Why lie about Hitler?

[Originalist]

Was he not bad enough without lying about him? Don't his most severe crimes indict him sufficiently without perpetuating popular myths about him?

Case in point, the "snub of Jesse Owens by Hitler at the Olympics of 1936." The following is a compilation of various sources that are not pro-Hitler. Most of it seems easily verifiable.

The story goes that Hitler had received many Aryan olympic winners into his press box to personally praise them, but refused Afro-American winner Jesse Owens because of his race. Well, Owens was snubbed alright. Here is his personal testimony of the actual snub.....

Actually, Owens was acclaimed by the Berliners as enthusiastically as any German. Owens himself said that on one occasion, while in the stadium, he caught sight of Hitler: “When I passed the Chancellor, he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him.” Hitler invited all Olympic winners, including Owens, to a reception at the Reich Chancellory. Hitler personally congratulated and shook the hand of each winner, including Owens, who later confirmed this on several occasions.

The "wave" Owens spoke of was probably the Nazi salute.

To his credit, Jesse Owens himself never contributed to the myth-making. He repeatedly stressed the warmth of his reception in Germany and his happiness during those days in Berlin. But he couldn’t prevent others from using him as a symbol, in life as well as in death, to slander Germany for motives of their own.

WHO REALLY SNUBBED OWENS?

“…Jesse Owens’ reception by the German public and the spectators in the Olympic stadium was warm. There were German cheers of “Yesseh Oh-vens” or just “Oh-vens” from the crowd. Owens was a true celebrity in Berlin, mobbed by autograph seekers to the point that he complained about all the attention. He later claimed that his reception in Berlin was greater than any other he had ever experienced, and he was quite popular even before the Olympics.

Jesse Owens was wearing German track shoes when he won his gold medals in Berlin.

Ironically, the real snub of Owens came from his own president. Even after ticker-tape parades for Owens in New York City and Cleveland, President Franklin D. Roosevelt never publicly acknowledged Owens’ achievements (gold in the 100 meter, 200 meter, 400 meter relay, and long jump). Owens was never invited to the White House and never even received a letter of congratulations from the president. Almost two decades passed before another American president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, honored Owens by naming him “Ambassador of Sports” — in 1955.”
http://german.about.com/library/blgermyth10.htm

Owens said, “Hitler didn’t snub me – it was FDR who snubbed me. The president didn’t even send me a telegram.”

On the other hand, Hitler sent Owens a commemorative inscribed cabinet photograph of himself. Jesse Owens was never invited to the White House nor were honors bestowed upon him by president Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) or his successor Harry S. Truman during their terms. In 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower honored Owens by naming him an “Ambassador of Sports.”

On the first day of competition, Hitler shook hands only with the German victors and then left the stadium. Olympic committee officials insisted Hitler greet every medalist or none at all. Hitler opted for the latter and skipped all further medal presentations.[14][15] Historians have noted that Hitler may have left the games at this time due to looming rain clouds which may have postponed the games. This happened well before Owens was to compete, but has largely come to be believed to be the "snub".[16] On reports that Hitler had deliberately avoided acknowledging his victories, and had refused to shake his hand, Owens said at the time:

"Hitler had a certain time to come to the stadium and a certain time to leave. It happened he had to leave before the victory ceremony after the 100 meters. But before he left I was on my way to a broadcast and passed near his box. He waved at me and I waved back. I think it was bad taste to criticize the 'man of the hour' in another country."

In a 2009 interview, Siegfried Mischner, a German journalist, claimed that Owens carried around a photograph in his wallet of the Führer shaking his hand before the latter left the stadium. Owens, who felt the newspapers of the day reported 'unfairly' on Hitler's attitude towards him, tried to get Mischner and his journalist colleagues to change the accepted version of history in the 1960s. Mischner claimed Owens showed him the photograph and told him: "That was one of my most beautiful moments." Mischner added "(the picture) was taken behind the honour stand and so not captured by the world's press. But I saw it, I saw him shaking Hitler's hand!" According to Mischner, "the predominating opinion in post-war Germany was that Hitler had ignored Owens, so we therefore decided not to report on the photo. The consensus was that Hitler had to continue to be painted in a bad light in relation to Owens." For some time, Mischner's assertion was not confirmed independently of his own account,and Mischner himself admitted in Mail Online that "All my colleagues are dead, Owens is dead. I thought this was the last chance to set the record straight. I have no idea where the photo is or even if it exists still."

