Adolf Hitler hosted Hungarian Premier Miklos Kallay, right, at his wooded headquarters
on June 23, 1942 — a photo obtained by the Associated Press under its arrangement
with the Nazis. (AP Photo)
At the height of World War II, the Associated Press made secret
arrangements with an SS officer to obtain pictures taken by Nazi
photographers that were distributed to American newspapers — a
deal authorized by senior U.S. officials.
arrangements with an SS officer to obtain pictures taken by Nazi
photographers that were distributed to American newspapers — a
deal authorized by senior U.S. officials.
The extraordinary arrangement, which began in 1941 and ended with
Hitler’s fall, is detailed in a lengthy internal report the AP released
Wednesday morning. It comes several months after Norman Domeier,
a German historian, discovered a letter describing the deal in the
papers of AP’s then-bureau chief.
Hitler’s fall, is detailed in a lengthy internal report the AP released
Wednesday morning. It comes several months after Norman Domeier,
a German historian, discovered a letter describing the deal in the
papers of AP’s then-bureau chief.
The report includes documents recently declassified at the request of
AP’s management, including letters of approval from a wartime
censorship office run by an ex-AP editor who reported to President
Franklin D. Roosevelt. As part of the arrangement, AP shared pictures
of U.S. war operations and Allied advances, which were reviewed by
Hitler and published in Nazi publications.
AP’s management, including letters of approval from a wartime
censorship office run by an ex-AP editor who reported to President
Franklin D. Roosevelt. As part of the arrangement, AP shared pictures
of U.S. war operations and Allied advances, which were reviewed by
Hitler and published in Nazi publications.
“With one known exception, the AP images that appeared in German
publications through this arrangement were unaltered by the Germans,
“ the report said, “but captions were rewritten by the Germans to
conform to official Nazi views.”
publications through this arrangement were unaltered by the Germans,
“ the report said, “but captions were rewritten by the Germans to
conform to official Nazi views.”
U.S. counterintelligence agents unaware of the approval found “definite
proof” that the AP was “engaged in operations coming within the
purview of the Trading with the Enemy Act,” according to a document
referenced in AP’s report. The case wasn’t pursued.
proof” that the AP was “engaged in operations coming within the
purview of the Trading with the Enemy Act,” according to a document
referenced in AP’s report. The case wasn’t pursued.
In an interview this week, AP officials strongly defended the arrangement,
saying it was conducted in neutral countries, and that there was
tremendous news value in offering its newspaper customers photos
of Hitler and German military activities — even if the photos were
taken by Nazis, who were expert propagandists.
saying it was conducted in neutral countries, and that there was
tremendous news value in offering its newspaper customers photos
of Hitler and German military activities — even if the photos were
taken by Nazis, who were expert propagandists.
[Hitler’s mother was ‘the only person he genuinely loved.’ Cancer
killed her decades before he became a monster.]
killed her decades before he became a monster.]
John Daniszewski, AP’s vice president for standards and editor at large,
said that the organization’s journalists “were doing their best to get out
information that the world needed.” He defended the photos — they
are still available for purchase on an AP website — by noting that
blatantly staged propaganda was excluded and that AP’s captions
made the Nazi origins clear.
said that the organization’s journalists “were doing their best to get out
information that the world needed.” He defended the photos — they
are still available for purchase on an AP website — by noting that
blatantly staged propaganda was excluded and that AP’s captions
made the Nazi origins clear.
But a review of photos published in American newspapers shows that
wasn’t always the case.
wasn’t always the case.
The June 30, 1942, edition of The Washington Post carried a photo
of Hitler shaking hands with ex-German officials, including one
wearing a Nazi navy uniform. The photo credit is “Associated Press
WIREPHOTO.” The photo was also published by Nazi magazine Berlin
Rom Tokio, crediting Helmut Laux, the Waffen SS officer who made
the deal with AP.
of Hitler shaking hands with ex-German officials, including one
wearing a Nazi navy uniform. The photo credit is “Associated Press
WIREPHOTO.” The photo was also published by Nazi magazine Berlin
Rom Tokio, crediting Helmut Laux, the Waffen SS officer who made
the deal with AP.
With his right hand out of action after an attempted assassination, Adolf Hitler, center, gives Italian dictator Benito Mussolini a left-handed shake. This photo was obtained by AP in its arrangement with the Nazis. (AP Photo)
In 1944, American newspapers
ran a photo from the same
Nazi magazine, this time of
Hitler shaking Mussolini’s hand
shortly after an assassination
attempt on German leaders.
The caption in the New York
Herald Tribune described the
handshake as “according to the
German caption accompanying
this photo.” The photo credit
is, “Associated Press radiophoto.”
ran a photo from the same
Nazi magazine, this time of
Hitler shaking Mussolini’s hand
shortly after an assassination
attempt on German leaders.
