“Tell the German People That We, German-Americans, Condemn and Hate the Atmosphere of War and the Lust for Power of the Current German Government” – A double-sided poster issued by the Republican Party’s presidential candidate in 1940, Wendell Willkie, on behalf of Americans of German descent, against Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler’s oppressive regime. [1940]. In German. Extremely rare.
At the top of the poster, it reads: “7,000,000 German-Americans Accuse!” Next to Willkie’s photograph, the text states: “The leader of the Republicans in the USA and Roosevelt’s rival in the presidential election, Wendell Willkie, sent the following message to the German government during his recent stay in England:
“I am of pure German descent. My family was not called Willkie, but Willid. My grandparents left Germany 90 years ago because they opposed an arbitrary regime and wanted to live as free people. And so do I. I am proud of my German blood, but I hate the atmosphere of war and oppression. Tell the German people that the overwhelming majority of my fellow American citizens of German descent share my feelings. They also believe in freedom and human rights… Tell the German people that we, German-Americans, condemn and hate the belligerence and lust for power of the current German government.” The poster continues by stating that according to the 1930 census, there are 6,873,000 American citizens of German descent, and they enjoy freedoms that Germany no longer understands. “They can listen to foreign radio without restrictions, read foreign newspapers, and freely express their political beliefs. That is precisely why these German-Americans—like all Americans and all free people in every country in the world—condemn and despise the government and the system that controls you and 100 million others.” At the bottom of the poster is the slogan “The Free World is with Us” in large black letters. On the back of the poster, to illustrate Nazi totalitarianism, under the heading “To German Farmers”, the orders of the German government that restrict the steps of German farmers—even to the point of imprisonment—are written.
Extremely rare poster. Not listed in bibliographic records worldwide.
Size: 22×14 cm. Filing holes with minor text damage. In good condition.
