Persecution of jews between 1930 and 1945. That is followed by a documentary in the nuremburg trials that was first screened in germany 1948, but not released in the u. S. Until several decades later. Each week, American History tv american artifacts welcome to the u. S. Holocaust memorial museum. I am daniel greene, curator of americans and the holocaust. We decided on our 25th anniversary to look very closely in americans role in this history. That goes back to our founding charter, which mandated that the museum look very closely at americans role in this history. In fact, on the day we opened, the chairman of the board at the time said, this museum is not an answer. It is a question. What we wanted to do in this exhibition is asked difficult questions about americans response to nazism. The questions that frame this exhibition are, what did americans know and what more could have been done . You will see throughout the exhibition that what we try to do is show the context of American History that shaped americans responses to nazism. That context includes our isolationism in the aftermath of world war i. Gina phobia, fear of immigrants, racism, jim crow america, antisemitism in the United States. Then, we are responding to nazism amidst the context of the Great Depression and war. And so, in this exhibition, we are always trying to keep that context front and center in visitors minds. The opening film of the exhibition shows the context of the United States between 1918 and 1932. What you see is americans response to world war i. Veterans on the streets, americans morning at graves of fallen soldiers. You see the context of the United States being relatively close to immigrants with national origins, quote, as being passed in the mid 1920s that severely limited the number of immigrants we could be let in. Youve seen the rise of the second ku klux klan in the 1920s as well as jim crow america. All of these things are precursors to the nazis rise to power in 1933. What you see here is all of the preconditions that are foundational to america in the inter war period that will shape our early responses to nazism. One of the myths that we wanted to bust in this exhibition was the idea that americans didnt have information about the threat of nazism in the 1930s and 1940s. Later on in the exhibition, you will even see that americans had a good deal of information of the murder of jews as it was happening. Early on, americans are very interested in the rise of this new world leader, adolf hitler. So what we show here is a number of magazines from 1932, 1933, 1934, at the beginning of the nazi regime. You see hitler on the cover of vanity fair and time and news week. This one is particularly fascinating. That is joseph gerbils on the cover of time magazine, july 10th, 1933. There is a 3000 word article in this magazine covering nazi germany. What you see even on the cover, under the words minister of propaganda, is say it in your dreams, jews are to blame. So americans who were picking up magazines like this, these are popular magazines, they could have read about the rise of fascism in germany. But what is not hidden here is the fact that antisemitism is essential to nazi ideology. This doesnt mean that americans could have predicted in 1933 that mass murder is to come by the 1940s. But it also does not allow us to say we did not know. We cant let americans of the 19 thirties 1930s off the hook that easily. We wanted to tell a lot of individual stories in the exhibition. Here, we are showing part of the media landscape, american magazines. Then, an individual story about dorothy thompson. Dorothy thompson is the First American journalistic spouse from nazi germany in august of 1934. She had interviewed hitler in 1931 before he rose to power, and wrote a popular book in america called i saw hitler. It gets exerted in cosmopolitan magazine in 1932. We are showing that issue from cosmopolitan. Thompson gets many things right. She says antisemitism is the life and soul of hitlers movement. The nazis lose no opportunity to insult the jews. But she also says that there is no way that this guy can become a chancellor of germany. She sees that antisemitism is essential to nazi ideology. She cant imagine, in 1931, that he is going to become chancellor of germany. This is a good representation of how americans thought about hitlers early on. Some of them saw a real danger and understood his appeal to germans at the time. But others thought that theres no way that he would last. You see both of those things and thompsons article. One of the most interesting projects the Museum Launched years before the exhibition, two and a half years before the exhibition, opened. It is called history unfolded. It is a crowd sourced website where we asked students and history bumps throughout the country to go into their local newspapers, their non digitized newspapers in their local historical societies and libraries and archives, and look for coverage of nazism. What we found is that americans across the country could have had access to a lot of information about the threat of nazism. Citizen historians around the country have uploaded more than 15,000 articles to our website. And we put a number of them here on this interactive map. So visitors can touch on any state and see, for example, heres an article from indianapolis. The Indianapolis Star in september of 1935. Front page news there is coverage of the interim barred laws, to define nazis pass decrease against jews. I will show you one more. From nevada it speaks to an interesting challenge that we thought about as we were putting together this exhibition. This is a reno, nevada paper, the reno state journal. March 7th of 1933. They are reporting on the fact that Albert Einstein is renouncing his citizenship