[Peach]

President Bush's grandfather was a director of a bank seized by the federal government because of its ties to a German industrialist who helped bankroll Adolf Hitler's rise to power, government documents show.

This is misleadingly written to make it look like Bush's grandfather bankrolled Hitler.

Bush's grandfather worked at a bank. The bank had ties to someone who bankrolled Hitler.

READ THIS CAREFULLY.

[pogo101]

Six Degrees Of Liberal Journalist Bias.

[TheDon]

Nonsense, between Arnold and George, we'll all be goose stepping soon! < /sarcasm >

It's ironic that those who most reflect the Nazis' views about the role of government, i.e. the liberals, use the bad name of the National Socialist Party against their political enemies.

[antiRepublicrat]

Bush's grandfather worked at a bank. The bank had ties to someone who bankrolled Hitler.

He had a small equity in the bank, plus he was partners with the firm that handled all their transactions -- likely transactions that were used to help fund the Nazis. The article also said the only reason he wasn't prosecuted was lack of resources.

Anyway, who cares? It's old news, and besides, the Art. 3, Sec. 3 says that even cases of treason won't work corruption of blood. Did anyone care that Joseph Kennedy was a criminal? It has no reflection on the current president.

[Wolfstar]

Indeed, Peach, you are wise to caution people to read this trash VERY CAREFULLY.

Here's what the real thrust of the story should be (if, in fact, it even should be an AP story more than 65 years after the events described):

Prescott Bush, the current president's grandfather, didn't even work at the bank. He was just a member of the Board of Directors. Many prominent people are on multiple boards. Most of the time, appointing a prominent person to a board amounts to little more than an honorific.

As a member of the board of Union Banking, Bush was three or more companies removed from the Thyssen group of businesses. Union Banking was owned by Bank Voor Handel, a Dutch bank described in the AP piece as "closely affiliated" with a German conglomerate, United Steel Works. The latter company was a part of the Thyssen group of businesses, which the AP piece describes as an "empire."

More importantly, the implied "link" between Prescott Bush and Hitler through Thyssen is buried in the AP's 7th paragraph. Apparently, seven of the U.S. directors of the Union Banking board held 4000 shares of the bank's stock. Prescott Bush held exactly ONE share.

Then, to poke even further holes in their own smear, Salant goes on to write that Fritz Tyssen broke with the Nazis in 1938. That was the year before WWII broke out in Europe. Tyssen split with them over their persecution of Catholics and Jews. In other words, although he may have supported them early on, Tyssen wasn't a Nazi. When he learned the truth about them, he heroically bucked them at a time when they were the biggest and most dangerous power in Europe. In fact, he spent about four years in a Nazi prison during the war.

Is this the best the Left can do? Laugh my butt off big time!!!

[Terry Mross]

The way I read it is Prescott owned ONE share.