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Denazification of German WWII Soldiers at Fort Robinson · Nebraska History Podcast

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The following episode features a historic article from the
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Nebraska History magazine. This article may reflect the
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language and attitudes of its time and while it offers
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valuable insight into the past, may contend expressions or
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viewpoints that are outdated or offensive by today's standards.
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Any outdated terms do not reflect the current views or
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perspectives of the Nebraska State Historical Society.
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Welcome to the Nebraska History podcast.
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I'm your host, Chris Goforth. Each episode we explore articles
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written and published in Nebraska History Magazine.
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Fort Robinson in northwest Nebraska once served as a World
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War 2 prisoner of war camp. One of the war's best kept
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secrets was a secret program meant to denotify German
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soldiers implemented at camps across the country, including at
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Fort Robinson. This episode explores this
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secret program through the 2005 Nebraska History Magazine
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article Still the Old Marlene Hollywood at the Fort Robinson
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Prisoner of War Camp written by Melissa Marsh.
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Bill tonight too many girls. Sounds like a nice one.
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German prisoner of war Wolfgang Dorschel scribbled this comment
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in his diary on February 25th, 1945, a year and four months
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after his arrival at the PW camp at Fort Robinson in northwestern
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Nebraska. Dorschel, like thousands of
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other prisoners across America, loved to watch movies,
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especially popular Hollywood films, and he braved the dry
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Nebraska heat and the icy chill of winter to pack into the camp
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movie house with his fellow prisoners and indulge in one of
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America's favorite pastimes. But there were those who had
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aims other than simple entertainment for Hollywood's
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portrayal of America and sought to incorporate film into one of
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the best kept secrets of the Prisoner of War program, the
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Intellectual Diversion program, a top secret endeavor to de
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Nazify Hitler soldiers held in American prison camps in
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Nebraska, there were three PW base camps, Camp Atlanta in
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Phelps County, Fort Robinson in Dawes County, and Camp
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Scottsbluff in Scottsbluff County.
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Camp Scottsbluff was the oldest of the three, with prisoners
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arriving as early as June 1943. In addition, Italian prisoners
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were briefly interned at Fort Crook in Sarpy County near
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Omaha. With the exception of those at
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Fort Robinson, most of the prisoners worked as agricultural
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and contract laborers. Of the three, only the PW camp
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at Fort Robinson was located near a military post.
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The War Department decided that most large base camps could not
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efficiently distribute the prisoners where they were needed
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as workers, and a network of branch camps was created to
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house more than 100,000 prisoners in the US who could be
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working in private industries, including logging, meatpacking,
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mining, railroads, foundries, and agriculture.
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Branch camps were highly diversified in both capacity and
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layout, and more than 500 were built across the country.
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In Nebraska, Camp Atlanta had some 15 branch camps.
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In the southern half of the state, Camp Scottsbluff had four
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branch camps. Fort Robinson was chosen as APW
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camp for its adaptability to the purpose it was isolated, it had
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excellent railroad connections, and there were many work
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projects to keep the prisoners busy.
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Since it was an Army remount depot housing thousands of
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horses and had canine dog units as well, there was no shortage
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of work for prisoners on the Fort grounds.
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All in all, it seemed a perfect place for German prisoners to
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wait out the war. The first German prisoners to
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arrive at Fort Robinson were members of Rommel's 10th Panzer
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Division from the North Africa Campaign.
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Captured in May of 1943, they arrived at Fort Robinson on
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November 19th, 1943. Although many prisoners had been
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conscripts with little or no loyalty to the Nazi regime,
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about 30% of the prisoners in American camps were Nazis or
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Nazi sympathizers. The value of D nazification in
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the hundreds of prison of war camps in the United States have
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become apparent As early as March of 1943.
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Even in the quiet rolling hills in buttes of the Fort Robinson
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camp, far away from the battles raging on European soil, Nazism
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was alive and well. Prisoner of war Staff Sergeant
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Harry Heunmorter, a 37 year old senior ranking noncommissioned
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officer, was pro Nazi. Worse, the other prisoners had
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elected him camp spokesman, an important position guaranteed by
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Article 43 of the Geneva Convention.
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The camp spokesman offered an important link between the
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American command and the prisoner community.
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But Heunmorter had been in the German military for over 13
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years and Hitler's rhetoric had taken root.
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He came to Fort Robinson November 1943 with the first
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batch of prisoners captured in Tunisia by the British,
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according to a Field Service camp survey of February 15th
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1945. His character was beyond
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reproach. He is honest and sincere in his
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dealings, commands the respect of the commanding officer as
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well as the men in the compound. His pro Nazi tendencies were no
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secret to the other prisoners, indeed they had elected him to
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his post. But there were those who had
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grave misgivings about their survival if they stayed at the
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camp. In a letter to the War
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Department, a group of Austrian prisoners at Fort Robinson
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requested a transfer to an Austrian camp.
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In the letter they identified Hume Mortar as quote the head
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Nazi, and also made accusations that the American camp commander
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had a strong dislike for the anti Nazis and Austrians Quote.
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We have repeatedly asked the American leadership to separate
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the Nazis from the anti Nazis, and likewise in the American
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prison of war camps. But in this prisoner of war camp
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with the camp commander, this is not possible.
