Comparing the Two Documents
Commentary
Each of these documents reads very differently and gives insights into Bill Daniel at two different times in his life. The typed transcript of the original reads very differently from the summary written later. The voice we hear in the transcript is of a young man enjoying being abroad, eager to experience everything in a new country. It's filled with sightseeing, concerns about making a limited budget last, getting as much to eat and drink as they can, friendly Germans they made friends with, and, occasionally, pretty girls they tried to get to know. There are one or two parts where Bill seems to be thinking about and noticing some of the deep problems in Nazi Germany, but for the most part it's a pair of young men abroad trying to have the time of their lives.
Excerpts from the Transcript
Sunday, July 26th, 1936
“...We finally arrived at Rudenheim--a small village on the Rhine. We decided to stay here instead of Mainz which is a large city. Out expectations were certainly rewarded, for this little town is gay and happy. We stopped at a wine garden--for this is in the best wine district of Germany--and bought a bottle of wine for 2 Rm. 10 Pf (about 50 cents). The wine was good and the music was good-and the dancing was good.
Cover of a German dance magazine from the 1930s.
I spied one cute little girl across the table from me and her girl-friend, seemed quite satisfactory to Sherman [Bill's travel companion], so I thought that we must have our first dance in Germany at this time. When the music began, I started for my victim but a German boy had her on the dance floor turning circles before I had moved away from my table. This same thing happened three times; I became weary of this procedure, and during an intermission, I asked the Fraulein in German if she would save the next dance for me. The answer was a sweet ‘Ya.’ For the next few moments Sherman and I were the centers of attraction, but soon the music started and we seized our partners with a firm grip, walked to the dance floor, and began to dance--as it were. The music was fast, I was uneasy, and for the duration of the first selection I walked on the poor girl's feet more than any unexperienced beginner would have done in a similar situation. I did however, feel quite put out and asked, ‘Wie sagen Sie excuse me?’ She replied, ‘Excoose me? Oh, excoose me as when one on the feet walks?’ I assured her that that was exactly what I meant and hastily added that we in America didn't dance as they in Germany. Excuse me was finally translated into good German and I bowed low with a Southern swish of one's handkerchief added for effect and asked her in German to excuse me for my clumsy dancing. The second dance happened to be a waltz, and I then sailed along without so much as touching one of her little toes; she complimented me on how well I could dance the ‘English Waltz’ and we returned to our respective tables. In a moment, the young German boy with whom she had been dancing whispered a few words in her ear and both of them left. She had gone out of my life as quickly as she had entered it, but at least I knew how to say excuse me in German.
A good time. And so to bed in a beautiful little town.”
Friday, July 31st, 1936
“...Nurnburg [sic] is an old walled town that has grown up. Everything here is quite modern but the city still has its walls and some old churches. Hitler said that Nurnburg is the most German of all German towns, but I am sure that Hitler and I disagree on that point among other things!
Nurnberg Postcard
Three things for which I shall remember Nurnburg: first, the Bratwurst glocklein: a little cafe built in 1313 and serving little roast sausages with sauerkraut on a silver bell-shaped plate; second, the Lebkucken or gingerbread, and third, the play ‘Peer Gynt’ which was an excellent performance with good music--it lasted four hours and several times we started to go home but decided that since we had paid 1.10 (about 30 cents) we might as well remain and get our moneys' worth.”
Thursday, August 6th, 1936
“To change from the past to the present is easily accomplished when hundreds of people are chattering and waiting for--Adolf Hitler! About seven o'clock we were informed that der Fuhrer was going to pass down a part of Unter den Linden on his way home. So we unloaded our cameras and made ready for der Fuhrer. In a few
Hitler greeting a crowd.
minutes his big car rolled toward us, but then turned and took him home. Immediately everyone ran toward his house and stood in front of a small balcony. The street was clogged with adoring Germans and probably plenty of curious foreigners too. The crowd immediately set up the cry “Wir wollen unser Fuhrer sehen!”--and kept it up. About ten or fifteen minutes later, der Fuhrer came out on his balcony, and the hands flew up in a Nazi salute. For about five minutes, Hitler stood there, moving here and there, giving salutes which were answered by ‘Heil!’ I succeeded in exposing several pictures, but the crowd was so restless, the light so poor, and the out-stretched hands so many that I wonder whether the pictures will be any good. After der Fuhrer went back into this house, the crowd sang ‘Deutschland uber Alles’ and began to melt away.
Wednesday, August 12th, 1936
“...Being clean, we decided to visit a family--the daughter of which works for Sherman's folks.
About 15 minutes after our arrival, a daughter-in-law brought us cakes, tarts, and schlogsahma, and coffee. Thus a good time was assured, for once Sherman gets full of apple tartes, he really turns on the Gemutlig keit
Poster of Motherkind
and every one has a jolly time. After the delicious pastry and coffee we gave them the american news etc., there was almost a log in the conversation, when in came three bottles of Hamburg's best beer. This beer lasted about an hour--and in came three more. We thought it best to leave, but were persuaded to remain until Mogda's mother returned. Frau Wedemann came home about 7 o'clock--just as the last bottle of beer was finished. Her arrival was a signal for more food--this time plenty of belegte Brotchen of all kinds. Well, we stuffed ourselves, finally finished eating, and sat talking. This pause in eating was not allowed to go unnoticed and fruit was brought in. Much later, it was necessary to leave, and the whole family--daughter-in-law and children too--accompanied us to the street car. We thanked them many times, and I hope that our German was good enough to really convey our thanks.”
