Having run into various people who have an anti-Semitic streak in them, a common reoccurring theme is denial of the Holocaust. It got me to thinking that anti-Semitism was much more common in the US in the past then say now (re: “Gentleman’s Agreement” w/Gregory Peck.) I would assume during WWII that there must have been soldiers who were anti-Semitic in various armies US, UK, USSR)who liberated the concentration camps. Was there any record of their reactions? Did some approve, go into denial, or have an epiphany about what racism can lead to? I haven’t found any material that talks about this. Any body have a link or can recommend books about this?
One of my father’s favorite rants about Holocaust deniers was “When Patton liberated one of the death camps, he made the townspeople walk through it, so they could never deny it existed.”
I have no idea whether my father was right, but the fact that he said it a number of times over a number of years (and I never saw anyone of his generation call him on it) makes me think that there were stories of “epiphanies” that he had heard or read.
It seems my father remembered correctly.
"General Patton wrote that the number of Weimar citizens who were forced to see the camp was 1500, although other accounts say it was 2,000.
Here’s the cite. Warning, some of the photos are very disturbing.
http://www.scrapbookpages.com/EasternGermany/Buchenwald/Liberation.html