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CorpWatch Ford & the Nazi War Efforts Page 1 of2 Watch Holding Corporations Accountable CAMPAIGNS ISSUES RESEARCH Home Campaigns Past Campaigns Greenwash Awards Ford & the Nazi War Efforts Ford & the Nazi War Efforts El E-Mail Page l^l Printer Safe Join Our I I Enter E Henry Ford was no Oskar Schindler by Joshua Karliner, CorpWatch November 1st, 1998 The Ford Motor Company's commercial-free sponsorship of NBC's airing of Schindler's List, the epic movie about the Holocaust, was a class act Nevertheless, it would be remiss of us here at CorpWatch, not to point out Ford's contribution to Nazi war efforts The following is excerpted from a report printed by the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary in 1974 Search ( Sean The activities of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler prior to and during World War II are instructive At that time, these three firms dominated motor vehicle production in both the United States and Germany Due to its mass production capabilities, automobile manufacturing is one of the most crucial industries with respect to national defense As a result, these firms retained the economic and political power to affect the shape of governmental relations both within and between these nations in a manner which maximized corporate global profits In short, they were private governments unaccountable to the citizens of any country yet possessing tremendous influence over the course of war and peace in the world The substantial contribution of these firms to the American war effort in terms of tanks, aircraft components, and other military equipment is widely acknowledged Less well known are the simultaneous contributions of their foreign subsidiaries to the Axis Powers In sum, they maximized profits by supplying both sides with the materiel needed to conduct the war During the 1920's and 1930's, the Big Three automakers undertook an extensive program of multinational expansion By the mid-1930's, these three American companies owned automotive subsidiaries throughout Europe and the Far East, many of their largest facilities were located in the politically sensitive nations of Germany, Poland, Rumania, Austria, Hungary, Latvia, and Japan Due to their concentrated economic power over motor vehicle production in both Allied and Axis territories, the Big Three inevitably became major factors in the preparations and progress of the war In Germany, for example, General Motors and Ford became an integral part of the Nazi war efforts GM's plants in Germany built thousands of bomber and jet fighter propulsion systems for the Luftwaffe at the same time that its American plants produced aircraft engines for the U S Army Air Corps Ford was also active in Nazi Germany's prewar preparations In 1938, for instance, it opened a truck assembly plant in Berlin whose "real purpose," according to U S Army Intelligence, was producing "troop transport-type" vehicles for the Wehrmacht That year Ford's chief executive received the Nazi German Eagle (first class) o The outbreak of war in September 1939 resulted inevitably in the full conversion by GM and Ford of their Axis plants to the production of military aircraft and trucks On the ground, GM and Ford subsidiaries built nearly 90 percent of the armored "mule" 3-ton half-trucks and more than 70 percent of the Reich's medium and heavy-duty trucks These vehicles, according to American intelligence reports, served as "the backbone of the German Army transportation system " ~* -- S-FORD-875 Take Ac Protest E printer Ci program Name Hu Advertish Backgrc Greenwa A Brief H Greenwa Ford & tt Mitsubist More News USA Met New Grei USA Hoi Greenwa USA Coi Defend It USA The Moments USA Sta Green More Press R New fron and Corp Summit I Greenwa Announo EarthS_un SCF-FORD-3715 http7/www corpwatch org/article php9id=4368 1/22/2005 CorpWatch. Ford & the Nazi War Efforts Page 2 of 2 After the cessation of hostilities, GM and Ford demanded reparations from the U S Government for wartime damages sustained by their Axis facilities as a result of Allied bombing Ford received a little less than $1 million, primarily as a result of damages sustained by its military truck complex at Cologne Due to their multinational dominance of motor vehicle production, GM and Ford became principal suppliers for the forces of fascism as well as for the forces of democracy It may, of course, be argued that participating in both sides of an international conflict, like the common corporate practice of investing in both political parties before an election, is an appropriate corporate activity Had the Nazis won, General Motors and Ford would have appeared impeccably Nazi, as Hitler lost, these companies were able to re-emerge impeccably American In either case, the viability of these corporations and the interests of their respective stockholders would have been preserved Extracted from Bradford C Snell, American Ground Transport A Proposal for Restructuring the Automobile, Truck, Bus and Rail Industries Report presented to the Committee of the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Antitrust and Monopoly, United States Senate, February 26, 1974, United States Government Printing Office, Washington, 1974, pp 16-24 Shell's Cl CorpWati Earth Da Sweepst< Related Clary-Me Network PR Watct Adbuster Organiz Don't Be Greenwa Philip Mo But Not 1 Environnr EPA USA Top Company Feature Greenwa Greenwa 1611 Telegraph Avenue , #702 i Oakland, CA 94612 USA i 510-271-8080 Design by Tumis com T Powered http //www corpwatch org/article php9id=4368 1/22/2005