Jews in America circa 1930s were not that well loved;matter of fact,all non WASP were viewed poorly.
Remember the question of having a “Catholic” President who would simply do whatever the Pope told him was a real concern for many in 1960.
Agree. They used to have “Jewish Quotas” at upscale universities, where they limited the amount of Jews admitted. It was a sickening relic of the past. Thankfully we’re beyond that...that is unless you’re an Asian trying to get into Cal or UCLA.
Not a JFK fan. He was a very mediocre POTUS. But these writings are from his 20’s and he spent part of his Grand Tour in the company of his father. Many young people, especially back in the 30s, were very influenced by their parents.
Why is it a shock that a privileged youth whose family was eager to overcome both their origins and the source of their wealth is parroting his father’s well-known views in favor of fascism vs. communism?
This wasn’t an extreme POV at the time. IIRC, Great Britain’s factories were supplying materiel to Germany that would soon be used to bombard their own country.
There were German Bundhalls in places like Thiensville, WI, outside Milwaukee. One famously had a mosaic swastika inlaid into its floor.
Yes, but that objection was not merely to a "Catholic" President with no baggage, it was to a "Catholic" President very much attached to his family whose daddy had been fond of Hitler. I have little doubt that JFK supporters - like Obama supporters today - preferred to claim and teach that all opposition was religious prejudice rather than cautionary, based also or only on his family history.