Commentary
In contrast, the voice of in the summary ten to twenty years later is the voice of someone who has seen a great deal more. WWII has happened, and Bill himself is more experienced than he was when he set out for Germany. As a result, even though he is only recounting experiences from the same trip, everything is shadowed by the rise of the Nazis. Instead of the German people being a friendly, open group, there are soldiers everywhere, and the ordinary German citizens are either faceless or trying to pass on warnings to the young Americans. Almost all of what Bill mentions in this summary is not in the original transcript, that does not mean that it didn't happen (it doesn't determine that one way or the other), but it does at the very least mean that at the time he didn't think these events and observations so important or so chilling as he does in this second writing.
Excerpts from the Summary
It did not take long to realize Hitler had taken over and was in command. Swastikas were everywhere. On walls were copies of “Der Sturmer”, an anti-Jewish newspaper. We could read German and were amazed at the vile things in the paper. Everything was blamed on the Jews.
Coverpage of a November, 1937, issue of Der Sturmer.
The Hope of the World
On the train one afternoon a small, old man leaned over and asked, “Are you Americans?” We said we were and he, talking very softly, told us he had a son working for Ford Motor Co. in Detroit. The man said he could not leave Germany and it would be very dangerous for his son to visit. Could we take a letter for the son and mail it in the U.S. We said we would and later wondered how wise it was.
We did mail [it] in the U.S. The man said Jews were receiving horrible treatment, were limited in where they could travel, and that things would become much worse. He said, “President Roosevelt is the hope of the world.” Years later, I remembered that when Roosevelt was a candidate for the fourth time. I was not in favor of continued presidencies, but I knew if he were not elected that people all over the world would feel hopeless.
Military People
As we walked thru [sic] cities, or even in the country, we could often hear the clump, clump of marching feet and eventually young boys, many adolescent, would appear in marching ranks with their swastikas and other flags. Both Sherm and I felt that the kids were being brainwashed and wouldn't know any better or how to think for themselves. The members of the SS wore black uniforms with a small red band or two and carried small daggers hanging from their waists. Most of them were obviously of a group selected for appearance and size. Sometimes we would be on the periphery of a group that was discussing something and when an SS man came close, the conversation stopped or changed in subject. There were thousands of “ordinary” Nazi's [sic] wearing the rather plain brown uniform, and all of these military people seemed strange to us.
Be Careful What You Say
Another day on the train an attractive older woman asked if we were Americans. We chatted and she said she
"Legion of Shame" Caricature from Der Sturmer. Caption reads: Ignorant, lured by gold, They stand disgraced in Judah's fold. Souls poisoned, blood infected, Disaster broods in their wombs.
and her husband had been in China for many years with the German cable company. He had retired and now they were in Germany. “You boys must be very careful what you say and how you act. I would not want you to be arrested, and I ashamed to say that it is very common [to] arrest people who criticize the government.” We told her we did not approve of Hitler and his policies but were visitors and wished only to visit the country and meet the people.
Future Soldiers
We met many young people on the trains, streets and in beer stube's [sic] and restaurants. Our German was acceptable if not fluent, and many of them could speak a little English. Many young men were excited with Hitler's program and when we mentioned war might come, they said, “Well, everyone has to die sometime.” I have often wondered if they ever remembered that remark when their time came. Some were opposed and they were cautioned by their friends. They, as a group, believed Austria would be taken into the Reich and that proved to be true.
The Fuhrer
One day in Berlin, a crowd was gathering at a street corner and we could see no reason for it. When we asked why people were standing there we were told “The Fuhrer is coming.” So, we stayed and finally a long, black Mercedes sped by. Then they, and we, all ran toward the plaza in front of the Chancellery. Soon the plaza was so filled with people it was impossible to move.
They began chanting “Wir wollen unswer Fuhrer
A poster from the Nazi propaganda film "The Eternal Jew"
sehen!” over and over and louder and louder. That means, “we want to see our leader.” After about half an hour, the doors behind a small balcony opened and Hitler stepped out giving the Nazi salute. Immediately the crowd started shouting “Zeig Heil! Zeig Heil!” and Hitler would turn from one side to another and give the outstretched arm salute. He was then joined by Goebbels, Goehring, Hess, and others. The crowd went wild. After about five minutes, Hitler gave the salute again, everyone responded, then he and the others went back into the building. It was a great demonstration of mass hysteria, and we remarked that it wouldn't take much to start a mob doing whatever Hitler might ask it. Dangerous.
The Gathering Storm
The longer we were in Germany the more we believed war would come and were astounded when we returned home to read that some of our Senators and many industrialists either gave a degree of support to Hitler or believed no war was in the future. I believed one young man who told us, “When your Senators or your industrialists come over here, they're told and shown only what the German government wants them to hear and see.” True.