Jews in the America First Movement

[rob]

The America First Committee was an amazingly large, and broad organization in its two years of existence. All sorts of prominent people were part of it, Democrats, Republicans, plus various fringe types. Adam Clayton Powell, a Roosevelt (I believe Theordore Roosevelt's daughter),
John Lewis' daughter, the writers Flynn and Norris, Lindbergh of course were in it. I'm wondering if any prominent American jews joined it. In one fascinating poll by religion on whether we should declare war on Germany taken I believe in mid 1941, by a margin of about 65-35 American jews opposed an immediate declaration of war on Germany. The country as a whole was about 80-20 opposed.

[rob]

Oh, I forgot to add what the America First Committee was all about. Basically it opposed our involvement in WWII, and was the main pro-neutralist organization in the US.

[Roberto]

In one fascinating poll by religion on whether we should declare war on Germany taken I believe in mid 1941, by a margin of about 65-35 American jews opposed an immediate declaration of war on Germany. The country as a whole was about 80-20 opposed.

Do you have any more information on that poll?

Sounds like something our "Revisionists" would rather not hear about.

[rob]

I believe I got it from a book about Religion and American foreign policy. Most other polls about that time I found in I believe "public opinion quarterly". I did a term paper about the congressional votes related to the war before Pearl Harbor, but did some public opinion research as well. The whole era of public opinion polls was really coming into its own around the time and they really got rolling with war questions. One of my favorites was a state by state breakdown of war feelings. The American southern states were more like 25-75 on the war question, the mid-west and Great Lake states more like 15-85 for war. Of course, majorities did support Lend Lease, but clearly opposed an actual declaration of war.
Concerning the Jews, that one poll was quite intresting and shows that their feelings weren't all that different from everyone else. Of course this was taken in 1941, before news of Holocaust was reaching US. It certainly would show that Jews as a bloc were hardly a pro-war bloc, though I don't know much about Jewish leaders at the time.

[Graham Clayton]

A board member of the America First Committee in 1940 was Lessing J Rosenwald, a prominent businessman and bibliophile.

[Maxschnauzer]

Of course this was taken in 1941, before news of Holocaust was reaching US.

I assume it was also taken before Pearl Harbor and Germany's declaration of war, which changed a whole lot of people's minds about American involvement.

[OpanaPointer]

The America First Committee was an amazingly large, and broad organization in its two years of existence. All sorts of prominent people were part of it, Democrats, Republicans, plus various fringe types. Adam Clayton Powell, a Roosevelt (I believe Theordore Roosevelt's daughter),
John Lewis' daughter, the writers Flynn and Norris, Lindbergh of course were in it. I'm wondering if any prominent American jews joined it. In one fascinating poll by religion on whether we should declare war on Germany taken I believe in mid 1941, by a margin of about 65-35 American jews opposed an immediate declaration of war on Germany. The country as a whole was about 80-20 opposed.

If the poll was done by Gallup it will be here: http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/Gallup/

AFC was the overall front for a diverse collection of anti-war groups, ranging from total non-fighting folks like the Quakers to people who were fine with fighting Japan to get them out of China but didn't care about "the latest round of the eternal European civil war."

[OpanaPointer]

Of course this was taken in 1941, before news of Holocaust was reaching US.

News of the holocaust was already here. New York Times had an article on the concentration camps around May, 1941. (I don't have my notes on that any, but that's the approximate period.) You can check the Index of Periodical Publications for other items.

I assume it was also taken before Pearl Harbor and Germany's declaration of war, which changed a whole lot of people's minds about American involvement.

America First official closed it's doors on Dec. 8th, 1941.

[Carl Schwamberger]

....
America First official closed it's doors on Dec. 8th, 1941.

Might have closed shop a day earlier, but the head, who was speaking at a Phildelphia rally the afternoon of 7 Dec had trouble accepting the news of the attack. When someone attempted to announce the news during the event he was removed from the auditorium.

Funding for America First, and related organizations had been stagnant or declining in the previous months, and America First lost some of its organizers in the autum of 1941. Also sympathetic leftist organizations departed the isolationist, pacifist, pro German, or American First stance in the last week of June 1941.

[OpanaPointer]

....
America First official closed it's doors on Dec. 8th, 1941.

Might have closed shop a day earlier, but the head, who was speaking at a Phildelphia rally the afternoon of 7 Dec had trouble accepting the news of the attack. When someone attempted to announce the news during the event he was removed from the auditorium.

Not quite. He got the news during his speech but kept on giving his prepared remarks. (Assuming you're talking about Gerald P. Nye.)

Funding for America First, and related organizations had been stagnant or declining in the previous months, and America First lost some of its organizers in the autum of 1941. Also sympathetic leftist organizations departed the isolationist, pacifist, pro German, or American First stance in the last week of June 1941.

It's fun to read the far left's newspapers before and after Barbarossa started.

[Maxschnauzer]

It's fun to read the far left's newspapers before and after Barbarossa started.

Likewise to watch the reaction of far left entertainers. Woody Guthrie and the like had no problem at first with the Molotov/Ribbentrop pact. Then after Barbarossa he painted on his guitar the slogan "This Machine Kills Fascists" which was copied by others, including Pete Seeger. :roll:

[OpanaPointer]

It's fun to read the far left's newspapers before and after Barbarossa started.

Likewise to watch the reaction of far left entertainers. Woody Guthrie and the like had no problem at first with the Molotov/Ribbentrop pact. Then after Barbarossa he painted on his guitar the slogan "This Machine Kills Fascists" which was copied by others, including Pete Seeger. :roll:

Same with the Cliveden Group after the Fall of France. The politics drive the ethics all too often.

[Carl Schwamberger]

....
America First official closed it's doors on Dec. 8th, 1941.

Might have closed shop a day earlier, but the head, who was speaking at a Phildelphia rally the afternoon of 7 Dec had trouble accepting the news of the attack. When someone attempted to announce the news during the event he was removed from the auditorium.

Not quite. He got the news during his speech but kept on giving his prepared remarks. (Assuming you're talking about Gerald P. Nye.)

Versions I've seen suggest he did not understandd what the interruption was about & continued. After departing the stage someone on his staff or the auditorum staff told him of the news from the radio. He kept responding with "This cant be true." It was late afternoon or evening before continued radio reports and the evening paper brought him & his staff around.

I supose true procrastination would have been keeping the faith several more days. Germany was not at war with the US until the 10th, so the america Firsters could have continued the argument of not getting involved in European affairs. Weak but technically doable. Henry Ford seems to have held on a lot longer. There is a story that when offered the contract to build Merlin engines in the US he refused stating he would never sell arms to the English.

[OpanaPointer]

I'll dig up the source for my statement.

[OpanaPointer]

I'll dig up the source for my statement.

Those Angry Days, by Lynne Olson and Long Day's Journey into War by Stanley Weintraub.