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End Quote. They were not the only Austrian
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PWS to flood Washington with transfer petitions.
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In addition to these letters, Secretary of War Henry Stimson
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declared quote. It is the opinion of this
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department that Article 9 of the Geneva Prisoner of War
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Convention does not have the effect of placing on the United
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States the obligation to segregate prisoners of war of
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Austrian origin or nationality. End Quote.
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This directive continued to hold even by the Assistant director
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of the Prisoner of War Division, Major Edward Davison, who
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stated, quote the segregation of Austrians from German prisoners
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of war will not be of special advantage to the Special
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Projects program. End Quote.
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Camps with Nazi spokesman were not uncommon and often became
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models of efficiency. A well run camp would endear the
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Nazis to the American command. This apparently became evident
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to those with anti Nazi feelings.
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In the letter mentioned above, the Austrians wrote quote, every
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other word of Colonel Blaine is my Africans, which by that
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Mister Colonel Blaine means his Nazis.
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End Quote. Indeed, it has been suggested
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that the Americans seem to have an unwritten policy of making
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any concession that helped keep the compounds running smoothly.
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The general aim of the American command was to maintain
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tranquility. Tranquility at Fort Robinson was
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a common thread weaving through the numerous inspection reports.
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Remarks included, quote, the entire camp presented a neat
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appearance. The Swiss representative stated
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that his investigation had disclosed the morale of the
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prisoners at the camp was very good.
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He had no complaint to make whatever with regard to the
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physical setup of the camp. And quote, the writer feels that
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the camp commander is administering this camp very
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effectively and in a very efficient manner.
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End Quote. Still, many incidents involved
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Nazism occurred at Fort Robinson.
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Prisoner Ernst Gunther Umack was put into protective custody
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because other PO WS had threatened his life.
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A memo to headquarters from Camp Commander Colonel Arthur C
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Blaine detailed the reasons surrounding Umack's situation.
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Because he read and translated American newspapers for other
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prisoners, many called him a traitor.
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Umack was scheduled to be transferred to Camp Carlisle in
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Pennsylvania where his anti Nazi tendencies may make him
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valuable. However, a memo from Colonel
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Russell H Sweet dated August 2nd, 1944 stated quote he is not
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desired at Carlisle, End Quote. And it was recommended that
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Umack be transferred to an anti Nazi camp.
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Umack finally ended up at Camp Ruston in Louisiana.
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Prisoner Otto Ludvig had made anti Nazi statements in the
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camp, one of which spokesman Hewn Mortar recorded in a letter
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attached to the transfer order quote.
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Inquiries made with the company leader Colonel A reported that
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Ludwig at dinner time used in the mess hall.
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Colonel A the following sentence directed to his comrades.
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If we win the war, I will never return to Germany.
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If we lose it, I will deliver the Nazis to the knife.
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End Quote. Goonworder went on to explain
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that Ludwig's transfer would be in the interest of good order
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and discipline among German soldiers in this camp.
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Camp commander Colonel Blaine agreed, stating that Ludwig's
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continued presence in this camp is considered dangerous to
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himself. Ludwig was in protective custody
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to prevent harm from befalling him at the hands of other
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prisoners. Ludwig's transfer to Camp McLean
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in Mississippi was authorized on February 22nd, 1944, a mere four
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days after the incident was reported.
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He returned to the Fort in 1987 and recalled the incidents
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leading up to his transfer, including cold water thrown on
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his bed and a severe beating. Quote, I got very bad treatment
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from my comrades, he said. That's the reason why they sent
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me later to Camp McLean in Mississippi and quote, Such
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occurrences only fueled the efforts behind the RE Education
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program. As early as March 1943, the War
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Department had recognized the need to break the grip of Nazism
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in the PW camps through RE Education.
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According to the proposal sent to General Frederick Osborne of
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the Information and Education Division through General George
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C Marshall. The program's goal would be such
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that, quote, prisoners of war might be exposed to the facts of
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American history, the workings of a democracy, and the
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contributions made to America by peoples of all national origins.
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End Quote. Yet Major General Allen W
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Gillian, the Provost Marshall General, thought the plan
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unwise. Quote.
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Enemy prisoners of war are for the most part not children.
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Those who have sufficient intellectual capacity to be a
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value to a post war world have already built the philosophical
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frameworks of their respective lives.
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Those whose minds are sufficiently plastic to be
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affected by the program are probably not worth the effort.
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End Quote. The plan was shelved on June
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24th, 1943, but Nazism in the camps became worse.
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Wedding out Nazis from the anti Nazis eventually became the tool
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of choice to control the violence.
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On July 17th, 1944, a comprehensive directive from the
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War Department was issued segregating the Nazis from the
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Anti Nazis. All German army officer
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prisoners were to be separated from their non commissioned
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officers and enlisted men to be put in either the Anti Nazi Camp
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Rust in Louisiana or to the Pro Nazi Camp Alva in Oklahoma.
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German NC OS were isolated at camps designated for their
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service command. Prisoners from the 7th Service
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Command, which included Fort Robinson, were to be transferred
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to Camp Clark in Missouri. Nevertheless, stories of camp
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violence continue to emerge. The public was frustrated by
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perceived government inaction, and the situation soon became
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fodder for editorials, columns and letters to the editor.
