1. There's an essay, and maybe even book, to be written about prominent Americans who visited Nazi Germany & were impressed by what they saw
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Replying to @HeerJeet
2. I'm talking about people like John F. Kennedy, Walker Percy, Philip Johnson, James Laughlin, and Charles Lindberg.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
3. James Laughlin, arguably best American publisher ever, visited Germany in 1933.“Hitler is as perfect an idealist as he could be" he wrote
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Replying to @HeerJeet
4. "Fascism? The right thing for Germany. . . . What are the evils of fascism compared to communism?” JFK, age 20, during 1937 German trip
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Replying to @HeerJeet
5. JFK here was echoing the views of his awful father, but also broader American elite opinion of 1930s.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
6. Incoming Princeton freshman class of 1938 named Hitler as the figure they most admired in the world.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
7. I won't belabor this by quoting similar pro-Nazi thoughts from Lindberg, Johnson, Percy, Henry Ford, etc. etc.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
8. MT
@imillhiser a major selling point of fascism was fascist states were capable of action during a time of mass government failure3 replies 4 retweets 11 likes -
Replying to @HeerJeet
9. MT
@imillhiser one reason why FDR was such an important figure. He proved that constitutional democracy wasn't incompatible with action.5 replies 6 retweets 20 likes -
Replying to @HeerJeet
10. Another factor is anti-communism, which we see in JFK's statement: "What are the evils of fascism compared to communism?”
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11. Many of these figures who admired Nazi Germany's efficiency etc. also supported appeasement in late 1930s (i.e. Kennedy family).
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Replying to @HeerJeet
12. Appeasement is wrongly seen as growing out of weakness & cowardness of West. But covert sympathy for Nazism was also a factor.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
13. What we call appeasement should more properly be seen as a covert alliance: propping up Nazis as bulwark against communism.
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