Introduction The Nazi Olympics of 1936 provided Adolf Hitler with an unprecedented opportunity to cloak militarism and racism under the cape of the Summer Olympics. During this time, Hitler dampened his antisemitic policies and plans for enlarging Germany in order to exploit the opportunities as vehicle to portray Germany as more tolerant and peaceful than it actually was. In reaction to the Olympics, the United States and most western democracies rejected a boycott of the games. Rather, they took the stand that participation in the games would expose the false nature of Nazi Aryan racist policies and propaganda. Unfortunately, the wake of the games, Germany returned to and accelerated its expansionist policies and its persecution of the
…show more content…
According to an entry for January 23, 1936, fanatical Nazi careerist Wilfred Bade called him. At that time Bade was the head of the Foreign Press Department in the German Ministry of Propaganda. He accused Shirer of falsely reporting upon German treatment of Jews and hoped to deflect this by inviting the reporter to the Winter Game headquarters in Garmish-Parten Kirchen. When Shirer protested, Bade hung up. This incident was followed up by a radio report criticizing him personally, calling him a dirty Jew and implying that he was trying to sabotage the winter Olympic Games at Garmisch with false reports about Jewish persecution at the hands of Nazi officials. Additionally, the afternoon papers of that day were full of denunciations of Shirer. The actual content of Shirer's report was the truthful reporting about the Garmisch Nazis pulling down antisemitic signs in the town for Jes to get out. By this action, the Nazis hoped to spare the Olympic visitors any signs of mistreatment of the Jews in Germany. The reports were so virulent and ridiculous that he protested to Bade, going personally to the Propaganda Ministry when Bade snubbed the reporter for meeting about the attacks. The indignant Shirer went personally to Ministry, barging into Bade's office. Sitting in front of the propaganda official, he demanded an apology and a retraction in the German radio and press. The heated exchange climaxed and Shirer left the office with nothing (Shirer,
According to an entry for January 23, 1936, fanatical Nazi careerist Wilfred Bade called him. At that time Bade was the head of the Foreign Press Department in the German Ministry of Propaganda. He accused Shirer of falsely reporting upon German treatment of Jews and hoped to deflect this by inviting the reporter to the Winter Game headquarters in Garmish-Parten Kirchen. When Shirer protested, Bade hung up. This incident was followed up by a radio report criticizing him personally, calling him a dirty Jew and implying that he was trying to sabotage the winter Olympic Games at Garmisch with false reports about Jewish persecution at the hands of Nazi officials. Additionally, the afternoon papers of that day were full of denunciations of Shirer. The actual content of Shirer's report was the truthful reporting about the Garmisch Nazis pulling down antisemitic signs in the town for Jes to get out. By this action, the Nazis hoped to spare the Olympic visitors any signs of mistreatment of the Jews in Germany. The reports were so virulent and ridiculous that he protested to Bade, going personally to the Propaganda Ministry when Bade snubbed the reporter for meeting about the attacks. The indignant Shirer went personally to Ministry, barging into Bade's office. Sitting in front of the propaganda official, he demanded an apology and a retraction in the German radio and press. The heated exchange climaxed and Shirer left the office with nothing (Shirer,