Posted on 11/14/2004 7:39:41 PM PST by CHARLITE
BOSTON (Reuters) - Collegial relations between Harvard University and the Nazis in the 1930s were a "shameful" episode that helped give a favorable picture of the regime in the United States, according to a report released on Sunday.
"As the Nazi menace steadily increased ... Conant's administration at Harvard was complicit in increasing the prestige of Nazi regime by seeking and maintaining friendly and respectful relations with Nazi universities and officials," the report said.
The findings were presented by Stephen Norwood, professor of History and Judaic Studies at the University of Oklahoma, from a paper presented at a Boston conference sponsored by the David Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies.
"It is truly shameful that the administrative, alumni and student leaders of America's most prominent university ...remained indifferent to Germany's perilous campaign against Jews and indeed on numerous occasions assisted the Nazis in their efforts to gain acceptance in the West," the paper said.
Norwood's probe examined the period 1933 to 1937, when America's awareness of Adolf Hitler's persecution of Jews was growing, but the U.S. government equivocated as war clouds gathered in Europe.
According to Norwood, Hitler's foreign press secretary, Ernst Hanfstaengl, was given a warm welcome at his 25th Harvard reunion in 1934. Hanfstaengl led the Nazi efforts to win over world opinion, and is reported to have introduced their trademark stiff-armed salute and "Zeig Heil" chant, basing both on Harvard football cheers, Norwood said.
Hanfstaengl attended a tea at the home of Conant, then Harvard's president, who went on to become U.S. ambassador to Germany in the 1950s.
Harvard issued a statement denying that Conant had feted the German official and said the university "did not support the Nazis by holding its traditional reunion."
"The specter of Nazism rightly inspires horror and revulsion to this day," the University said in a statement.
Norwood said Harvard's stance mirrored that of other U.S. universities -- with exceptions like Williams College, which halted academic exchanges with Nazi universities in 1936 -- but that Harvard's preeminence gave it special responsibility.
He had particularly withering criticism for The Harvard Crimson, the university newspaper, which suggested that Hanfstaengl receive an honorary degree and criticized Conant for turning down a Nazi-funded student exchange.
Harvard's president, Larry Summers, declined an invitation to speak at Sunday's conference, the Wyman Institute said.
© Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.
I remember reading somewhere that communists had a huge rally that was pro-Nazi while the Hitler-Stalin Pact was in effect in NYC... but I can't seem to find much about it online.... its like history being erased
we need to dig deep on this
The rally was supposed to have made LIFE magazine but who can find these things from the late 30's??
It is beyond the rallies. Communists did support the Nazis. Communists, both in Europe and America supported the Nazis. It was because of the German-Soviet Pact. The Soviet Union even helped Nazis Germany by supplying them arms. The Soviet Union felt that Nazis Germany was oppressed by Western Imperialism. Many Communists sympathized with the Nazis. They only turned against the Nazis in 1941 because they invaded Soviet Union in Operation Barborossa. After World War II, many Nazis became Communists and some fled to the Soviet Union. Among them were Gestapos, who became East German guards and secret police force. Also, they were involved in smuggling Nazis into the Middle East and South America. Kim Philby, a a MI5 double agent, who is a Communist recruited Nazis and had the OSS, later CIA recruit them. The CIA did not know these people were Nazis because Kim Philby lied to them. He is a snake.
It seems their sympathies haven't changed all that much...
It seems their sympathies haven't changed all that much...
Are there websites about pro-NAZI Communists in the US??
Not sure, probably yes. Most likely in Europe. I know there were Nazis and Neo-Nazis who were pro-Communist.
There needs to be a campaign to DEMAND that Harvard pay reparations for its support of Nazis in the 1930s. No justice, no peace. (Hey, that felt good.)
And this year, the faculty at Harvard was one of the largest contributors to the Kerry Campaign. Their affection for communists continues to this day.
ping
What I wanna know is, what's the rush? I mean, WWII has only been over for a little over 59 years. Shouldn't this have remained obscure, like the Dearborn Independent, or Margaret Sanger's support for eugenics?
so why is history being erased?
ping
The left wants to cover up its link and association with the Nazis. They always say Nazis are right wingers, when in fact they are leftists like them.
(snip)
MY first experience with the Communist conspiracy work for the "triumph of Soviet power in the United States," began simply enough. It was during the days of Hitler, and the come-on had been a mammoth rally for "peace and democracy." No right-thinking citizen could have any objection to that.
The build-up for the meeting had been terrific. Madison Square Garden in New York was packed to the rafters with a throng attracted there by a star-studded cast of Broadway and Hollywood celebrities, high churchmen, civic leaders, scientists, musicians, doctors, educators, authors, musicians and sports celebrities. Each was to get up and do his stuff and then speak a little piece about how Hitler was plan- rung to enslave the world.
(snip)
The Communists guise, peace and democracy, the antithesis of the two ideals. Communists are violent and undemocratic.
It was MSG?? OK
You might also mention that people like Joe Kennedy Sr, Charles Lindberg, Henry Ford and others were Nazi sympathizers. Heck, ol' Henry even kept a personally autographed photo of Hitler in his office.
There was some pretty weird stuff happening back then. It should come as no surprise that our "ivory tower" institutions were liberal way back then too.
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