Nazi Book Bans
In 1943, events were held across the United States to remember the 1933 Nazi book burnings in Germany. Over the ensuing decade, thousands of titles, authors, and subject matters were banned across Nazi-occupied nations in Europe. As U.S. troops invaded Normandy and fought their way to Germany, they carried weapons of steel and paper. Thanks to the ASEs, which were read and shared until the pages fell out, troops invaded with forbidden ideas in their pockets. This case has a sampling of the books and authors the Nazis had banned, and U.S. troops read, across Europe. In general, books and authors that touted “un-German” ideas or challenged any component of the Nazi ideology were prohibited.
Steve Broder. Books are Weapons in the War of Ideas. Washington, D.C.: Office of War Information, 1943.
In April 1943, President Franklin Roosevelt declared that “books are weapons” and he urged Americans to arm their minds by reading. This striking illustration by Steve Broder features an excerpt from Roosevelt’s speech printed on an enormous book being licked by flames. Meanwhile, men wearing Nazi armbands throw books into the fire. This poster appeared in bookstores and libraries across the nation and was released for publication in newspapers and periodicals.
U.S. Office of War Information. “Ten Years Ago: the Nazis Burned These Books… But Free Americans Can Still Read Them.” Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1943.
On May 10, 1933, over 40,000 spectators gathered in Berlin’s Bebelplatz to watch students burn thousands of books. Offensive tomes allegedly falsified German history, expressed ideas harmful to Germany, or fell under the catch-all of being “un-German.” For the next ten years, books were banned and burned by Nazi Germany in all lands it occupied. To combat this attempt to eliminate ideas, posters reminded Americans that they could read banned books and spread ideas.
Ernest Hemingway. To Have and Have Not. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., No. 667.
F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., No. 862.
Mark Twain. The Mysterious Stranger. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., No. N-1.
Jack London. Martin Eden. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., No. N-28.
H. G. Wells. The Time Machine. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., No. T-2.
Joseph Conrad. Lord Jim. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., No. A-26.
Count Leo Tolstoy. Tales by Tolstoy. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., No. 1080.
Enrich Maria Remarque. Arch of Triumph. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., No. 1177.
John Steinbeck. Cup of Gold. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., No. 750.
Martha Foley, ed. The Best American Short Stories 1942. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., No. D-116.
William Saroyan. The Human Comedy. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., No. A-15.
Martha Foley, ed. The Best American Stories 1943. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., No. G-206.
Jack London. The Cruise of the Snark. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., No. H-221.
Joseph Conrad. Victory. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., No. I-264.
Rosemary and Stephen Benét. A Book of Americans. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., No. L-1.
Aldous Huxley. The Gioconda Smile and Other Stories. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., No. 926.
Walter Lippmann. U.S. Foreign Policy. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., No. C-73.
Thomas Mann. Selected Short Stories of Thomas Mann. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., No. L-28.