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Even Eleanor Roosevelt became involved after Dorothy Bromley
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of the New York Herald Tribune and syndicated columnist Dorothy
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Thompson presented the problem to her missus.
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Roosevelt spoke to her husband, who then spoke to the
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Secretaries of War and State. They in turn told the new
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Provost Marshall, General Archer Lurch to get out the year old
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plan produced by General Marshall.
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Despite the public outcry and demand for resolution of the
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Nazism problem, the War Department knew it faced several
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important obstacles. The most important was the
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Geneva Convention's rule prohibiting captors from
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subjecting enemy prisoners to propaganda.
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This carried far reaching overtones.
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If word leaked of German prisoners being subjected to
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propaganda, American PWS held in Germany might then be subject to
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retaliation. The government's desire to
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protect American PWS required that the program remain A
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closely held secret. But how did one get around the
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Geneva Convention itself? Article 17 contain the necessary
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loophole, the article stated. Quote So far as possible,
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belligerents shall encourage intellectual diversions and
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sports organized by prisoners of war.
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End Quote Since intellectual diversion was encouraged, it
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remained up to the War Department to choose the proper
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subjects and media. Representatives of the War
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Department and the State Department concluded that quote,
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if selected media for intellectual diversion were made
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available in the camps, the curiosity of the prisoners
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concerning the United States and its institutions would provide
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the means for their re education.
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End Quote. The program was put under the
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command of the Office of the Provost Marshall General, who
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created a subcommittee to establish the policy and
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procedures of the Intellectual Diversion Program.
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The program officially began on September 6th, 1944.
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The American public, still unaware of the secret program,
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continued to criticize the War Department.
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But by November, when an article entitled What to Do with German
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Prisoners, criticizing the stupidity of the government and
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handling the PWS appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, personnel
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ready to begin the reeducations program were already arriving at
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the camps. Under the direction of Colonel
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Edward Davison and Major Maxwell McKnight, the Prisoners of War
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Special Programs Division was formed, enlisting the talents of
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a variety of academics and intellectuals, including Walter
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Schoenstedt, a German novelist who had fled the fatherland,
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Robert L Kunzig, a lawyer and professor, and Harvard Professor
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Howard Mumford Jones. The Prisoners of War Special
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Programs Division staff worked at 50 Broadway in New York City,
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a location chosen to avoid revealing the intrusion of
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academia into military affairs and to avoid the scrutiny of
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officious military overseers. The core objective of the plan
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was outlined by Provost Marshall.
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General's Office quote. The prisoners would be given
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facts objectively presented but so selected and assembled as to
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correct misinformation and prejudices.
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Surviving Nazi conditioning, the facts, rather than being forced
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upon them, would be made available through such media as
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literature, motion pictures, newspapers, music, art, and
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educational courses. Two types of facts were needed,
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those which would conceive them of the impracticality and
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viciousness of the Nazi position.
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If a large variety of facts could be presented convincingly,
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perhaps the German prisoners of war might understand and believe
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historical and ethical truth as generally conceived by Western
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civilization, might come to respect the American people and
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their ideological values, and upon repatriation to Germany,
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might form the nucleus of a new German ideology which will
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reject militarism and totalitarian controls and will
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advocate a democratic system of government.
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End Quote. To fulfill such a lofty goal,
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the Idea Factory, as it came to be known, was born.
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Originally begun at Camp Van Atten in upstate New York and
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moved to its permanent location at Fort Kearney in Rhode Island
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five months later, The Idea Factory consisted of German PWS
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who were carefully screened for their anti Nazi attitudes and
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their responses on questionnaires.
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Although this selection was not foolproof, the Americans did
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have an advantage. Hitler's impending defeat had
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soured many Germans against Nazism.
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Others had never been ardent admirers of Nazism.
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Moreover, when the reeducation program appeared, many PWS had
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been prisoners for two or three years, offering them ample
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opportunity to think about Germany's status in the world.
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These prisoners were involved in the experimental phase of the
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reeducation program. Although pro Nazism was still a
17:24
problem in the camps, this group was determined to do something
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about it. The special project staff then
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assembled a division of specially qualified German
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prisoners, writers, professors and linguists who were dedicated
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anti Nazis. All were volunteers, all were
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officers, and all renounced their Vermont rank, lending the
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group in egalitarian air. The prisoners enjoyed far more
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freedom at Fort Kearney than they had at their camps.
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No guards or towers policed their movements, and they even
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were permitted to take the ferry to Jamestown in army trucks to
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pick up their supplies. Perhaps, however, this elite
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group was not the most prudent choice.
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Although the group was happy to be among other intellectuals,
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Ron Robin writes quote. They aided and abetted the
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construction of an intellectual enterprise with little
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acknowledgement of the cultural standards and preferences of
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rank and file. PO WS End Quote.
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Since they were at the core of the program, many of their
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cultural biases would show in the program itself.
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Robin believes the academic, intellectual and cultural tastes
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of the Idea Factory did not mesh with the tastes of the average
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prisoner that ultimately would have adverse effects on the
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program. The Idea Factory was separated
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into subdivisions which included Quote, A film section which
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reviewed movies and translated synopsis.
