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You often see photos of Henry Ford being awarded the Grand Service Cross by Germany as proof that Ford was a Nazi sympathizer. But like all bits of history, I search to find the context of famous events.
The photo of Henry Ford being awarded the Grand Service Cross by Germany was a photo opportunity by the Germans, the masters of propaganda. German diplomats awarded Henry Ford the Grand Service Cross on Henry Ford's seventy fifth birthday on July 30, 1938. Pictures of Ford shaking hands with German consular filled newspapers around the world.
Various versions of the Grand Cross of the German Eagle were created by the Nazis to honor allies and to use in a propaganda war courting American economic partners in the 1930s. Thomas Watson, the chief executive of IBM received a similar award on a visit to Berlin in June 1937. James D. Mooney, head of overseas operations at General Motors, also was honored with an award in August 1938.
Henry Ford was a strange character and quite a mixed bag. In the early 1920s Ford published various articles with strong antisemitic views. But Ford was open minded as an employer actively hiring minorities and handicapped workers when it was uncommon in American industry.
None of Ford's antisemitic articles were written by Ford, but he allowed his name to be used as author. The newspaper that ran the articles, The Dearborn Independent, was shutdown in 1927 and Ford issued an apology.
Ford's antisemitic articles were published in Germany drawing praise from Adolf Hitler, however there is no indication that Ford ever tried to connect with the German Nazi party, or any of its members. .
In the early 1930s The Ford Motor Company was manufacturing one third of all the world's automobiles. Did Hitler award Henry Ford the Grand Service Cross to thank him for his support, or was Germany awarding Henry Ford the Grand Service Cross in hopes that Henry Ford would support them during the war.
The Guru 42 Universe is not run by a university professor with a team of editors and advisers working to developing a website. Tom Peracchio is simply someone who loves technology and history and is amazed by how little people know about the great minds in the world of technology.
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