Edwin Black's book "Nazi Nexus" explores how American corporations helped Hitler carry out the Holocaust
- Edwin Black's book "Nazi Nexus" reveals that some of America's most iconic corporations, including Ford, Carnegie, Rockefeller, General Motors and IBM, actively supported Hitler's Nazi regime and its genocidal policies.
- The book documents how these companies provided financial, technological and ideological support to the Nazi regime, facilitating its rise and the Holocaust.
- Henry Ford, an antisemite, published a series of antisemitic articles that were later compiled into a bestseller in Nazi Germany, influencing Hitler's views. Ford's company continued to supply vehicles to the Nazi military even after the US entered the war.
- American eugenicists, funded by the Carnegie Institution and Rockefeller Foundation, collaborated with German scientists, helping to shape Nazi racial policies and paving the way for the Holocaust.
- IBM's punch card technology was crucial to the Nazis' ability to identify, track and deport Jews to concentration camps, with the company's president personally approving the transfer of advanced machinery to Germany.
"
Nazi Nexus: America's Corporate Connection to Hitler's Holocaust" by Edwin Black reveals a haunting truth: Some of America's most iconic corporations played a direct role in supporting Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime and its genocidal policies.
Published in 2009, the book documents how companies such as Ford, Carnegie, Rockefeller, General Motors and IBM were not merely passive bystanders to the Holocaust but active participants in its atrocities.
"Nazi Nexus" is a meticulous and unflinching exploration of how American corporations facilitated the rise of Nazism and the Holocaust. The book traces how these businesses, many of which are household names today, provided financial, technological and ideological support to Hitler's regime. Black's research reveals a disturbing web of connections that highlight the moral failings of corporate leaders and the dangers of unchecked greed.
One of the most shocking revelations in the book is the role of Henry Ford, the automotive pioneer whose name is synonymous with innovation. Ford, a known antisemite, published a series of antisemitic articles in his newspaper,
The Dearborn Independent, in the early 1920s. These articles were later compiled into a book, "The International Jew," which became a bestseller in Nazi Germany.
Adolf Hitler himself was deeply influenced by Ford's antisemitic views, calling him "my inspiration" and displaying a portrait of Ford in his office.
Ford's influence extended beyond propaganda; his company continued to operate in Germany during World War II, supplying vehicles to the Nazi military even after the United States entered the war.
The book also delves into the eugenics movement, a pseudoscience that sought to create a "master race" through selective breeding and the elimination of marginalized groups. The Carnegie Institution and the Rockefeller Foundation played a central role in funding eugenicist research, which later provided the scientific foundation for Nazi racial policies.
American eugenicists such as Harry Laughlin collaborated with German scientists, helping to shape the Nuremberg Laws, which stripped Jews of their rights and paved the way for the Holocaust.
Rockefeller's funding of eugenic research in Germany supported the work of scientists like Josef Mengele, the "Angel of Death" at Auschwitz, who conducted horrific experiments in the name of eugenics.
"Nazi Nexus" also delves into the role of IBM. The company's punch card technology was critical to the Nazis' ability to identify, track and deport Jews to concentration camps. IBM's German subsidiary, Dehomag, supplied the technology and expertise needed to organize the Holocaust's logistics.
Thomas J. Watson, IBM's president at the time, was fully aware of the company's role in supporting the Nazi regime and personally approved the transfer of advanced machinery to Germany, even after the war began. Black's research exposes IBM's involvement as a chilling example of how technology can be weaponized to facilitate mass murder.
Edwin Black's book is not just a historical account; it is a call to account for the past and reflect on the present. The Holocaust is often remembered as a defining moment of humanity's capacity for evil, but "Nazi Nexus" forces readers to consider the complicity of American institutions in this atrocity. By documenting the role of corporations like Ford, Carnegie, Rockefeller and IBM, the book challenges the notion of American innocence and raises critical questions about the responsibilities of businesses in shaping global events.
The historical context of Nazi Nexus is particularly relevant today, as debates over corporate ethics, profit motives and accountability continue to dominate public discourse. The book serves as a reminder that the choices made by corporations can have far-reaching and devastating consequences. It also underscores the importance of shining light on hidden histories, even when they challenge cherished narratives of progress and morality.
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