The American Axis: Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, and the Rise of the Third Reich (Paperback)

by Max Wallace (Author) "The process that brought Henry Ford's portrait to a prominent position behind Hitler's desk began during the summer of 1919, when Ford made the first..." (more)
Key Phrases: air intelligence activities, isolationist activities, isolationist movement, Henry Ford, United States, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Although Wallace (Who Killed Kurt Cobain?) is a recipient of Rolling Stone's Award for Investigative Journalism and appears to have done much primary research, he delivers a highly speculative rehash of material handled much better in A. Scott Berg's Lindbergh, Robert Lacey's Ford: The Man and the Machine and such seminal studies as Charles Higham's American Swastika. Wallace tries and fails to sensationalize well-known facts about the parochial American fifth column of the late 1930s and early '40s, a bungling movement of which Ford and Lindbergh were among the most public faces. Wallace sees a conspiracy in what he presents as Ford's pro-Nazi partnership with Lindbergh: a dark and powerful alliance designed to hinder the Allies at every turn. In fact, the two men were far more naive than effectual in their attempts to prop up American isolationism before Pearl Harbor. And Lindbergh, who counted Harry Guggenheim among his closest friends, found Ford's hatred of Jews repugnant. Once war was declared, both Lindbergh and Ford helped the Allied effort. Lindbergh helped develop the Corsair and later, as a "civilian observer," flew more than 25 combat missions over the South Pacific. At the same time, Ford (with Lindbergh's help, and after a few false starts) became the leading manufacturer of the B-24 bomber. Were Ford and Lindbergh half-witted dupes of Nazi propaganda before the war? Undoubtedly. Were they Nazi agents either before or after the start of hostilities? Wallace fails to make the case. 13 photos.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"A finely wrought, careful, and utterly damning case that ought to prompt a widespread reevaluation of both Ford and Lindbergh." -- Kirkus Reviews

"What a drama! ...reminds us that the destiny of the republic hung in the balance in the Great Debate." -- Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., author of The Age of Roosevelt

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Product Details

• Paperback: 488 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (November 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312335318
• ISBN-13: 978-0312335311
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #353,374 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dubya's Grandpa was a Nazi, October 20, 2003

By	Robin Kellin (Madison, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The American Axis: Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, and the Rise of the Third Reich (Hardcover)

This book is about the Nazi affiliations of Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh and that material is indeed fascinating. But the part of the book that really blew me away was the revelation that George W. Bush's grandfather Prescott Bush was a Nazi whose assets were seized by the US government after Pearl Harbor for Trading With the Enemy and helping Nazi front companies launder money. A former US government Nazi War Crimes prosecutor is quoted in this book as saying, "The fortune that put two members of the Bush family in the White House can be traced directly to the Third Reich." I remember during the first George Bush presidential campaign when a whole bunch of Nazis were exposed by USA Today as working on Bush's campaign and forced to resign. More recently, Vanity Fair exposed the close ties between the Bush family and the Bin Laden family. It's time for the American media to start probing a little deeper into the Bush dynasty so that voters can evaluate the skeletons in Dubya's closet before November, 2004.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Damning, March 11, 2005

By	History buff (Fort Lauderdale) - See all my reviews

This book is a very damning look at Ford and Lindbergh, which reveals them both as highly flawed icons who did considerable damage to their country through their flirtation with fascism,. The author, who comes off as quite objective, is careful to emphasize that neither man was a Nazi or a traitor, but because of their status as heroes, they influenced a lot of others into Hitler's camp.

The great American historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. praises this book on the back cover, so i am reasonably sure that it stands up to acdemic scrutiny.

18 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Book, August 19, 2003

By	Leonard Glassman (Evanston, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The American Axis: Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, and the Rise of the Third Reich (Hardcover)

Every so often you read a book that you want everybody you know to read as soon as possible. This is the one. America's most eminent historian, Arthur Schlesinger Jr., endorsed this book so it is obviously historically sound. But it is also a great read from beginning to end as you learn how these two famous Americans genuflected at Hitler's altar.
If the Japanese hadn't made the foolish mistake of bombing Pearl Harbor and drawing America into the war, it seems probable that the Nazis would have achieved their goal of swallowing Europe without any interference from Roosevelt. And, as this book reveals, it was largely because of the lobbying by these two horrendous men, who both dreamed of the day the Nazis controlled half the world.
I learned a lot from this book that surprised me. One thing I found particularly intriguing is that whenever Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh publicly attacked the Jews, they were roundly condemned by both Jews and Gentiles for their dangerous views. I never realized how many non-Jews were dismayed by anti-Semitism even before world war two. Only the fanatical anti-Semites and American fascists supported their poisonous hate campaigns.
But, this book shows that Ford and Lindbergh were at their most dangerous when they spoke in a sort of code that allowed them to go undetected by the radar of public opinion. Ford spoke of the "International financiers' while Lindbergh warned of the "forces that control our nation's press". Anybody with a brain knew who they were talking about but they could get away with it as long as they never said the magic word, "Jew" that would set off a fury. They both learned this lesson quickly and helped Adolf and his gang almost take over the world.
It turns out, by the way, that the Ford Motor Company is not quite the innocent bystander that they would have people believe when it came to the use of concentration camp labor and manufacturing of Nazi arms at its German plant. It is shocking how much the company did to bring about a Nazi victory. At one point they even refused to sell arms to England while the British faced a Nazi invasion, while at the same time they were turning out thousands of military vehicles for the Third Reich. It seems that the executives at their Detroit headquarters knew all about this and encouraged it to continue. I know what kind of car I'm never buying again!

And, like icing on the cake, we learn that Dr. Seuss was more than just a kids author. He started out at a New York paper called PM drawing cartoons attacking Charles Lindbergh's fascist sympathies. Interesting!