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A review section which made recommendations on the
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suitability of material passed on by other governmental
18:57
agencies. A translation Bureau which
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translated the curriculum designed in the New York
19:02
headquarters. A camp newspaper section which
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monitored the tone of some 70 camp newspapers and Der Roofs,
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the national POW Newspapers editorial staff.
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End Quote. The reeducation program had not
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yet begun when Wolfgang Dorschel and the rest of the first
19:20
prisoners arrived at Fort Robinson in November of 1943.
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According to Dorschel's military record book, he was born in 1911
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in Tombach, Deitharts, making him 28 years old at the start of
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World War 2. Old enough to have escaped the
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brainwashing attempts of the Hitler Youth, Dorschel saw first
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hand the atrocities committed by the Nazis.
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He lived near the Buchenwald concentration camp and in years
19:46
later described the experience. Secrecy was vital, and when
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convoys from the train station to the camp traveled through
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town, citizens were ordered to close their shutters and stay
19:57
off the streets. Dorschel took supplies to the
20:00
camp but had to sign papers promising secrecy.
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Quote. It's hard to explain to a free
20:07
man 50 years later why we couldn't talk.
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I didn't talk because I had signed a contract not to talk.
20:15
But also, I knew the minute that I talked.
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I would be in the concentration camp too.
20:20
End Quote. Dorschel refused to join the
20:23
National Socialist Party and even when he was drafted into
20:27
the German army, Dorschel kept a detailed diary during his years
20:32
as APW, offering an intimate glimpse into life at the Fort
20:37
Robinson camp. By January 1944, the profits
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from the camp's canteen were high enough to purchase a 16mm
20:45
film projector. Dorschel's first diary entry
20:48
regarding the film came in late February 1944, a comment on the
20:53
costume classic The Flame of New Orleans starring Marlene
20:58
Dietrich. Wonderful.
21:00
Dorschel wrote Still the old Marlene as 1930 in Blue Angel.
21:05
It is not clear if this was the first movie Dorschel saw at the
21:09
camp or if he did not write anything about the first film
21:13
shown. Nevertheless, the decision to
21:15
show a movie starring a famous German actress, by then an
21:19
expatriate from Germany to Hollywood, could hardly have
21:22
been an accident. The movie house at Fort Robinson
21:25
consisted of two barracks buildings.
21:28
Once every five days, each prisoner could attend a film
21:31
program of a feature length film and two shorts.
21:35
The pay for the rental of films, $100, was withdrawn from the PW
21:40
fund every 10 days. The assistant executive officer,
21:44
Captain Jason Silverman and the camp spokesman usually wrote a
21:47
short synopsis of the film to distribute to prisoners who
21:50
lacked English skills and most American movies were subtitled.
21:55
Films were not strictly regulated before the RE
21:57
Education program. Up until 1945, the camp
22:01
spokesman, Harry Hyun Mortar usually selected movies.
22:05
Hyun Mortar made it a point to select films that quote showed
22:08
American life in the worst possible light and quote.
22:12
According to Alfred Thompson, who began as an enlisted man on
22:16
staff of the RE Education Program and later became its
22:19
assistant executive Officer, the film program was the most
22:23
influential portion of the RE Education Program.
22:26
And the predominant point of view was that the prisoners were
22:30
spending too much time and too much money for films which were
22:34
not of the nature as would be of the benefit to them or to the
22:38
United States, their keeper. The films chosen at Fort
22:41
Robinson only emphasize this point.
22:44
YMCA Inspector Howard Hong's report of July 31st, 1944
22:49
reported a problem with the choice of films.
22:52
Although there was no shortage of men attending the film
22:54
programs, quote, they did not especially care for most of the
22:57
films. The low quality of content left
23:00
them a deepening impression of an inferior America.
23:03
And that there's nothing other than whiskey drinking gangsters,
23:06
wild women and horse thieves. And quote, worse.
23:09
Hong said the prisoners had been overheard discussing the films.
23:13
If this is America, they would say America is centuries behind
23:17
us. In a letter to his parents on
23:20
February 13th, 1946, Alfred Thompson shared his perception
23:25
of the camp spokesman's film choice.
23:28
Quote They purchased from private companies the worst of
23:31
movies one could choose, interspersed with musicals and
23:35
heavy drama which appealed to the extremes.
23:38
Deanna Durbin ruled the roost with Tex Ritter and his pals on
23:41
the other side of the corral fence.
23:44
America became to them a land of half naked women fighting
23:47
families, the roaring West and the gangster East End.
23:51
Quote Dorschel's diary is testament to both Thompson's
23:55
assessment and Howard Hong's report.
23:58
Movies listed in his diary included numerous Abbott and
24:01
Costello films such as Ride Em Cowboy, which Dorschel called
24:06
Very Very Funny, Kit, The Ice, One Night in the Tropics, Pardon
24:11
My Sarong and Whodunit, which Dorschel called Nice, a funny
24:15
criminal film. Marlene Dietrich.
