Evening star., 1949-07-17
Hitler Ignored Warning of u. S. War

~ VV~ssHHS9 VI
domestic affairs.
In one report, the Ambassador
said: German representatives
here have found Bund leaders dis
inclined to avoid practices which
are contrary to German interests.
The Bund leaders claim to have
had different instructions from
tNazD Party authorities, which
are. however. not stated in de-
tail"
Compromise Ruled Out.
He insisted that I'VE must abso-
lutely avoid political contact with
the German-Americans If we do
mot wish to disturb or seriously
prejudice our important relations
with the United States" Adding
that here no compromise is con-
ceivable', he said we must make
a clean sweep of it,
In January, 1888. leaders of
various agencies concerned in Ber-
lin decided, since 'Bund Leader
Kuhn had rejected all advice and
admonitions." to order all Ger
man citizens and Nazi party men,
bers living in the United States
to renounce their Bund member
ship, leaving it clearly only an
Organization of American citizens
of German origin.
Kuhn got a personal dressing
down when he visited Capt. Vie
demann, Hitlers aide, in Berlin
on March 80, 1898. The Bund
leader complained that he had
"the feeling that Reich German
officials are opposed to the Bund. -
and wondered why, "since we have
never disregarded Reich-German
instructions"
No Instructions for Kuhn.
Capt. Wiedemann's memoran-
dunn of the talk reported he told
Kuhn:
You are an American citizen;
I have therefore no instructions to
give you.
You are acting honestly insofar
as you make unfair use Of previous
conversations with Reich German
officials
The termination of member
ship in the German-American
Bund by Reich Germans is final
decision.
THE German-American Bund
has made relations between the
German and American Govern
ments more difficult, since in its
outward appearance 1t has assim-
Hated itself to German organiza-
tions display Of the swastika flag,
uniforms) and thus was bound to
arouse the distrust of the Ameri-
can Government.
In regard to character most
members of the Bund are described
as unobjectionable; their methods,
however. are wrong"
Reports Of 80 Conversations.
Principal documents concerning
Mr.. Kennedy were reports of con-
versations with him In the summer
of 1888 by the German Ambassa-
dor in London. Dirksen said the
American envoy understood COM
pleteiy" the .Nazi anti-Jewish
policy.
Dirksen reported to Beriin on
June 13. 1888. that Mr.. Kennedy
told him he was making a trip to
washington to give President
Roosevelt detailed information
about European conditions, and
that 'he believed above all that
the United States would have to
establish friendly relations with
Germany"
Mr.. Kennedy was quoted as say
ling that no one else had spoken
a friendly word to the President
regarding Nazi Germany. He
added, the German Ambassador
reported, that most of those talk
ing to President Roosevelt on the
subject were afraid Of the Jews
and did not dare to say anything
good about Germany. while others
did not know any better"
Jewish Issue Held Important.
The Dirksen report continued:
Although he (Mr. Kennedy
/ did not know Germany, he had
learned from the most varied
sources that the present CNazi)
government had done great things
for Germany and that the Ger
mans were satisfied and enjoyed
good living conditions. -
When he spoke favorab1y of
Germany. people would have alb
solute confidence in his state
ments. because he was a Catho-
lie. ."
THE Ambassador then touched
upon the Jewish question and
stated that it was naturally of
great importance to German
American. relations. In this con-
nection, it was not so much the
fact that we wanted to get rid of
the Jews that was so harmful to
us, but rather the loud clamor
with which we accomplished this
purpose. 4
He himself understood our
Jewish policy completely; he was
from Boston and there, in one
golf club, and in other clubs, no
Jews had been admitted for the
past so years. His father had not
been elected Mayor because he
was a Catholic (actua1ly, Mr.
Kennedy's father -in-Iaw once was
Mayor of Boston,; in the United
States fberaf0ro S,1ch pr0poaInced