The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-10-17

Before trying to justify these
views, attention is called to the
fact that Brigadier- General George
H. Sheriff., who has been abroad in
vestigating conditions pertaining to
the situation, returned yesterday
with favorable reports.
At least the reports were favorable
from his point of view. The gentle
man, who is an old time sprinter-
the first to use the crouch in COM
petition, 1 believe-pointed out that
Nazi Germany had very generously"
invited seventeen Jewish athletes to
prepare for the Olympics.
This was an extremely liberal
attitude, the general insinuated,
when it was considered that Of the
448 American competitors in the last
Olympics there we're only five Jews;
and that of the seventy-eight
British competitors there was only
one Jew. And here you have the
generous Hitler inviting seventeen.
IF Sheriff. does anything other
l. than to encourage the participa-
ton of Americans in the Berlin meet
I think he will be grossly in error;
but his attempts to strengthen his
position by quoting the above figures
are ridiculous. The number Of Jews
who may represent any given nation
has nothing whatever to do with the
issue.
This is strictly a racial issue and
if the old sprinter doesn't know it,
it's high time he found out. In any
event, his opinions on the subject
would be accepted with more seri-
business by all concerned if he'd put
that red herring back in the barrel.
Very obviously what has happened
is that Hitler has made a few tenn
porary and unimportant concessions
to save both the national face and
the games. BY naming seventeen
Jews as potential Olympic perform
ers, more than three times as many
as represented America in 1882, he
gives himself talking point.
EVERYBODY who has followed
L the actions of Hitler, Goering,
Roehm and Goebbels must know
precisely how the Jew stands in
Germany He just doesn't stand at
all So no matter what or how
much is done to seemingly insure
the Jewish athlete an equal chance
socially with his German brother,
the hooking truth will remain-it
is merely a diplomatic convenience.
AS this department sees it, both
Sheriff. and Avery Brundage, presi-
dent of the American Athletic
Union, who preceded him to Berlin
on a similar shopping tour, sue
ceeded only in beclouding the pic
ture
My, my, this is terrible" they
screamed, as they lifted their crino-
lines and scurried up the gang
plank. A few weeks later they
came back and said it wasn't so ter
rible after all. One hopes the
gentlemen weren't just going
through the motions.
1t will have to be admitted, how
ever, that the old brigadier-gene
evidenced a thoroughness and firm
ness characteristic Of the army. He
personally got the names Of the
seventeen Jews, who are TO be al
lowed TO compete for Olympic berths
yes sir, all seventeen Of them
written right out in black and
white. Hitler isn't going to give
him the works.
THIS will be quite a spectacle to
Il look forward to-the old briga-
dier-general out on the Berlin field
with his list of names, thumb prints
and BertilNon measurements check
ing up on Hitler. What greater as
surance Of fair play, craftsmanship
and social idealism could any one
ask? Just the same, one wishes
Brundage and Sheriff. had stayed