# Henry Ford and racist auto plaques??

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/henry-ford-and-racist-auto-plaques/207192>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 13, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/henry-ford-and-racist-auto-plaques/207192 "2003-10-13T14:47:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/henry-ford-and-racist-auto-plaques/207192/21 "2026-04-08T15:19:51Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Hitler and other leading Nazis saw in Ford a powerful ally, a confirmation that their own twisted ideology had supporters in the heart of America. The Grand Cross of the German Eagle was not a mere trinket; it was a symbol of a shared worldview, a recognition of Ford’s contribution to the cause of international anti-Semitism.
> 
> Even his much-vaunted apology, issued in 1927 after a lawsuit forced his hand, rings hollow.
> 
> While he publicly retracted his anti-Semitic statements and closed ‘The Dearborn Independent’, he continued to harbor his prejudices in private. And his company’s collaboration with the Nazi regime during the war years speaks volumes about the depth of his complicity.

> **[Was Henry Ford A Nazi? - Mythbusting Berlin - Berlin Experiences](https://berlinexperiences.com/was-henry-ford-a-nazi-mythbusting-berlin/)**
>
> American icon or Nazi sympathizer? Uncover the forgotten history of Henry Ford, his antisemitism, and collaboration with the Third Reich.

Ford’s collaboration with the Nazis and operations in Germany that boosted their war effort (and employed slave labor to build weapons to use against the Allies) are grimly detailed [in this book](http://reparti.free.fr/wallace2003.pdf).

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**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/henry-ford-and-racist-auto-plaques/207192/22 "2026-04-08T20:08:13Z")

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The trope I recall was the “No dogs or Chinese” signs in a park - Shanghai or Hong Kong? IIRC Bruce Lee used it in one of his movies, when the policeman blocking his way made an exception for a white woman leading a dog on a leash.

Another fun fact - Ford had no time for accountants. Apparently he’d walk past the accounting department…

“who are they?”

“That’s the accounting department”

“They’re not producing anything, fire the lot!”

By the time the government forced him out for the WWII war effort, the accounting was a horrible mess.

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