and that he wont return to germany. But if you look over two columns, you also see this article. Mistreatment of jews ends. There had been no stories about the persecution of jews for a week coming out of nazi germany. Secretary of state hall says we may consider physical mistreatment of jews virtually terminated. That speaks to one of the central challenges of this exhibition, it is to get visitors to read history forward. We know the end of the story. We know that nazism would ultimately lead to mass murder of 6 million jews and millions of others. But americans in the 1930s had no idea that was coming. So that is one of the challenges that we try to address throughout the exhibition. It is to get people to read history as it was happening. That is one of the reasons you see such a chronological treatment in this exhibition. Early on, some communities took to the streets against nazism. You see here, rallies in 1933 across the United States condemning the nazi regime. You will see marches by jewish communities, by labor organizations in philadelphia, in cleveland, in new york, in chicago, in boston. There are rallies. There are protests. There are movements to boycott german made goods. You see a lot of ephemeral, in this case, of some of the boycott material. Stamps that you wouldnt fix to letters to show that you wanted you supported boycotting german made goods. Or battling communism, fascism and nazism. Buttons showing your support of a cause for boycotting nazi germany. Even matchbooks saying, for humanity sake, dont buy german goods. There are antinazi actions right away in the spring of 1933. Many are led by this man, rabbi stephen wise. This is a mass rally in Madison Square garden in march of 1933. You see individual actions. You see rallies and protests. You dont see a sustained and Nazi Movement that takes hold in the United States. We also wanted to look at how the u. S. Government reacts early on. U. S. Government has representatives in nazi germany. George mr. Smith is one, who is very clearly aware that, as he says, its a favorite pastime of the essay men to attack jews. They are receiving petitions like this all over the country asking the government to make some kind of statement against nazism it. Many of these petitions are actually not clear about what they are asking for. They just want some kind of anti nazi declaration by the u. S. Government. When fdr sense this man, william dodd, over to germany to be the ambassador in 1933, he tells dogged that the German Authorities are treating jews shamefully. But he tells them, this is not a governmental affair. What fdr means by that, this is something that dodd wrote in his diary. It was sort of a as told to by fdr. But we think, and i think what dodd thought fdr meant by that was, its his job to respect Germanys National sovereignty. The story that we are telling in this part of the exhibition is actually part about multiple attacks on americans by the essay. This is a New York Times piece covering dozens of attacks, brutal attacks on americans by the essay in 1933. During gods dodds first meeting with hitler in 1933, his first item on the agenda was the sa has to stop attacking american citizens on the street. But the United States government at the time thinks its outside their purview to try to protect the citizens of another nation. Of course, they know jews are being persecuted. There are attacks on jews. Political opponents and others are being rounded up and sent to the nazis first concentration camp at dachau. Its well reported in the press. But the u. S. Government does not speak out during this early period. One of the ways we wanted to get at the question of what was on americans minds, or one of the ways we try to get to the question of what was on americans minds wish to use public polling during the exhibition. Gallup another organizations are actively pulling americans by the mid 1930s. We use polls like this throughout the exhibition to show americans concerns at home, later on you will see other polls that asked americans opinion about whether we should be letting in refugees. By the end of the exhibition, gallup is polling, in 1942, 1943, 1944, asking americans whether they believe the stories of the atrocities coming out of nazi germany and out of europe. So here early on, what is on americans minds in november of 1936 is deep concern about our own economy. The depth of the depression are on all americans minds at this point. You will see over here a poll that speaks to american isolationism. Americans are asked whether it was whether they think it was a mistake for the United States to enter world war i. You see 70 of americans say yes. So this was one of the ways we try to get at the extent of our economic fears, or americans economic fears, and theyre isolationism. There are, in the depths of this depression where 25 of americans are out of work, so much of what is going on in the United States in the mid 1930s. s about economic recovery. I think that prevents americans from looking abroad as much as they might have. Fdrs first term, 1933 to 1937, is so much about trying to lift the country out of the depression through the new deal and Foreign Policy concerns are not the priority at that point. There are a few moments where americans to pay attention, and even debate a proper response to nazi germany. One of those moments is the question of whether they should go to the Olympic Games. Whether we should send a team to the Olympic Games in berlin in the summer of 1936. Americans debate this for a couple of months throughout 1935. You see this Public Opinion poll in 1935. Its worded a little confusingly. Should america refused to participate in the Olympic Games, which are to be held in germany this coming year . We reproduce these polls exactly as they were asked at the time. Here you see, 43 of americans saying we should refuse to participate. In effect, 43 saying we should both caught the games. 