24:18
Films such as The Seven Sinners and Deanna Durbin films,
24:22
including First Love, It Started With Eve and The Master of
24:25
Melody, were also offered. But Thompson suggested another
24:29
reason why only certain films were available to the prisoners.
24:33
He said that many private companies were out to make money
24:36
by selling cheap films to the camps at a fat profit.
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Thompson wrote Quote. They filled their shelves with
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trash, advertised half hundred of good films of which they had
24:47
but a few copies, and sloughed the bad films off on the PW
24:51
camps as substitutes and Quote. But not all films before the RE
24:56
Education film program began were trash.
24:59
Dorschel's diary included an entry from December 16th, 1944,
25:04
which read. I left the Mark Twain film.
25:06
I did not like that film. January 5th, 1945, read As you
25:11
like it from Shakespeare as film with Elizabeth Bergner as
25:15
Rosalind in Old English, and I read the American text.
25:19
A very good film. January 21st, 1945 the entry
25:25
read a film about settlers and their towns in America, the war
25:29
with Indians and the Revolution. War of 1775 was good.
25:34
His entry of February 10th 1945 also read film Folly Girls.
25:39
Not much to it. On March 18th 1944 Dorschel
25:45
recorded a particularly interesting incident.
25:48
Quote the film with Marlene Dietrich has caused a fence.
25:52
The film was showing buy war bonds.
25:55
They had to break up the movie. The film was very good playing
25:59
somewhere in America. End Quote.
26:01
The cause of the argument by war Bonds either came from the movie
26:05
itself or one of the short newsreels.
26:08
Although Dorschel does not explain precisely why the
26:11
disturbance occurred, some possibilities can be inferred if
26:15
Marlene Dietrich herself were promoting war bonds, which would
26:18
hardly be surprising considering the effort Hollywood put into
26:21
the war cause. The fact that a German actress
26:24
supported the United States instead of her home country
26:27
might have offended some prisoners, but more than likely
26:31
the prisoner saw the logo at the end of the film that said, buy
26:34
War Bonds, which undoubtedly reminded them of their situation
26:38
and of Hollywood's contribution to Germany's defeat.
26:41
Film, especially the popular Hollywood genre, was a sensitive
26:45
subject to the Special Projects Division of the Office of
26:48
Provost Marshall General. Lieutenant Colonel Edward
26:51
Davison, director of the division, had deep misgivings
26:55
about the popular culture churned out by Hollywood.
26:58
Davison wanted to focus more on the original reason for the RE
27:02
education program, intellectual diversion, and films showing
27:06
democracy in a positive light. Indeed, Davison believed in the
27:10
power of words and ideas and thought the scourges of modern
27:15
times could be controlled if intellectual leaders of
27:18
altruistic vision would take charge.
27:21
Instead of popular Hollywood movies, Davison wanted to show
27:24
government films focusing on education and science.
27:28
Hollywood movies without a political theme could be shown
27:31
occasionally, but certainly not often.
27:34
However, his ideas disregarded the prisoners love for popular
27:38
Hollywood movies. Davison had undoubtedly taken
27:42
such a stance after it became widely known how effectively
27:45
many pro Nazi camp spokesman like Fort Robinson's humor had
27:50
used the film program to their advantage.
27:53
Before the RE education program, films were a standard part of
27:57
camp recreation that had become a tool for those bent on showing
28:01
America in a less than flattering light.
28:04
Early on in the camps, films such as Lady Scarface, 7 Miles
28:09
from Alcatraz, and Legion of the Lawless portrayed America as
28:13
ripe with rampant gangsterism, corruption, and showed the
28:17
debilitating effect of democracy.
28:20
In response, The Idea Factory screened hundreds of films
28:24
eliminating those depicting gangsters or prison life, those
28:29
ridiculing an ally, those misrepresenting the American
28:32
scene by stressing the plutocratic aspects.
28:36
Hot Musicals, films containing depression and slum scenes,
28:40
racial slurs or strife between capital and labor, blood and
28:45
Thunder, cowboy pictures and films of unrealistic Hollywood
28:49
scenes. It would appear that after such
28:52
a thorough wedding, not many would survive the cut, but
28:57
plenty of options remained to both entertain and educate the
29:01
prisoners. One prominent German PW active
29:05
in the film section of the Idea Factory was Doctor Wilhelm Dorr.
29:10
Dorr wrote a paper on American movies and German society.
29:14
He stated, quote, American box office hits might prove to be
29:18
politically detrimental. End Quote.
29:21
He recommended that no gangsters, no horse thieves, no
29:24
playboys, no vamps, not too many millionaires, not too much
29:28
society as it inevitably provokes feelings of envy and
29:32
hatred in people who are forced to give all that up.
29:37
Slapstick comedies and westerns also concerned Dorr as he
29:41
suggested that for those who wanted to use a film as a means
29:45
to escape reality, quote, let it be 1 of innocent minds like that
29:50
of Grimm's and Anderson's tales. End Quote.
29:53
The American movies most likely to fit Dora's prescription were
29:57
primarily musicals and cartoons. Since both demonstrated
30:01
technical skill and were innocent in content.
30:05
Other workers in the Idea factory wanted to shelve the
30:09
whole film program. Hans Werner Richter had a deep
30:13
seated fear of mass culture as the opium of the masses and
30:17
considered film the worst of all.
