American newspapers joined today in expressing horror at the German pogrom and in commenting sarcastically on the “courage” exemplified in carrying out depredations against a defenseless people.
The New York Times, in a leading editorial captioned “‘Great Germany'” termed the excesses an “orgy” and pointed out that the Reich “boasts of the order it maintains and aspires to spread” throughout central Europe. In similar vein, the Herald Tribune, under the caption, “the hero-state in action,” said that one might expect a nation emphasizing courage, fortitude and honor to have hesitated “just for the looks of the thing to do all its fighting against the feeble and helpless,” stressing “the disgust of all civilized men” at the excesses.
The New York Post predicted that the outbursts would stir sympathy for the Jews in Germany and intensify dislike for the Nazis. The Sun advised the German Government to bear in mind that “there is nothing comparable to nation-wide terrorism for providing the hotbed in which assassination germinates.” The Boston Globe said: “This new horror should help Americans to realize that there is one foreign product that must be kept out of this country. The United States has not an inch of room for anti-Semitism.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
