Adolfo Hitler

. Heuvel, William J. vanden. "America, FDR, and the Holocaust." Society. Sept./Oct. 1997: 54-65. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 18 Mar 2012.

The article claims that the deceit and Indifference madethe United States and its leaders "accomplices" to the Nazi barbarism. Accusing the United States not only of abandoning the Jews but of complicity in the Holocaust, one eminent spokesman for thisviewpoint has written: "The Nazis were the murderers but we"--and here he includes the American government, its president, and its people, Christians and Jews indiscriminately--"were the all too passiveaccomplices." Around WWI the Jews of Germany numbered about 525,000 in 1933. They were the yeast of Germany's great culture--leaders in literature, music, medicine, science, in its financial andintellectual life. For the most part, they wanted to be thought of as Germans. They had been a proud part of Germany's army in World War I. Anti-Semitism shadowed their lives, but they were citizens whothought of Germany as “their” country and were deeply rooted in its existence. They witnessed Hitler's coming to power with disbelief and saw Nazi dominance as a temporary phenomenon. In the face ofNazi persecution, those who left Germany did so reluctantly; many seek refuge in neighboring countries from which they expected to return to Germany when the Hitler madness subsided. As important as anybarriers to immigration to Western countries was the Jews' attitude of not wanting to leave Germany until absolutely necessary. Heuvel pointed out that is it crucial to remember that at the time noone outside or inside Germany anticipated that the Nazi persecution would lead to the Holocaust. The immigration laws of the United States had been established by legislation in 1921 and 1924 underPresidents Harding and Coolidge,. These laws lead to the country’s formal isolationism. The overwhelming majority of Americans agreed with Congress, opposing the increased admission of immigrants,...