The caption in the New York
Herald Tribune described the
handshake as “according to the
German caption accompanying
this photo.” The photo credit
is, “Associated Press radiophoto.”
There are hundreds, likely thousands, more.
In the Chicago Tribune: Hitler drawing on a map. The caption says
it arrived “via Lisbon.” The photo credit is, “Associated Press wirephoto.”
it arrived “via Lisbon.” The photo credit is, “Associated Press wirephoto.”
In the New York Times: Hitler at a conference. The caption says, “This
photo, received from Lisbon, is described as.…” The credit is
“Associated Press.”
photo, received from Lisbon, is described as.…” The credit is
“Associated Press.”
In the Boston Sunday Globe: Hitler chatting with a blinded soldier.
The caption says: “Der Fuehrer is seen chatting with some of his
warriors, including the man in black, blinded in combat. The photo
comes from Germany via Lisbon.”
The caption says: “Der Fuehrer is seen chatting with some of his
warriors, including the man in black, blinded in combat. The photo
comes from Germany via Lisbon.”
Daniszewski, the AP vice president, said that given the time period — a war, with censors on both sides — readers would have known that Nazis had taken the photos, even if those origins weren’t specifically described.
Asked why the captions distributed with the photos didn’t include references to Nazi or SS photographers, Daniszewski said, “It is easy to second-guess eight decades later, but we do not believe and did not find in our research any intention to deceive anyone about the German origins of these photos depicting scenes from the German side of the battle lines and inside Germany itself.”
But Nicholas O’Shaughnessy, a communications professor at Queen
Mary, University of London and the author of a book on Nazi
propaganda, said it was plainly apparent that the Germans had succeeded
in finding a “direct route into the Allied consciousness through
their propaganda.”
Mary, University of London and the author of a book on Nazi
propaganda, said it was plainly apparent that the Germans had succeeded
in finding a “direct route into the Allied consciousness through
their propaganda.”
“It was extremely cynical of the AP to use these photos,” he added. “One
tries to justify these things by saying the camera doesn’t lie. But Nazi
cameras always lied. They were a colossal kind of fairy tale. None of
these images are real. This is how Hitler wanted to be seen.”
tries to justify these things by saying the camera doesn’t lie. But Nazi
cameras always lied. They were a colossal kind of fairy tale. None of
these images are real. This is how Hitler wanted to be seen.”
The story of AP’s deal to swap photos with the Nazis began to emerge
only recently, after Domeier’s visit earlier this year to the Wisconsin
Historical Society, where the papers of Louis P. Lochner, the AP’s
Pulitzer Prize-winning Berlin bureau chief, are collected. Domeier
found a 1946 letter to him from a former German employee named
Willy Brandt (not the former German chancellor).
only recently, after Domeier’s visit earlier this year to the Wisconsin
Historical Society, where the papers of Louis P. Lochner, the AP’s
Pulitzer Prize-winning Berlin bureau chief, are collected. Domeier
found a 1946 letter to him from a former German employee named
Willy Brandt (not the former German chancellor).
“I have a confession to make, Chief,” Brandt wrote, “but don’t get
a shock.”
a shock.”
Brandt describes the chaotic moments after Hitler declared war on
the United States in December 1941. Lochner and other American
reporters were arrested and held for five months by the Germans.
Brandt was also taken in by German authorities, several of whom
were vying to get hold of the AP bureau and especially its photo
operation.
the United States in December 1941. Lochner and other American
reporters were arrested and held for five months by the Germans.
Brandt was also taken in by German authorities, several of whom
were vying to get hold of the AP bureau and especially its photo
operation.
Laux, described in U.S. Army documents as a “violent Nazi,” took
control of what became known as the Bureau Laux. Photos were
traded in Lisbon via diplomatic pouch with the help of another AP
correspondent. A route through Sweden later emerged.
control of what became known as the Bureau Laux. Photos were
traded in Lisbon via diplomatic pouch with the help of another AP
correspondent. A route through Sweden later emerged.
At least 10,000 photos went back and forth. Domeier was astonished.
“They had dealings every day with the Nazis,” he said. “That is
something that needs to be explained.”
something that needs to be explained.”
German Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels (left) and Louis P. Lochner, AP foreign correspondent. (Wisconsin Historical Society).
AP officials had already turned up
evidence of the arrangement after
Harriet Scharnberg, another
German researcher, published a
paper last year on an AP subsidiary’s
employment — before 1941 — of a
photographer with known SS ties.
evidence of the arrangement after
Harriet Scharnberg, another
German researcher, published a
paper last year on an AP subsidiary’s
employment — before 1941 — of a
photographer with known SS ties.
As Domeier presented his findings
in March to the German Historical
Institute, the AP was preparing to release its own investigation.
in March to the German Historical
Institute, the AP was preparing to release its own investigation.
Its findings turned up details that further startled Domeier.
What Brandt apparently didn’t know when he wrote his letter is that
Lochner, the very person to whom he was describing the deal, had
been a central player in it all along.