57 saying we should go. The people who get caught in the middle in this debate, largely, are African American athletes. There had been African American athletes participating in the 1932 games in los angeles. But theres 18 African American athletes on the team in 1936. Here, you are seeing jesse owens, whos going to win four gold medals in berlin in august of 1936, and ralph metcalf, also a medal winner in 1936. The new York Amsterdam News and African American newspaper writes an open letter to jesse owens and other athletes. Saying, if they want to strike a blow against racism here at home, then they have to protest against hitlerism by not going to the games. What you see, both within African American communities, Jewish American communities, is a divide about how to respond to nazism. About the proper way to respond to nazism. Some, like the new York Amsterdam News, are saying if you want to fight racism at home, you have to fight racism abroad by making this protest statement. Owens and other athletes and others in the African American communities say, the best way to protest nazism is to go over and win medals and disapprove their theories of aryan superiority. Of course, it does not work out that way. All winds winds medals, as do many of the African American athletes, but what you see is that the nazi Propaganda Machine has an explanation for everything. They very easily say some version of, well, of course African American athletes one, they are closer to animals. And, animals are faster than humans. So goebbels and hitler and nazi Propaganda Machine can spin anything that happens to serve their propaganda names. The loudest voice for participation is this man, a very frontage, the head of the american athletic committee, who will later be ahead of the Olympic International community. He is still serving in the 19 in the 1970s when there is the tragedy and munich in the International Olympic community. He has some deeply held antisemitic ideas. He argues that radicals and communists are trying to keep encourage this boycott. That is his coated language for jews pushing a boycott. He ultimately rinse wins the day. He goes to germany to inspect whether jewish athletes are being treated fairly under the nazi regime. He does not speak german. Hes never allowed to speak to a jewish athlete without a nazi official. He finds what he wants to find, which is that jewish athletes are being treated fairly. Certainly, they werent, but some of the nazis earliest policies were to segregate jews. Jews could not swim in pools. Jews could not train at Athletic Clubs with nonjews. That affects jewish athletes who could have qualified for the 1936 olympics. We also try to round out the media landscape by showing america newsreels here. Even during the depression, americans went to the movies. Movies were relatively cheap. You could sit there all day. Before the movies, you watch digests of the news of the week. What we are showing in some of these newsreels is the extent of american isolationism in world conflicts in the 1930s. American stay out of the spanish civil war. They stay out of conflicts with italys invasion of ethiopia. They stay out of china the war between china and japan. And, we are seeing here in some of these newsreels the extent of anti immigrant sentiment in the United States as well. Our unemployment problem was transferred to the United States from foreign lands. And, if we had refused admission to the 16,500,000 foreign born in our midst, there would be no serious unemployment problem to arrest us. The 19 thirties in the United States are arguably the height of antisemitism here in the 20th century. Some historians estimate that theres 100 new antisemitic organizations founded in the United States in the 1930s. One of the people who gives voice to this more than anyone else, is father charles cobb and, the radio priest out of detroit. You see him in a popular way ranting a against jewish communism. Question is in the american loyalty of shoes and others. You see that in some of the news real footage that we show in the exhibition. New york turns out 18,000 strong for a glimpse of detroits famous radio, father charles coughlin. I ask you in the name of christianity, which a boris communism in the name of patriotism, which loves america i ask you if you will rise in your places and pledge with me to restore america to the americans there is some support for nazis within the United States, especially among organizations like the german american bund. We tell a story about the german american, this man who fashions himself as the german american fewer. This application for membership of the german american bund asks people to verify, to declare as it says in the last line here, i am of aryan origin, free from jewish or colored blood. The story we are telling here is about the bund attempting to set up summer camps, hitler youth summer camps across the United States. One small town in connecticut stands out against the german american bund. They dont want a camp in their town. Every resident in the town got this flyer in or mailbox asking whether they wanted the swastikas thrust upon them. Ultimately, the residents of this tiny town of south barry connecticut are able to keep the bund out, in large part due to the efforts of this man, reverend lindsay. A congregation list minister in south berry who gives a stirring anti nazi sermon during thanksgiving weekend. He calls nazism an antichristian menace. He describes nazism as agents of the anti christ. He argues that the residents need to keep nazis out because nazism isnt christian and unamerican. The point there is, for americans in