The US team at the World Athletics Championships, which starts Saturday in a stadium designed by Hitler's architect Albert Speer, has seized upon the legend of black American sprinter Jesse Owens, reports AFP's Luke Phillips.
Jesse Owens became one of the most iconic figures in sporting history when he competed at Berlin's Olympic Stadium when the games were hosted in the German capital in 1936.
Flying in the face of Adolf Hitler's Nazi propganda that the Aryan white race were superior to coloured athletes, Owens won an unprecedented four gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and long jump.
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Memory of Jesse Owens lives on in Berlin
Jesse Owens has rightly grown in people's estimation. But don't let us forget that at the time he said that he enjoyed his experience of Germany. He was not subject, for instance, to segregation as he was when he returned to America. And much of the "the Germans despised him because he destroyed the Aryan myth of supremacy" stuff is merely post hoc propaganda. Hitler shook his hand at the Olympics and congratulated him on his achievement - for instance. At that time, back home in the States, there were many Americans who would not have dreamed of shaking the hand of a black man.
That's all.
That's all.
corrections:
the Olympic Stadium was designed not by Albert Speer but by Werner March, son of architect Otto March, who designed the previous stadium on the same site (built for the 1916 Olympics, sadly pre-empted by WWI).
Also, Hitler did not shake the hand of Jesse Owens, but neither did he shake the hand of any other medal winner after initially shaking the hands with the first German medal winners. He was then asked by the Olympic Committee, in order to maintain the spirit of impartiality, to either shake the hands of all medal winners or none. Hitler chose the latter. Jesse Owens did say, however, that Hitler waved at him, which was more recognition than he received than from his own president, FDR, who didn't even see fit to send the gold medal winner a congratulatory telegram.
the Olympic Stadium was designed not by Albert Speer but by Werner March, son of architect Otto March, who designed the previous stadium on the same site (built for the 1916 Olympics, sadly pre-empted by WWI).
Also, Hitler did not shake the hand of Jesse Owens, but neither did he shake the hand of any other medal winner after initially shaking the hands with the first German medal winners. He was then asked by the Olympic Committee, in order to maintain the spirit of impartiality, to either shake the hands of all medal winners or none. Hitler chose the latter. Jesse Owens did say, however, that Hitler waved at him, which was more recognition than he received than from his own president, FDR, who didn't even see fit to send the gold medal winner a congratulatory telegram.
Ah, the myth lives on. Thirteen is nearly correct.
Hitler shook the hands of all the winners in the beginning, German or otherwise.
It started raining one night, and it was getting late, so Hitler didn't stick around to shake the hand of the winner of the pole vault.
The following day he was, as thirteen pointed out, directed by the Olympic committee to shake them all, or shake none. He chose to shake none. It happened that Owens was the next winner.
Although those who chose to make something of this grabbed the racial thing, that actually had nothing to do with it.
Hitler shook the hands of all the winners in the beginning, German or otherwise.
It started raining one night, and it was getting late, so Hitler didn't stick around to shake the hand of the winner of the pole vault.
The following day he was, as thirteen pointed out, directed by the Olympic committee to shake them all, or shake none. He chose to shake none. It happened that Owens was the next winner.
Although those who chose to make something of this grabbed the racial thing, that actually had nothing to do with it.
From various newspapers during August 2009....
====
At the time, it was reported that Hitler had stormed out of the stadium furious that Owens, who had just run his way to the first of four gold medals in the 100 metres, had beaten his Aryan sportsmen.
However, Siegfried Mischner, 83, said that Owens carried around a photograph in his wallet of Hitler shaking his hand before he 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, the Daily Mail reports.
He said: "It 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.
"The predominating opinion in post-war Germany was that Hitler had ignored Owens.
"The consensus was that Hitler had to continue to be painted in a bad light in relation to Owens."
====
That's all.
====
At the time, it was reported that Hitler had stormed out of the stadium furious that Owens, who had just run his way to the first of four gold medals in the 100 metres, had beaten his Aryan sportsmen.
However, Siegfried Mischner, 83, said that Owens carried around a photograph in his wallet of Hitler shaking his hand before he 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, the Daily Mail reports.
He said: "It 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.
"The predominating opinion in post-war Germany was that Hitler had ignored Owens.