30:20
Richter believed that quote movies left little room for
30:24
reflection. They induced preordained
30:27
mindless responses from audiences.
30:29
End Quote. But more important, Richter and
30:32
others thought film would lower the intellectual tone of the
30:36
program. This point of view also failed
30:39
to consider the ordinary average prisoner who did not meet the
30:43
higher academic or intellectual standards of many of those in
30:47
the Idea factory. Because of this failure to
30:50
understand the mind of the average prisoner, the success of
30:54
the program remained in doubt. At Fort Robinson, however,
30:59
Captain Silverman managed to locate films that he thought the
31:02
prisoners would find the most productive.
31:05
According to a camp inspection report on February 27th, 1945,
31:10
Silverman planned to acquire several films from, quote,
31:14
American industrial organizations on technical
31:16
subjects connected with those industries.
31:19
End Quote Silverman also made it a point to acquire German
31:23
language film from the YMCA about once a month, Dorschel
31:28
writes. On February 16th 1944 quote the
31:32
YMCA has loaned us a film in the German language, The Big Poet
31:37
with Gustav Frelich, Carolina Hohn, Otto Wernicke.
31:42
Another German film Dorschel mentions is Ich libe Dish with
31:46
Marika Rourke which he called very nice.
31:49
The German films added to Silverman's popularity with the
31:53
men leading Major Helmut Knoll to comment Quote The prisoners
31:57
of war seem particularly appreciative of such a picture
32:00
and as a result considerable goodwill have been created
32:03
between the prisoners and the Assistant Executive Officer by
32:06
this one effort. End Quote.
32:09
No one could dispute the popularity of movies among the
32:11
prisoners once the film section of the Intellectual Diversion
32:15
Program was implemented. In the late summer of 1945, Fort
32:19
Robinson PW Camp Commander Colonel Arthur Blaine wrote a
32:23
memo to the Commanding General of the 7th Service Command in
32:26
Omaha stating that a sufficient number of standard 16mm motion
32:31
picture projectors were now under the ownership of the PW
32:34
Fund to carry out the provisions of the movie program.
32:38
However, building space continued to be a problem.
32:40
Quote, the only building at this camp available for showing of
32:43
movies is a converted recreation hall which will only seat about
32:47
220 persons. For this reason, it has been
32:50
necessary to hold from 11:50 showings of each film and
32:55
holding the film for approximately 5 days.
32:57
And quote, as attending films was not mandatory, this
33:01
indicates how useful film could be in reeducating the prisoners.
33:07
Thompson also wrote of attending films, although he undoubtedly
33:10
went to the Army Post theater since it was forbidden for
33:13
Americans and the German prisoners to attend films
33:15
together. Quote I have just returned from
33:18
the theater, saw the picture of the clock with Judy Garland.
33:21
Although it did not appeal to me as a picture with great deal of
33:25
meat to it, yet there was enough simple good humanness about it
33:28
to make it quite enjoyable. It is not often that such a
33:31
picture appears in wartime. Much of the subject matter
33:35
concerns itself with war drama and war heroism out worn long
33:39
ago as far as a servicemen are concerned.
33:42
End Quote. War dramas were a prevailing
33:46
genre in America and many were included on the approved list by
33:50
the Special Projects Division. War movies emphasize the
33:54
difference between American and German ideology, often
33:57
portraying American soldiers exhibiting patriotism and the
34:00
Germans acting out blind loyalty.
34:03
The Story of GI Joe, a film biography of war correspondent
34:07
Ernie Pyle, demonstrated such principles, but even more
34:11
compelling was The Sullivans, a 1944 film depicting the story of
34:16
five self sacrificing brothers killed during the Battle of
34:20
Guadalcanal. The film emphasized disobeying
34:23
illogical or erroneous commands as four brothers refused to heed
34:27
and abandoned ship order while attempting to rescue the 5th
34:31
brother who was trapped by the ship's sick Bay.
34:34
The rescue attempt did not succeed.
34:37
The film summary ended with quote The boys died as they
34:40
lived the five of them together. End Quote.
34:44
A sentiment intended to emphasize the American ideology
34:47
of noble self sacrifice and the ability to think independently
34:51
of military orders when they would jeopardize A comrade.
34:55
These were ideas the Special Projects Division considered key
34:59
to reversing the effects of German military psychological
35:02
brainwashing. Other war films on the approved
35:05
list included Gung Ho, So Proudly We Hail, and 30 Seconds
35:10
Over Tokyo. One war based series in
35:14
particular found favor among PW camps.
35:17
Frank Capra wrote Why We Fight while a major in the US Army
35:22
Signal Corps. The Army Chief of Staff, General
35:25
George C Marshall, commissioned the film to help explain the
35:28
government's policy to America's armed troops.
35:31
The film Attendance Mandatory was shown at Fort Robinson with
35:35
remarkable results, according to Thompson.
35:39
After the prisoners were told that Why We Fight had also been
35:43
shown to American personnel, quote, they were astounded at
35:46
the reality with which the Americans approached the
35:49
question of war in Europe and quote.
35:52
One of the Idea Factory screeners, Oscar Vintergerst,
35:56
analyzed the series and came to a different conclusion.
