NAZI ACTIVITIES IN U.S.

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 October 1939, Page 3

NAZI ACTIVITIES IN U.S.

CONSUL’S OFFER OF A LIBRARY. WASHINGTON, August 21. An attempt said to have been made by the German Government to influence an American University was described to-day by Dr. John Harvey Sherman, President of the 1 ’ Tampa University, Florida, when he appeared as a witness before- the House of Representatives’ Committee investigating un-American activities. Dr. Sherman, who was a captain of file Air Force- in the World War, was formerly general manager of Paramount Pictures. Fie said the German Consul in New Orleans, Baron Edgar von Spiegel, -offered the Univeisily a German library on behalf of the German Government, on the broadly implied condition that an antiNazi Professor of German must be dismissed. Explaining that the local German Consul, Ernest Berger, gave him the impression, when lie arranged a meeting a year ago, that it was the- Baron who wished to present the library, Dr. Sherman stated that when the latter indicated that the offer was being made on behalf of his Government, and that, the Professor of German must be “adequate,” he promptly rejected the offer. “I wish now,” added Dr. Sherman, “that I had kicked him from my office.” . ,

During his brief conversation with the Baron, said Dr. Sherman, he was told that “the fact that, we have no I restrictions against. Jewish students, and have Jews on our Board of Trus-.-t.ees and our Faculty, was a mistake which we would eventually regret.” | The Piafessor, who, according to the President of Tampa University, was considered unsatisfactory by German officials in this countrj. was Di. Otto Kraus, a Viennese, who came the United States in 1937. and who. 1:r Sherman told the committee, had be-t’ii the object of repeated attacks. “When an investigation proved that Hie allegations against his character and qualifications were., unfounded stated Dr. Sherman, "they climber. i "Later on." lie said, “the I-resid-en. cf Tulane University in Louisiana hold me. lie- was quite disturbed l)Vl | the activities of the Baron around his I ! 'According to reports received here ( Ifiom New Orleans late to-day. thc ) i Baron described Dr. ShevmauT st.ate-i j meat as a "wanton invention, declar-, • lag that similar offers of German, books on music, art and other sub-; jecl.s had been accepted with grat.i-j tilde by other colleges and universities in eight. States coming within his jurisdiction.