the 1930s, they werent always understanding nazism, or often were not primarily understanding nazism as a threat to jews. They were seeing it as a threat to democracy. The next section of the exhibition shows how americans responded to a refugee crisis. Things change in 1938. The nazis invade austria in march of 1938. They start to take over parts of czechoslovakia. So for americans, american start to realize that nazis have greater territorial ambitions ambitions beyond germany. By november of 1938, you have a nationwide program, the crystal night, the violent attack on jews across germany and the former austria. That is arguably the biggest story about nazism in this 12year period. Historians have talked about the paper walls that kept immigrants out. We were very motivated, are very interested, in a letter that Albert Einstein wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt in 1941. Einstein said to Eleanor Roosevelt, your government has erected a wall of bureaucratic measures to keep immigrants out. Cant you do something about this . This paper wall, this is our kind of take on this paper wall. What do you see here is items from the museums collection. Ship tickets, passports, letters of sponsorship from refugee organizations, affidavits of americans guaranteeing their support for, or sponsorship rather, for immigrants. All of these things, all of this paperwork that immigrants, potential immigrants, had to line up in order to make it to the United States. They were operating under this immigration quota system. There is no special provision for refugees in the 1930s, were fleeing persecution. So just want to make it in, or anyone who wants to make it out of nazi germany, needs to navigate the immigration system. Its difficult bureaucratically. Its also quite expensive to do. So you see here all of these examples from our collection of individuals trying to navigate the immigration system and the paperwork they needed to line up in order to do it. As i said, crystal knocked is really the biggest story. Here you see reproduction of american newspapers from across the country showing headlines from november of 1938. The los angeles examiners say nazis warn world jews will be wiped out unless evacuated by democracies. San Francisco Chronicle saying germans storm juice juice. This was huge front page news. You see a full page spread about kristallnacht in a magazine in 1938. Americans are shocked by this nationwide attack on jews, where thousands of jews are rounded up and sent to concentration camps. Nearly 100 are murdered in shops and synagogues across the country. Synagogues across the country are destroyed destroyed. Fdr speaks out against kristallnacht after the night of the attack. This is his hand written speech that he gave the week after kristallnacht. You see hes written on the bottom, in his own hand, i myself could scarcely believe that such things could occur in the 20th century civilization. Fdr does speak out. United states recalls the ambassador to germany for consultation. But, in many other ways, our governments response is limited and fdrs response is limited. Hes asked in a press conference, just a week after kristallnacht, november 15th of 1938, whether he would recommend a relaxation of immigration restrictions. As you can see, fdr says this is not a contemplation. We have the quota system. He speaks out against kristallnacht, he recalls the ambassador, actually at the urging of his secretary of labor, frances perkins. Extends, or waves, the exploration date for visitors visas for about 12,000 people who are here on visitors visas. But theres no political will to try to liberalize the immigration system, the quota system, in response to kristallnacht. Congress tries, in a way, which you see is robert wagner, a senator from new york, and edith norris rogers, introduced a bill known as the rack near wagner rogers bill, to lead in 10,000 to children a year outside of the immigration quota system. What you see is the American Public is polled about this in 1939. Should we be living in refugee children from germany outside of the court system . You see two thirds of americans are against letting in refugee children. Eleanor roosevelt is a champion of this bill. She says that other countries are taking their share of the children and that we should as well. She actually writes this telegram to fdr, asking him if he is going to speak out about the passage of the refugee bill or she should speak out about it. After our response, i will write for you to respond the refugee bill, but its best for me to say nothing. He never speaks out on this bill. The opponents of this bill are led by robert reynolds, a senator from north carolina. Its democratic white southerners in the congress and senate more deeply antiimmigration. They dont want to be living in immigrants. He argues, as you see here, an American Children have their own problems and we need to take care of American Children before we take care of foreign children. The contrast between these two poles is also at the heart of the exhibition. This is two weeks after kristallnacht, americans are asked what do you think . Do you approve or disapprove of the nazi treatment of jews in germany . You see here that 94 of americans disapprove of the nazi treatment of jews in germany. That same weight, they are asked should we allow a large number of exiles in . You see, 71 of americans say no. That is one of those essential questions, one of those difficult questions we wanted to get in this exhibition. It is, why is there such a gap between disapproval and a will to action on behalf of the victims . What you see here, its a graphic representation of the immigration system in the United States. Year by year, we are showing between 1933 and 1941, how many immigration visas