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

Before the Internet became a primary source of unconfirmed journalism, innuendos and trivial gossip, the American media was generally a responsible and accountable outlet.When the Washington Post broke the Watergate scandal forty years ago, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, diligently pursued the facts while the rest of the media sat idly by, reluctant to jump on the story that was hard to comprehend.Similarly, the America press, before television, ignored or was reluctant to report on European Jews being persecuted or systematically annihilated by Nazi Germany, despite the fact that Adolph Hitler had, in fact, put his motive in writing, nearly a decade before he came to power."Beyond Belief" is a painstaking, scholarly examination that raises disturbing questions of how and why the American press, as well as the American government, was derelict in its pursuit of the story of the persecution and annihilation of Europe's Jewish population.While other books have condemned the American and other allied governments for their reluctant attempts to intervene to save countless Jewish lives, this one, in particular, demonstrates how the press may have shirked its duty that doomed millions.In hindsight, though it is easy to castigate, albeit not accept, the press' dereliction for being insufficiently proactive, it is, to some degree, easier to understand when you examine the temper of the times and the international climate.As a journalist, I was drawn to this book to learn the extent of the press's role in reporting on the events that led up to and during the Holocaust. Though I knew beforehand that the American government should and could have done more, I never realized that press also failed to fulfill its obligation to relay the horrors being systematically conducted across Germany and Eastern Europe.

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.

History that should be studied.

The author is a well known American Historian , who described with many details the approach of the American Press during 33- 45, regarding the coming Holocaust.The book is well written ,and I would strongly reccommend the book to students who study journalism. They can learn and understand the impact and the responsability of the press on the public opinion.As Robert Daller stated very well, the book " raises disturbing questions about the capacity of the press to understand and respond to unprecedent events"I read other books from Deborah Lipstadth and I like her sharp , vigorous appproach to facts.

Does a great job on the subject. Especially good is the coverage of Colonel McCormick of the Chicago Tribune. Quite remarkable is her reporting on a virulent hatred of homosexuals that caused him to applaud Hitler's execution of Rohm and his gay comrades.

Very well researched and referenced. Clearly a book by a credible researcher.

Powerful book!

Excellent, well researched book.