Lochner, the very person to whom he was describing the deal, had
been a central player in it all along.
The AP’s investigation found that Laux was somehow aboard a train
Lochner rode when he was deported from Germany.
Lochner rode when he was deported from Germany.
“He had a proposition to make,” the AP report said of Laux. Lochner
was receptive to the idea, telling him whom to contact within the
Associated Press.
was receptive to the idea, telling him whom to contact within the
Associated Press.
AP officials notified the U.S. censorship office of the deal on July 13, 1942.
The office was run by Byron Price, a former AP executive editor,
recruited personally by Roosevelt, according to the AP report. The
report does not detail the Americans’ rationale for approving the deal,
except to indicate that there might be “information value” to the
backdoor relationship.
The office was run by Byron Price, a former AP executive editor,
recruited personally by Roosevelt, according to the AP report. The
report does not detail the Americans’ rationale for approving the deal,
except to indicate that there might be “information value” to the
backdoor relationship.
After the war, Price sent a letter to AP General Manager Kent Cooper
praising the wire service and expressing “deep appreciation” for its
“patriotic cooperation.”
praising the wire service and expressing “deep appreciation” for its
“patriotic cooperation.”
In the years after the war, Lochner wrote several books about Germany,
including his experiences covering Hitler, Germany and the war. A
525-page collection of his letters to his family was published in 1961.
including his experiences covering Hitler, Germany and the war. A
525-page collection of his letters to his family was published in 1961.
Cooper also wrote a memoir of his time with the Associated Press,
billed as “a history of the world’s greatest news agency and of the
exciting career of the man who made it so.”
billed as “a history of the world’s greatest news agency and of the
exciting career of the man who made it so.”
Neither of them mentioned the deal with the Nazis.
Read more Retropolis:
White House pool reporter has made one thing very clear: For many,
the illusion still remains that the mainstream media is unbiased.
are serving as the eyes and ears of the White House press corps, regardless of their political leaning,” Andrew Seaman, chair of the
Society of Professional Journalists’ Ethics Committee and a Reuters reporter, told The Washington Post for an article questioning the appropriateness of Lucas’ role as a pool reporter. “In a perfect world,
only news organizations with editorial independence and proven track records of reliability should be able to provide pool reports for the
White House or any other government agency or official.”
doubt they indeed have a perspective.
Dear reader:
Street Journal are attacking The Daily Signal for our press access
at the White House.
their “mainstream” media megaphones to diminish The Daily Signal.
We are a dedicated team of more than 100 journalists and policy experts funded solely by the financial support of the general public.
our reputation, but the White House Correspondents’ Association is facing pressure to exclude us.
mainstream media starts to make more sense. Take this analysis
by Silver–who got his start on the extremely liberal site Daily Kos—
in a piece headlined “There Really Was a Liberal Media Bubble”:
since the election. According to an Associated Press piece on Pelley,
the anchor said on air, “The president’s real troubles today were not
with the media, but with the facts.” Pelley also said: “Today we
learned the length of the president’s fuse—28 days.”
told the Associated Press that Pelley’s remarks were “striking
because it’s such a departure from the traditional norm of objectivity that serious news anchors have always gone for over the last few generations.”
Editor-in-Chief Gerry Baker raised concerns about his newspaper’s
use of the words “Muslim-majority countries” to describe the countries targeted in Trump’s executive order?
loaded,” Baker emailed Journal editors, according to Politico, citing
a Journal source. “The reason they’ve been chosen is not because they’re majority Muslim but because they’re on the list of [countries President Barack] Obama identified as countries of concern.”
no editorial justification for his objection. For the EIC of a major
American paper to go out of his way to whitewash this is
unconscionable.”
reporters call the countries Muslim-majority without very soon before
or after acknowledging the security concerns about those countries—
is not supported by the facts.
f Neil Gorsuch’s claimed he had made controversial remarks about
women and maternity leave. As my colleague Kelsey Harkness
reported:
Post and the New York Times. Poynter.org reported:
this enthusiasm when Obama was in office?
objective.
newsrooms probably helps contribute to that bubble effect Silver mentioned: It’s easy to be unaware of your own assumptions and
biases when they’re never or rarely challenged.
substantial number of press outlets that were truly not perspective-
driven at all. But the reality is that the mainstream media is not
objective. Instead, it merely refuses to be honest about its own perspective.
rights, did a White House pool report this month. Liberal outlets
such as Huffington Post and Talking Points Memo (as well as conservative outlets such as The Daily Caller) were also slated to
do pool reports in March.
alarm and consternation arise when an outlet on the right, not one
on the left, does a pool press report—especially when there has been
no criticism of Lucas’ actual pool reports that I’m aware of.
But the mainstream media’s hand-wringing over it will gain credibility
only when the mainstream media becomes clear-eyed about its own biases and problems.