could have been issued to People Living under nazi germany. Each figure, each person represents 1000 pieces that could have been issued in gray. What you see in gold is the number of visas that actually were issued. So, one of the essential questions for this exhibition is what more could have been done . Certainly, more could have been under existing law to issue the number of visas that were allowed under existing law. We hope visitors will ask, why one of these visas issued . Theres no simple or singular explanation. Certainly, the extent of the Great Depression matters. Theres a lot of rhetoric in the public about fear of immigrants taking jobs from americans. The death of antisemitism in the united certainly matter. A lack of government will from the white house all the way down to admit immigrants. So you see here, if you added up all these unused visas, you are talking about nearly 120,000 visas that could have been issued, that werent during this period. Then, what you see on the floor, or on the wall and wrapping down to the floor, is the waiting list year by year. Each suitcase represents 5000 people on the waiting list. So, in 1933, you have a three year waiting list. By 1940, the waiting list, for germany alone, just for the country of germany alone, its over 300,000. That represents an 11 year waiting list for foreign immigration visas, assuming that all visas would be issued. Which, in every year except for one, they werent. On this interactive table in the exhibition, we tell the stories of nine different individuals who are trying to make it out of nazi control europe and the americans who try so were trying to sponsor them to show how. This in immigration system, how this system influenced real people. You see one of the stories which we tell undetectable its of this person, who is trying to make his way to get visas for his wife and his two daughters, margo and anne. The story of this lady is an interesting one and that shows the limits, or the challenges, for people trying to immigrate. She was a seven Year Old Girl in vienna, in 1940. Her father has passed away already, its just her in her mother, she has no siblings. And her mother decides in 1940 to send her under the care of German Jewish childrens age, an organization those trying to help jewish children alone, as an unaccompanied child to the United States, to be fostered by a family. You see here her in her mother, and address when easy oxygen that her mother made for her. She has to collect paperwork, just like any other immigrant, so her birth certificate here, where she has to, she is floored by the nazis, as all jewish girls and women were, to at the middle name sarah to make them more identifiable as jews. They had to add the name is rails for men. She collects her passport, where she is listed as stateless. In her passport, because nazis took away her citizenship. In this little girl ultimately makes it on a ship to lisbon, to a childrens age, to a family in baltimore. You see her with her foster family. Her mother did not have a sponsor of the United States, and was ultimately deported to the east, in 1942. And murdered, and this girl had been part of a Jewish School class, this is a picture of the class. Either from 1939 or 1940, and as far as we know, two girls from this class survived the holocaust. So what you see on this interactive table is how restrictive the immigration system influenced real people, and how those americans who make the decision to try to sponsor refugees, the challenging bureaucracy that they had to navigate. We also show here, harrowing stories of individual americans who took extraordinary risks to try to rescue individuals, jews or massives of jews. And these are outliers, these are people out one against against a major interest airlines that times, or push the boundaries of the law. They wanted to break the law to aid refugees. Theres a couple from philadelphia, hes an attorney and shes a homemaker, they decide in 1939, to go to vienna to try to rescue 50 children. They get affidavits of sponsorship from people in their own community, in philadelphia. They work in conjunction with the state department, although there is some resistance, there. And he ultimately go to vienna with near pediatrician, from philadelphia. And convince parents to put children in their care. They foster 50 children, and bring them back to philadelphia. So what were showing, here, is some americans who took these extraordinary risks, and think about what was within the realm of the possible. The christ cost of rescuing these children as congress is totally relentless in passing a bill to help these children. Sometimes, the actions that individual americans take can have much more impact or impact individuals in a different way as the government is failing to take action with a half of refugees. In the first half of the exhibition, im looking at the early years before world war ii begins. You are looking at 1933 to 1939. Were trying to ask some injuring questions in the exhibition. What do americans know about nazism early on . How do they respond to the collapse of a democracy . And then, especially in a section of the exhibition, how are americans debating the responsibility to respond to this refugee crisis . What actions are individual americans trying to take, how are some trying to sponsor refugees, what is the government doing or not doing on behalf of refugees . Theres a shift once europe goes to war in september of 1939, after germany invades poland. And america, their reluctance delight and refugees remains, but now theyre gonna start debating should we go to war . This was the first of a to port look in americans in the holocaust. Where we examine the response to nazi persecution of jews, and the holocaust between 1939 in and 1945. Who wound