36:00
He said quote, the documentary film serves the prisoners as
36:04
finger pointing to a future which will be hard but
36:07
nevertheless worth living for and it will educate them on
36:11
becoming valid members in the community of nations.
36:14
End Quote. However, Venter Gerst doubted
36:17
that pro Nazis would be affected by the Capra series.
36:21
He argued that different cultures simply viewed film in
36:25
different ways, whereas Americans might view marching
36:28
stormtroopers with a mixture of fear and amusement because they
36:31
simply did not understand blind loyalty to fanaticism.
36:35
The scenes would excite loyal Germans.
36:38
Since the Capra series was produced primarily for an
36:41
audience of American soldiers, Winterguest did not believe it
36:45
would change the German mindset. The series was intended to
36:49
arouse fear of the Nazi demon rather than illuminate the
36:52
inevitable hopefulness of the Nazi pipe dream.
36:56
Although Thompson did not elaborate on his explanation of
37:00
how the prisoners at Fort Robinson reacted to the scenes
37:03
of Nazi parades, he did believe they had responded favorably to
37:07
other aspects of the films. The Capra series continue to be
37:11
one of the frequently shown productions, as did another
37:14
popular film, The Defeat of Germany.
37:17
During his visit to Fort Slocum in New York for the reeducation
37:21
conference, Thompson had purchased the film at Macy's
37:24
department store with money from the Canteen Fund.
37:28
He showed it to the prisoners at Fort Robinson with remarkable
37:31
effect. He says, Quote, I think the
37:33
$18.50 is completely worth its expenditure.
37:37
End Quote. Thompson also wanted to show two
37:40
other films, The Battle of Britain and The Battle of
37:43
Russia, that he hoped would elicit similar responses.
37:47
The Special Projects Division had goals for the film program
37:51
that were more intellectual and less emotional.
37:55
A May 8th, 1945 Special Projects Division memo discussed the
37:59
criteria a film shown to prisoners should meet.
38:02
It stated Quote. Emphasis should be placed on
38:05
subjects which give a true picture of United States history
38:08
and traditions, the growth and development of American
38:11
democratic institutions, the great industrial and natural
38:15
powers and resources of this country, and American cultural
38:19
achievements. End Quote.
38:21
A catalog of more than 6000 films classified according to
38:26
subject headings accompanied the memo.
38:29
The Provost, Marshall General, had already drawn up a
38:32
preliminary list, although none of the films have been
38:35
officially screened for content. Among the more than 15 approved
38:39
subjects were biography, American Statesman series,
38:43
civics and patriotism, Economics and Business, labor and Labor
38:47
Relations, general education, United States travel, U.S.
38:53
government activities, religion and ethics, U.S. history and
38:57
current events, and American literature.
39:01
Unfortunately, such films did not enjoy the large following
39:05
that the Special Projects Division hoped for.
39:08
Dorschel wrote in his diary on August 30th, 1945.
39:12
Quote a film, Life in America. Very good, but unfortunately not
39:17
too many visiting films of that kind.
39:20
End Quote. Dorschel also mentions 3
39:23
excellent films, Courage, Mr. Penn and Prelude to War Films of
39:29
the War Department. While Dorschel, a progressive
39:32
anti Nazi and leader in the reeducation efforts, attended
39:36
these films, it appeared that many prisoners did not.
39:40
The Special Project Division's disregard for the average
39:43
prisoners interest in popular movies probably made the film
39:47
program less effective than they had hoped.
39:50
Since attendance was voluntary. Dorschel's diary suggests that
39:54
many prisoners were just not interested in intellectual
39:57
movies. However, attendance at showings
40:00
of one group of films was mandatory.
40:03
The Nazi Atrocity films After the defeat of Germany and the
40:08
subsequent unveiling of the RE education program to the public,
40:11
the Special Projects Division decided the atrocity films could
40:15
be used as a lesson in collective guilt as well as a
40:19
tool of RE education. The prisoners at Fort Robinson
40:23
were aware of the films before they arrived.
40:25
Quote. As yet we have no news of
40:28
atrocity films, but expect to have them in short while,
40:31
Thompson wrote in June 1945. He continued by saying most of
40:35
the internees await with anxiety their arrival and showing news
40:40
that other camps have already had opportunity of seeing them
40:43
disturbs them to no end for they fear they shall be left out of
40:47
the program. The films arrived a month later
40:50
on July 31st, 1945, Dorschel writes.
40:53
Quote showing a film from Concentrancion Slaga.
40:57
The film made a deep impression on the PO WS End Quote.
41:01
But for some prisoners, the Nazi ideology ran deep and they
41:05
refused to believe films showed what they claimed.
41:08
Some were convinced the bodies of Jews killed by the Nazis were
41:12
actually E Indians killed by the British.
41:15
Understandably, many prisoners might have refused to believe
41:18
the film simply because they could not digest the fact that
41:21
their own country and people were responsible for such
41:25
atrocities. The films received mixed
41:28
reactions from other camps across the country.
41:30
At a viewing of the films in Hollerin General Hospital in New
41:34
York, quote, a few men held handkerchiefs over their eyes.
