Understanding the Holocaust from across the Atlantic

With a historical event as multi-faceted and horrific as the Holocaust, the perspective of a country that is removed from the intricacies of the central conflict can provide valuable insight. While America was deeply involved with World War II itself, the full histories and harsh realities of the German Jewry were known only indirectly rather than through lived experiences. A look into the World War II related propaganda for and by Americans is historically significant in its ability to give us an international perspective on the Holocaust and deepen our understanding of the global perception of such an unimaginable event.

Bernard Perlin’s graphic poster for the Committee on Public Information features a call to action directed at the American public and is modeled on a look back to America’s revolutionary past. The poster features the American Revolutionary army of 1776 overlayed with the image of the American Allied forces in 1943 positioned in the foreground. The American Allied forces seem to be looking backwards at the Revolutionary army for guidance and inspiration while marching forward in preparation for their own future struggle. This juxtaposition of time periods is a clear message to the poster’s American audience that the ideals and values at stake in the Revolutionary War of 1776 are once again at risk during this struggle against Nazi totalitarianism. This work of art is one of many that was encouraged through the Committee on Public Information led by Francis E. Brennan and produced under the Office of War Information’s Division of Graphics led by Francis E. Brennan. American propaganda art was a movement that occured simultaneously with the the Nazi oppression of degenerate art, demonstrating the ability of war to lead art and culture in different directions. Bernard Perlin’s graphic poster is similar to the Fichte Association ‘s leaflet and Best’s Berlin Broadcast  in its exaggeration of reality for the use of emotional appeal. All three primary documents exaggerate history, focusing on the connection of World War II to American ideals, the legitimacy of anti-semitism statistics, and war crimes of the Allies respectively. However, this document is unique in respect to the others due to its focus on the past, lack of information about Germany, and simplicity of design. Unlike other posters of American propaganda for World War II, this poster contains no image pertaining to the then current threat of Nazi occupation of Europe. It simply asserts that to fight this war is to be an American. There is no reference to the ongoing spread of totalitarianism in Europe which would have been a threat to American democracy. There is only reflection to the past wherein America’s independence from Britain was fought for a resistance of government tyranny. Thus, it is implied that Americans must fight another source of European tyranny with as much courage as they did the first time. Surprisingly, the poster does not use the tactic of fear-mongering by depicting Nazi takeover of Austria, Poland, Hungary, and France but instead focuses completely on the homefront in America. Perlin does not allow much information to appear on the poster and instead relies on symbolism to promulgate his message of American solidarity. Bernard Perlin’s graphic poster is particularly historically significant because it helps us understand the lens fear and awe through which many Americans views the Nazi regime by providing a comparison with the defining war of American ideals.

The Fichte Association ‘s leaflet on the criminal nature of Jews serves to target far-right leaning individuals in America and push the Nazi cause. The pamphlet is designed as an explanation behind why the Nazis feel that the persecution of the Jews is necessary. Lt. General Daluege argues that the Jews adopt unclean financial methods, engage in drugs, and gamble. The use of highly rational arguments based on ethos and pseudo-statistics based on falsified studies made even the most horrific of beliefs sound somewhat plausible to the far-right political wing of the American audience. Daluege also cleverly positions Germany as the victim in the scenario by suggesting that the world is unfairly fighting the Nazi regime without understanding that the true oppressors have been the Jews all along. The efforts to sway American public opinion were one among many projects of Josef Goebbels's Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, which dedicated significant funding to printed media propaganda that was distributed through the US mail. The Fichte association allied with many Nazi causes including the rejection of communism and anti-Semitic legislation. The Fichte Association ‘s leaflet is similar to Bernard Perlin’s graphic poster and Best’s Berlin Broadcast in its use of ethos and authority to create an argument. All three of the primary sources use figures of authority such as the Revolutionary Army, Lt. General Daluege, and Robert Henry Best himself, to underline the importance and legitimacy of the message they wish to send. However, this leaflet is unique in relation to the other primary sources because it uses the most logos, even if the statistics and logical elements are false. Although the emotional appeal is still present, it is masked by the fact that this is the only document that has the authority of a military figure and the the only document that uses the eugenics and race-based studies of the time to attempt to prove a point of anti-Semitism logically. This document also differs from the others in that it is less a call to specific action and more a call for a reconsideration of opinion. The Fichte Association’s leaflet is historically significant because it offers insight into the manner in which the Nazi propaganda machine used authority, pseudoscience, and logical appeal to fight the global battle of negative perception as vigorously as they were fighting on the battlefield itself.

Best’s Berlin Broadcast was from the perspective of an American who found allegiance with the Nazi ideology and began reporting from Europe with a critical view of American governance. In this excerpt from his radio broadcast, Best describes his former countrymen as accomplices of murder and goes on to list what he considers atrocities by the American forces against Germans. Best plays to racial and ethnic sentiments by implying that the Americans have common cause with their European brothers. Rather than focusing on the victims of German totalitarianism, Best asserts that the collateral damage caused by Allied forces is beyond any crime that the Germans have committed. Robert Henry Best was one of many foreign correspondents working with American news networks and his work in supporting the Nazi cause later resulted in a life of imprisonment. Joseph Goebbels was again responsible for this idea of using the emigrated individuals of a country to appeal to that country’s audience. Best’s Berlin Broadcast is similar to Bernard Perlin’s graphic poster and the Fichte Association’s leaflet in its use of nationalism to inspire public action, sympathy, and passion. All three sources utilize the audience’s natural instincts to protect their families and neighbors and build a country they can be proud of. The graphic poster does this by calling out to America’s past, the leaflet does this by inciting a xenophobic fear about Jews, and the radio broadcast does this by asking patriotic Americans to question their country’s actions. However, Best’s Berlin Broadcast is unique in its graphic and violent tone and use of a tactic of guilt in order to persuade action. Unlike many other propaganda sources of the era, Best’s broadcast inspires neither pride nor fear but rather self-reflection. In this manner, Best cleverly crosses from the territory of nationalism into the area of true patriotism which involves reflection over a country’s actions rather than blind loyalty. Robert Henry Best’s Berlin Broadcast was historically significant in its depiction of propaganda from an American personality who had been lured by Nazi propaganda himself and uncovered the seldom-heard and controversial arguments that were critical of the Allied Powers.

There can often be no document as historically valuable for understanding the thoughts and motivations of a people as a primary document from the time period itself, written by people who are directly involved in the chaos of the era. Bernard Perlin’s graphic poster, the Fichte Association’s leaflet, and Best’s Berlin Broadcast all used manipulative rhetorical devices in order to convey a particular message that was directed at the American people in a time when the threat of Nazi totalitarianism was dangerous yet distance from the American conscience.