Dear Editor,
For some time, The Citizen published an opinion about the life of Henry Ford, in a series of columns by Jim Sherman, Sr, who reran a series from the 1930’s By Iffy The Dopester. I have read their columns with great interest. I have found the praise, and lauding of Mr. Ford to be disingenuous and, in its make-up, nothing more than propaganda, propaganda by omission. Mr. Ford was a great admirer of Adolf Hitler. Ford was a major contributor to the Nazi Party and was consumed with hatred of the Jews. Foreign financing was a most important source that brought Hitler to power.
Henry Ford wanted to spread his anti-Semitic philosophy and found a friend in the Nazi Party. Ford was responsible for handing Hitler the power of money. In 1915, Ford chartered a ship and sailed off to Europe in an effort to end WWI. On board that ship, Ford told a well known pacifist, Madame Rozika Schwimmer, ‘I know who started this war’the German Jewish bankers.? Ford then went on and on about how the Jew was the cause of all the world’s problems, he could not prove it at that time, but said ‘I have the facts, I will give them out soon.? Henry’s peace mission failed.
At the end of 1918 Ford bought a small newspaper called The Dearborn Independent. Ford said he was willing to spend $10 million to back his paper. Henry told the editors to avoid any mention of Ford’s industrial enterprises. Ford’s first editor, Edwin Pipp, said Ford was constantly bringing up the Jews, blaming them for everything. Suddenly on May 22, 1920 The Independent burst forth with a violent attack on Jews. He introduced the words ‘The International Jew: the World’s Problem.? These infamous words became a favorite motto of the NSDAP (Nazi Party), and Ford’s new friend Hitler. In 1921, opposition began against The Independent; 119 prominent Christians, including Woodrow Wilson, told Ford to stop his ‘vicious propaganda.? The Jews began a campaign by ordering ‘positively no Ford machines should be permitted.? Soon, no Jewish business or individual would have anything to do with Ford’s products. The drop in orders of Ford’s cars was severe.
Ford’s racist ideas spread quickly around the world; The Independent’s circulation reached half a million from 1923 to 1927. The Independent had a book published called, ‘The International Jew,? the book was translated into 16 different languages including Arabic. To the Nazis, Ford’s book became a serious recruiting tool. Baldur von Schirach, leader of the Hitler Youth, said ‘You have no idea what a great influence this book had on all of German youth.? Hitler’s admiration for the auto magnate was made obvious by the large picture of Ford on the wall beside Hitler’s desk in the Brown House. Hitler said, ‘I wish that I could send my SA shock troops to help Heinrich Ford become the leader of the Fascist movement in America.? Hitler praised Ford in Mein Kampf, and often copied directly from Ford’s publication. Ford invented the idea of racial anti-semitism, which led to the death camps and the murder of millions.
Ford’s concept of the superiority of the Anglo-Saxons, who Hitler dubbed the Aryans, began the Nazi ideal of the Super Race. Ford began to run out of capital, but then came up with a brilliant idea, he would call back to work 15,000 men and produce 35,000 units plus 30,000 unconsigned cars and force his dealers to pay for the cars upon arrival. Ford had forced his dealers to borrow for him. Soon the story about how Ford had ‘outwitted the bankers? ‘and paid his way out? was printed in almost every American newspaper. Following the publicity of his ‘victory over the bankers,? Ford’s cars sold at a record-breaking rate; he had become a folk hero. Hitler used Ford’s economic victory to come to one conclusion: Ford’s remedy showed that nations must ‘do away with the Jews.?
Ford hated the move toward unions, along came the Ford gangster Harry Bennett. Bennett used violence and brutality as was shown at the Ford Rouge plant on May 26, 1937. It must be pointed out that neither Ford nor Hitler believed in human equality; Ford said, ‘There could be no greater absurdity than to insist that all men are equal.? Hitler said, ‘Men are not of equal value or of equal importance.? Ford said, ‘Democracy is nothing but a leveling down of ability which makes for waste.?
Ford happily gave the Nazi Party $40,000 to reprint anti-Jewish pamphlets into German, an additional $300,000 was sent to Hitler through a grandson of the ex-Kaiser; this grand donation was proven by the famous author Upton Sinclair. Here Hitler openly boasts of Mr. Ford’s support and praised Mr. Ford as a great individualist and a great anti-Semite. This was stated by the vice-president of Bavaria, Herr Erhard Auer.
Henry Ford’s reward from Hitler came in July 1938, when on Ford’s 75th birthday, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Supreme Order of the German Eagle. This decoration was only the fourth ever given out by the Nazi Party. Benito Mussolini had been decorated with the same honor earlier that same year. The presentation was made by the German consul of Cleveland, Karl Kapp, and the German consul Fritz Hailer of Detroit.
And so this is only part of the story of Henry Ford. Henry, America’s most infamous Fascist, a man who hated the principles of the U.S. Constitution and the idea of democracy, a rabid Nazi who gave vast amounts to the NSDAP (Hitler’s Party) and who demanded the mass murder of the Jews. Henry, in a word, was an enemy of American ideals and a traitor to these United States. If one would look for a word that describes Ford that word would be evil. For more information about that malevolent virulent creature see, ‘Who Financed Hitler? by James Pool and Suzanne Pool. See also the book, ‘Henry Ford and the Jews? by Albert Lee and a final quote by Hitler, ‘I regard Henry Ford as my inspiration.?
Alan H. Schwartz