41:37
One sat with a bowed head with his hands tightly covering his
41:41
ears for most of the film. The majority, however, remained
41:44
outwardly unmoved. End Quote.
41:47
Some reacted with horror and shame, demonstrating their
41:51
outrage by burning their uniforms as at Camp Butner in
41:54
North Carolina. Others voluntarily raised funds
41:58
to give to the survivors of the concentration camps.
42:01
But the sheer horror of the films could not convince even
42:04
some Americans, a guard at Camp Belle Glade in Florida told PW
42:09
Horst. Finky Quote.
42:11
Don't believe that baloney. End Quote The Office of the
42:14
Provost, Marshall General took a survey of more than 20,000
42:18
prisoners preparing for repatriation to ascertain what
42:21
influence the films had. Only 36% of those surveyed
42:26
believe the facts of the atrocity films to be true.
42:30
The popularity of the offerings of the film section of the
42:33
Intellectual Diversion Program far surpassed any other aspect
42:37
of the reeducation effort in PW camps throughout the country.
42:41
Thompson called it a quote worthy attempt to bring the
42:45
prisoner of war a type of movie program which would show America
42:48
in its true light on one hand, and which would give him a
42:52
rounded program of entertainment and experience on the other End
42:55
Quote. But Thompson also believed it
42:58
was quote too little, too late. He cited several deficiencies in
43:02
the program, including the difficulty in showing films in
43:05
branch camps as well as in the main camps.
43:08
Branch camp showings were infrequent, not only because of
43:11
their distance from the main camp, but also in the interest
43:15
and attention they received for the base camps.
43:17
And these were the camps. These were the men who most
43:20
deserved and needed such relaxation, entertainment, and
43:23
education. The language barrier posed
43:27
another problem. Thompson acknowledged that the
43:29
average prisoner had a good command of simple, everyday
43:32
English, but conversational language was often beyond them,
43:37
making it difficult to follow. Movies quote True action often
43:41
spoke the words as loudly as the characters, but this was the
43:45
exception rather than the rule. Thereby it was discovered that
43:48
much of the meat of the story went far over their heads and
43:53
was missed, with the result that the moral value of the picture
43:56
was lost. End Quote.
43:59
Other problems plaguing the film program included the lack of
44:02
funds to buy sufficient film projectors.
44:05
The machines often broke down, and replacement parts were hard
44:09
to come by. In regions with sweltering
44:12
summers, it was difficult for the prisoners to sit through a
44:14
movie in the heat. At Fort Robinson, summers were
44:18
hot and dry. Thompson wrote of prisoners who
44:21
would often sit through a movie in swimming trunks, and often
44:24
less than that when his two hours of entertainment were
44:28
through. He often wondered whether such
44:30
punishment was worth the price he paid, both in canteen checks
44:33
and in heat fatigue. The fragility of the film itself
44:38
was also a cause for concern. After multiple showings, German
44:42
language films loaned by the YMCA often had become badly
44:45
damaged, and those on the West Coast who received the films
44:49
last were usually very disappointed in the films
44:52
physical quality. While Thompson's experience
44:55
derives mostly from Fort Robinson, he also participated
44:58
in the School for Democracy at Fort Eustis and was able to
45:02
gather information from other assistant executive officers and
45:05
prisoners from camps from around the United States.
45:09
Whether or not the film program stimulated democratic thinking
45:12
among German prisoners is hard to calculate.
45:16
Other than the survey on the atrocity films, no studies of
45:19
the film program itself were ever undertaken.
45:22
Yet, according to the Office of the Provost Marshall General,
45:26
between June 15th, 1945 and January 31st, 1946, a total of
45:31
8,243,035 admissions were recorded.
45:36
On average, every prisoner saw 30 feature films.
45:41
The program also generated money for the Central Prisoner of War
45:44
Fund, bringing in a total of more than $1.2 million.
45:48
It was obvious the film program was widely popular with the
45:52
prisoners. If some of those figures were
45:55
more representative of the feature film programs turned out
45:58
by Hollywood than the intellectual movies.
46:01
The Provost Marshall General's Office did not distinguish
46:04
between the two. Wolfgang Dorschel and Alfred
46:07
Thompson work closely together on the Intellectual Diversion
46:10
Program and their friendship carried on well after World War
46:14
2. The two attended APW reunion at
46:17
Fort Robinson in 1987. Both provided the Fort with
46:22
invaluable materials, including lesson plans from the
46:25
Intellectual Diversion Program and personal mementos from other
46:29
former PWS held at Fort Robinson.
46:33
Dorschel made the trip to Fort Robinson a total of three times,
46:37
but the first was the most memorable.
46:39
Quote Friday. When I came back for the first
46:42
time in 42 years, I looked up at the Buttes.
46:46
My first impression was it was like being home again and forth.
46:52
Thank you for listening to the Nebraska History Podcast.
46:55
To learn more about Nebraska History Magazine, to listen to
46:58
more podcasts, or to support our podcast by becoming a member of
47:02
the Nebraska State Historical Society, go to
47:04
history.nebraska.gov/podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to
47:09
the podcast and get notified when we release new episodes on
47:12
your favorite podcast platform. Until next time, I'm Chris
47:16
Goldford.