"The consensus was that Hitler had to continue to be painted in a bad light in relation to Owens."
====
That's all.
This a good example of all history.
Facts and truth are irrelevant.
Reporters report what they want to see.
We see and read what we want to see and read.
We remember and believe what we want to remember and believe.
We write our own books--past, present, and future.
Facts and truth are irrelevant.
Reporters report what they want to see.
We see and read what we want to see and read.
We remember and believe what we want to remember and believe.
We write our own books--past, present, and future.
It is not a good example at all because facts and truth are not irrelevant. Reporters might sometimes report what they want you to see. I often see what I find difficult to see, but I do not look away. What I want to read is something that might lead me to the truth of whatever happened. Perhaps we can never know the "truth" but at least we can try to get near it. Or at the very least try to understand why it has become distorted.
That's all.
That's all.
I remember reading somewhere that Hitler remarked during the Berlin 1936 games:" Look at who are winning the medals for the Americans, it's only the black athletes". It was a poignant observation. This was construed by the English speaking press as a racist remark but it showed the irony and shamlessness of the Americans who had at that time, laws of segregration in full swing. Yet they accepted and boasted of the glory brought by these 'second class citizens'. Funnily, the black American athletes were also celebrated by the German public, something that never happened in their 'own' country. Isn't time to get the facts straight?
This is a document I received a few years ago relating to the incident.
The Berlin Olympics reeked of politics -- of Hitler's designs and calculations, of the hopes and fears of the German people, and of the anti-Nazi bloc throughout the Western world. Little wonder that the first day of athletic competition produced a controversial episode that within the week would turn into a most memorable as politically useful myth: Hitler's legendary "snub" of Jesse Owens. In truth, the yarn was a fabrication that originally had nothing whatsoever to do with Owens.
On the first afternoon of the games, Hitler excitedly watched two German athletes, Tilly Fleischer and Hans Woellke, win gold medals, and summoned them to his box for personal, public congratulations. Shortly thereafter, he did the same for a Finnish victor. Then late in the afternoon, as drops of rain began to fall from a darkened sky, Cornelius Johnson barely beat his teammate, David Albritton, for the gold in the high jump. Just before the playing of the American national anthem announced the awarding of Johnson's medal, Hitler and his entourage left the stadium.
(my note: I seem to recall hearing other accounts that Hitler "stormed out" of the stadium, see below for an account of "leaving the stadium in a tantrum)
Did they make the hasty exit so Hitler would not have to shake hands with the black Johnson? Maybe they did. A Nazi spokesman explained that Hitler's party always entered and left the stadium on an exact prearranged schedule, but it is difficult to imagine *Der Fuhrer* publicly congratulating a black man, whom he considered only slightly less odious than a Jew. But if he snubbed any black American athlete, it was Cornelius Johnson rather than Jesse Owens. Not until the next day did Owens win his first gold medal. By then the president of the International Olympic Committee, Henri de Baillet-Latour of Belgium, had gotten word to Hitler that as the head of the host government he must be impartial in his accolades -- congratulating all or none of the victors. Hitler stopped inviting winners to his box. He was much to sensitive to world opinion to leave himself open to negative publicity.
But Hitler had not banked on the ingenuity of the American press. "Hitler greets all medalists except Americans," the front page of the _New York Times_ announced the day after the first competitive events; "Hitler ignores Negro medalists," ran the headlines the next day. Not by coincidence, the _New York Times_ had earlier led the movement to boycott the Berlin Games. Still, after those initial barrages, the _Times_ largely ceased mentioning the "snub" story. Other newspapers picked it up with a new twist. "HITLER SNUBS JESSE," read the huge, bold headlines of a black Cleveland paper, _Call and Post_, the day after Owens had won his first medal. Ignorant of Baillet-Latour's instructions and confident of its ability to read Hitler's motives, the American press shifted the focus away from Cornelius Johnson and to Jesse Owens. Every new medal won by Owens enhanced his appeal as the target of Hitler's supoosed insult.
