Beyond Belief: The American Press And The Coming Of The Holocaust, 1933- 1945 (Paperback)

~ (Author) "As soon as the Nazis came to power, they began to institute anti-semitic measures..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York Times, United States, State Department (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This most complete study to date of American press reactions to the Holocaust sets forth in abundant detail how the press nationwide played down or even ignored reports of Jewish persecutions over a 12-year period. The conclusions amplify but do not seriously challenge previous studies; what is more significant here is the effortfar from completeto explain press actions. While revealing more about major newspapers and correspondents than about the mass of smaller ones, and saying far too little about newsreels and American Jewish newspapers, this raises larger questions concerning the relationship between press coverage, public knowledge, and government policy that deserve serious consideration. Readers may wish that Lipstadt explained more and indicted less. Still, there is plenty of important data in this volume for serious students. Jonathan D. Sarna, History Dept., Hebrew Union Coll.
Jewish Inst. of Religion, Cincinnati
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

In this book, Deborah Lipstadt argues that, from 1933 to 1945, the American press failed to treat the destruction of European Jews as urgent news. When newspaper did report on the horrors being perpetrated, they adopted a skeptical posture, burying small stories with ambiguous headlines on inside pages. Lipstadt documents how the demand for "objectivity", the cynicism or gullibility of reporters, the incredulity of editors, and an atmosphere of isolationism helped to shape the news - and influenced policymakers who might have saved countless lives. Analyzing this naive (or worse) press coverage within the context of American journalistic practices in the 1930s and 1940s, she explains how and why the press missed one of the biggest stories of the century.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (February 8, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0029191610
• ISBN-13: 978-0029191613
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #408,399 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book delving into American press during the holocaust, June 18, 1998

By A Customer

This book gives great insight into the way in which the American press treated the holocaust. While often overlooked, the press handled the holocaust in a manner that many Americans would be ashamed of today. This book is unique in that no other book i know of has delved as deeply into this area. In addition, Dr. Lipstadt is a truely unique and knowledgable expert on the holocaust.

20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A prodigiously researched indictment of indifference, August 14, 2001

By A Customer

This is a very good read. The book tells the story as to how the press in the USA covered the Holocaust. In doing so it explodes a lot of myths concerning the alleged lack of knowledge about what was happening to the Jews. Newspaper after newspaper from The New York Times on down had articles about the persecutions and murders. Yet they were never emphasized properly and were often relegated to the back pages. Rarely did they ever make the front pages. It was almost as if the nation preferred not to know. Many factors contributed to this; anit-Semitism, isolationism, American skepticism. The American government also contributed to down playing the news. The three most prominent villains in this were: Assistant Secretary of State Breckinridge Long ( anativist), Assistant Secrteary of War John J. McCloy (who said that if the USA bombed Auschwitz the nazis would be "even more vindictive") and Congressman Sol F. Bloom who headed the House Foreign Affairs Committee (and was referred to by Stephen Wise as "the State Departments House Jew"). There were reporters who did their jobs well who constantly emphasized that anti-Semitism was a "raison d'etre" of National Socialism however they were in the minority. This book along with David S. Wyman's "The Abandonment of the Jews" are the two best books on the subject. William D. Rubinstein's "The Myth of Rescue" is a poorly written book that contradicts itself over and over again and is a book for peopel who think that FDR could do no wrong.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hypocricy Revealed, August 20, 2006

By	Karen S. Salina "ks001" (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book should be required reading for all jounalism college majors who intend to "tell the whole truth." If the present doesn't reveal the truth then history will.
Ms. Lipstadt did an incredible job of researching and tying together huge numbers of old newspaper articles and putting them together to tell the whole story chonologically and coherently. She showed the hypocricy of the press in calling for "something" to be done (after they could no longer deny atrocities were happening) then fomenting opposition to allowing anymore refugees into this country. They could have cited, "there are almost half a million immigration visas available, bring them in."
She also shows the hypocricy of the British press who also called for "something" to be done, then when the war was over and surviving Jews were trying to get into British Mandate Palestine, there was no cry from the press, "We didn't do anything then, but now we should not hinder them in immigrating to their homeland." Of all nations, the Brits are the most culpable because they had control over The Land, and instead of allowing walking miracles to start new lives, they hindered them with all their might,preventing surviving Jews from coming in before and during the war, then sending them to Cyprus after the war; shooting them down as they tried to swim ashore after their ships had been fired upon sunk, and the French sent those survivors on "The Exodus," back to camps in Germany. With every cell in my body I want to cry out, "How could you??"
Thank you, Ms. Lipstadt for gathering painful information and putting it into such a gripping account.