However, in 2014, Eric Brown, British fighter pilot and test pilot, the Fleet Air Arm's most decorated living pilot,[22] independently stated in a BBC documentary "I actually witnessed Hitler shaking hands with Jesse Owens and congratulating him on what he had achieved."[23] Additionally, an article in The Baltimore Sun in August 1936 reported that Hitler sent Owens a commemorative inscribed cabinet photograph of himself.

Owens was allowed to travel with and stay in the same hotels in Germany as whites, while at the time African Americans in many parts of the United States had to stay in segregated hotels while traveling. During a New York City ticker-tape parade on Fifth Avenue in his honor, someone handed Owens a paper bag. Owens paid it little mind until the parade concluded. When he opened it up, he found the bag contained $10,000 in cash. Owens's wife Ruth later said, "And he [Owens] didn't know who was good enough to do a thing like that. And with all the excitement around, he didn't pick it up right away. He didn't pick it up until he got ready to get out of the car." After the parade, Owens had to ride the freight elevator at the Waldorf-Astoria to reach the reception honoring him. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) never invited Jesse Owens to the White House following his triumphs at the Olympics games.

Yet in recent years I've seen docu-dramas depicting Hitler rudely turning his back to Owens and walking away.

So IF we have been lied to about Owens, what else have we been lied to about?

[Fionn mac Cumh]

I agree. I also agree with some of the people who say that no way did he kill six million jews.

[n david]

Oy vey.

[Originalist]

Originally Posted by Fionn mac Cumh

I agree. I also agree with some of the people who say that no way did he kill six million jews.

I'm neutral on that subject. There is no justification for killing any civilian intentionally just because they are a certain race. However, I too have wondered about the 6 million figure. I've also come to wonder about the mass gassings. There are Jewish scholars who are adamant that nobody much was gassed at Auschwitz or Treblinka. But I've not done enough personal study yet to really reach my own conclusions. I do think that Germany was absolutely done wrong after WW1 and that American interventions helped to create both Hitler and Stalin. We let ourselves get suckered into a war that we had no real beef in.

[Originalist]

Originally Posted by n david

Oy vey.

Not sure how to take that. Are you saying that in defense of Jews or as a sarcasm?

[n david]

Originally Posted by Originalist

Not sure how to take that. Are you saying that in defense of Jews or as a sarcasm?

I was responding to Fionn's statement about no way Hitler killed 6 million Jews.

[TJJJ]

Do you realize how many million people Stalin killed?

Do you realize that the communist revolution was financed by Jews?

Look it up.

[Fionn mac Cumh]

Originally Posted by Originalist

I'm neutral on that subject. There is no justification for killing any civilian intentionally just because they are a certain race. However, I too have wondered about the 6 million figure. I've also come to wonder about the mass gassings. There are Jewish scholars who are adamant that nobody much was gassed at Auschwitz or Treblinka. But I've not done enough personal study yet to really reach my own conclusions. I do think that Germany was absolutely done wrong after WW1 and that American interventions helped to create both Hitler and Stalin. We let ourselves get suckered into a war that we had no real beef in.

Wow at you not shooting me down and wow and me agreeing with everything we said. Maybe we can go to heaven together after all. LOL

[Fionn mac Cumh]

Originally Posted by tjjj

do you realize how many million people stalin killed?

Do you realize that the communist revolution was financed by jews?

Look it up.

#truth

[Originalist]

Originally Posted by Fionn mac Cumh

Wow at you not shooting me down and wow and me agreeing with everything we said. Maybe we can go to heaven together after all. LOL

Ha ha.