was disclosed today in a poll conducted by the Wickert Research Institute in Tuebingen. The questionnaire was answered by a cross -section of West Germans who were asked to select from a list the group they thought had the most influence in the country. Industry and banks topped the list with 23 percent; 19 percent thought the Catholic clergy was the most powerful group; 17 percent selected trade unions; 14 percent farmers organizations and 10 percent refugee groups. Observers here said the fact that eight percent selected Jews could be attributed to the “leftovers” of Nazi propaganda and the agitation of neo-Nazi and ultra-right wing groups.

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