Yet Jesse denied it to interviewers at Berlin and to reporters on his return home. He would soon find, however, that the constant denial was too much bother and that to claim the "snub" for his own would work to his advantage. "And then," as Bob Greenspan says simply, "Jesse kept on using the story." Especially in his postwar public addresses, newspaper articles, and ghosted books, he would make much of Hitler's refusal to shake his hand, and his "leaving the stadium in a tantrum."
Mmmm the history of fact is an odd thing isn’t it?
The Berlin Olympics reeked of politics -- of Hitler's designs and calculations, of the hopes and fears of the German people, and of the anti-Nazi bloc throughout the Western world. Little wonder that the first day of athletic competition produced a controversial episode that within the week would turn into a most memorable as politically useful myth: Hitler's legendary "snub" of Jesse Owens. In truth, the yarn was a fabrication that originally had nothing whatsoever to do with Owens.
On the first afternoon of the games, Hitler excitedly watched two German athletes, Tilly Fleischer and Hans Woellke, win gold medals, and summoned them to his box for personal, public congratulations. Shortly thereafter, he did the same for a Finnish victor. Then late in the afternoon, as drops of rain began to fall from a darkened sky, Cornelius Johnson barely beat his teammate, David Albritton, for the gold in the high jump. Just before the playing of the American national anthem announced the awarding of Johnson's medal, Hitler and his entourage left the stadium.
(my note: I seem to recall hearing other accounts that Hitler "stormed out" of the stadium, see below for an account of "leaving the stadium in a tantrum)
Did they make the hasty exit so Hitler would not have to shake hands with the black Johnson? Maybe they did. A Nazi spokesman explained that Hitler's party always entered and left the stadium on an exact prearranged schedule, but it is difficult to imagine *Der Fuhrer* publicly congratulating a black man, whom he considered only slightly less odious than a Jew. But if he snubbed any black American athlete, it was Cornelius Johnson rather than Jesse Owens. Not until the next day did Owens win his first gold medal. By then the president of the International Olympic Committee, Henri de Baillet-Latour of Belgium, had gotten word to Hitler that as the head of the host government he must be impartial in his accolades -- congratulating all or none of the victors. Hitler stopped inviting winners to his box. He was much to sensitive to world opinion to leave himself open to negative publicity.
But Hitler had not banked on the ingenuity of the American press. "Hitler greets all medalists except Americans," the front page of the _New York Times_ announced the day after the first competitive events; "Hitler ignores Negro medalists," ran the headlines the next day. Not by coincidence, the _New York Times_ had earlier led the movement to boycott the Berlin Games. Still, after those initial barrages, the _Times_ largely ceased mentioning the "snub" story. Other newspapers picked it up with a new twist. "HITLER SNUBS JESSE," read the huge, bold headlines of a black Cleveland paper, _Call and Post_, the day after Owens had won his first medal. Ignorant of Baillet-Latour's instructions and confident of its ability to read Hitler's motives, the American press shifted the focus away from Cornelius Johnson and to Jesse Owens. Every new medal won by Owens enhanced his appeal as the target of Hitler's supoosed insult.
Yet Jesse denied it to interviewers at Berlin and to reporters on his return home. He would soon find, however, that the constant denial was too much bother and that to claim the "snub" for his own would work to his advantage. "And then," as Bob Greenspan says simply, "Jesse kept on using the story." Especially in his postwar public addresses, newspaper articles, and ghosted books, he would make much of Hitler's refusal to shake his hand, and his "leaving the stadium in a tantrum."
Mmmm the history of fact is an odd thing isn’t it?
This is a document I received a few years ago relating to the incident.
Love it, saying you "received" it so as to make you sound more important. Its either very witty or tragically delusional.
it seems to me your document (sent to Hal9000 specially as only he could be trusted with such sensitive information), is a rehash of what other peple have already said. Also, its not really that important is it, not anymore, just interesting wouldnt you say? Also its considered correct to name ones sources, i am surprised such a dedicated and heartfelt academic as yourself hasnt already done so.
Did Jesse Owens also cause a brawl at a Berlin night club after the games?
It's disguising what these idiots did while representing their country. They should get their medals taken away.
http://ca.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idCATRE57M14W20090823
It's disguising what these idiots did while representing their country. They should get their medals taken away.
http://ca.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idCATRE57M14W20090823
hold the judgement till the whole story is out. Bouncers are not always angelic characters are they.
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