The Most Enduring Legacy Of Nazi Hate

Hitlerism and Radical Islam

OnFebruary1,1944,twounlikelyalliesintheUnitedStatesSenate—RobertWagner(D-NewYork)andRobertTaft(R-Ohio)—introducedaresolutionthatcausedshockwavesaroundtheglobe.TheirinitiativeadvocatedAmericansupportfor“freeandunlimitedentryofJewsintoPalestineforthecreationofaJewishcommonwealth.”Thiswasabold moveandonethatputtheRooseveltadministrationonthespot.Nearlyfiveyearsearlier,theBritishgovernmenthadreleasedaWhitePaperontheissueofPalestine—onethatlargelyabandonedtheJewishpeopleinthatregion.Sincethe1917BalfourDeclarationandduringtheperiodoftheBritishMandatetheyhadbeenlargelysupportiveofJewishmigrationtoPalestineandtheideaofaJewishstatethere.Inessence,theWhitePaperchangedallofthat.ItadvocatedseverelimitationsonJewishimmigrationtoPalestine—thisatatimewhenEuropeananti-Semitismwasreachingcriticalmass.TheganginBerlinwaspleased.Interestingly,atthetimeofthat1939WhitePaper,twomenwho wouldlaterstronglysupportthecreationofthemodernstateofIsraelsawthingsdifferently.WinstonChurchillspoketotheHouseofCommonsonMay22,1939“asoneintimatelyandresponsiblyconcernedintheearlierstatesofourPalestinepolicy,”andinsistedthathewouldnot“standbyandseethesolemnengagementsintowhichBritainhasenteredbeforetheworldsetaside.”Andhereathome,SenatorHarryS.TrumanfromMissouri—-whohadnoclueatthetimethathe’dbeamajorplayerontheworldstageinafewyears–-alsoissuedaforthrightcondemnationthatwasinsertedintotheCongressionalRecord:

Mr.President,theBritishGovernmenthasuseditsdiplomaticumbrellaagain,thistimeonPalestine.IthasmadeascrapofpaperoutofLordBalfour’spromisetotheJews.IthasjustaddedanothertothelonglistofsurrenderstotheAxis powers.

ButinsteadofembracingtheideasputforthbyTaftandWagnerin1944,theWhiteHouse,StateDepartment,andotherpowerfulentitiesinthegovernmentpulledoutallthestopstomakesurethattheideaofproposingahomelandinPalestineforJewswentaway.TheydidthiseventhoughtheyknewverywellabouttheongoingmassexterminationofEuropeanJewsatthehandsoftheNazis.ThestandardanswertotheobviousquestionastowhytheHolocaustevokedlittleofficialresponsefromourgovernmentuntilneartheendofthewarhasbeentocite“isolationism,”or“economic

Depression,”or“xenophobia”inournation.Presumably,theideaofdoinganythingovertly“pro-Jewish”waspoliticallyuntenable—sogoestheargument.Butacloserlookrevealssomethingelsegoingonatthetime—andeversince.ThemostlastinglegacyofthetoxinsthatcreatedanepochalglobalconflictisthefactthatelementsofNazisminmanywayssurvivetothisdayinIslamism.Theshort-sightednessofFDR’scronieswascorrectedinpartbyhissuccessor,amanofcouragewhochosetorecognizethenewStateofIsraelelevenminutesafteritsbirthinMayof1948.Butthequestionremains:WhydidFDRandcompanynotgetonthebandwagon,evenwhilemillionsofJewswerebeingslaughtered?Sadly,therealreasonhasalottodowithU.S.surrendertoNazipropaganda—itspowerandcontent.LargelyoverlookedordismissedintheyearssinceisthefactthattheNazipropagandamachine,thedistortionfactorythatshapedattitudesinGermanythroughoutthedurationoftheinfamousThirdReich,haditsmostlastingimpactfarawayfromtheboroughsandbeerhallsofDeutschland.Infact,Hitler’snightmarishvisionofriddingEuropeofJewswasonlythebeginningofwhathewantedtodo —hewantedtoextendTheFinalSolutiontoPalestine.AndhehadbeenpreparingtheheartsandmindsoftheMuslimworldformanyyears.JeffreyHerf,aprofessorofhistoryattheUniversityofMaryland,haswrittenaneye-openingbookabouttheeffectivenessofNaziideasintheMiddleEastduringtheSecondWorldWarcalled,

“NaziPropagandaForTheArabWorld.”

Init,hedescribestheNazicampaignforthemindsandheartsoftheArabworldingreatdetail—particularlytheAxisradioprogramsthatraninArabicaroundtheclockfromlate1939untilMarchof1945.Thesebroadcastsspewedvenomousanti-Semitismandpushedeverydemagogicbuttonimaginable.Theywerealsohighlyeffective.Infact,longafterthelastvestigeofNazirhetoricfadedfromconsciousnessinEurope,thepoisonousseedsplantedbackthenarestillbearingdeadlyfruit.Themind-setthatgavewaytotheThirdReichisverymuchaliveand wellintheMuslimworldoftheMiddleEast.Whenthosetwosenatorialstrange-bedfellowsofferedtheirvisionaryresolutionin1944aboutaJewishhomelandinPalestine,the“AxisBroadcastsinArabic”werewayaheadofthestory.Mr.HerfhasaccessedasignificantcacheoftranscriptsandleafletsproducedbytheNazisduringthewar—materialsthathavenotbeenadequatelyexamined—untilnow.

The Nazi Roots of Radical Islam: Hitler and the Arabs

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daleandersenleft a comment

Thank you for the 5 stars, Cindie

07 / 22 / 2010

CindieLynneAKACInleft a comment

Dale, Thank you for sharing-AND IF NOT, WHEN? The Talmud-Much light and peace-CIn

07 / 22 / 2010

daleandersenleft a comment

Thank you, michael, for the 5 stars

05 / 16 / 2010

father mike carvellleft a comment

powerful write life has to first free all humanity to God Jesus the holy spirit human rights respect freedom peace. Human life God freed can not be controlled repressed or dominated we must find commonality God Jesus the holy spirit that works for all people Hate blame only breeds more hate killing. Both people religions have to come into life ;peace freedonm sharing of all the world

05 / 16 / 2010

daleandersenleft a comment

Thank you, adil

05 / 16 / 2010

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