Oliver Stone's Mein Kamph

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright July 26, 2010
All Rights Reserved.                                

           Academy Award-winning director Oliver Stone went over the deep-end telling London’s Sunday Times that the U.S. obsession with WWII and the Holocaust—where six-million Jews were systematically exterminated by Adolf Hitler—was about “Jewish domination of the media.”  Stone, who turns 64 Sept. 15, takes extra liberties since his father was Jewish but has been known over the years to weigh in to controversial topics.  His best directing Oscars came in 1996 for “Platoon” and 1999 for “Born on the 4th of July,” deal with the psychological aspects of the Vietnam War—a nearly 10-year national ordeal ending in failure April 30, 1975 with the fall of Saigon.   Stone’s recent controversial remarks about Jews’ “powerful lobby,” refers to the influence of the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee, a powerful Washington-based Pro-Israel lobbying group that impacts U.S. foreign policy.

            Stone’s tone-deafness to Jewish sensitivities about the Holocaust anticipates the release of a Showtime special series called “Secret History of America,” where the director seeks to place Hitler and Russian dictator Joseph Stalin into a new historical “context.”  Stone raises the estimated 30 million Russian casualties as proof that Jews weren’t the only ones who suffered during WWII.  Raising the “Jewish domination of the media,” the exact themes Hitler discussed in his best-selling book Mein Kamph—a book that sold more copies than the Bible in Germany in the years leading up to Hitler’s Sept. 1, 1939 invasion of Poland.  Hitler’s publisher, Frans Her Verlag, made him millions between Mein Kamph’s 1925 publication date and the start of WWII.  He used the book’s proceeds to help fund the Nazi Party, military build up and eventual fascist takeover of Germany.

            Stone’s accusations about “Jewish domination of the media” came right out of Mein Kamph.  While Mein Kamph has been examined with a fine-toothed comb since the end of WWII, it’s been studied by political scientists and politicians seeking insights to Hitler’s mesmerizing persuasive power.  Popular presidents, like Bill Clinton, and political operatives, like Karl Roves, studied Mein Kamph to glean precious kernels of charisma and political persuasion.  Hitler directs his ire in Mein Kamph to the Jews, not, as some would have you believe because of deep-seated religious hatred stemming from Church “Passion Plays,” where Jews were blamed for the murder of Christ, but precisely because Jews held influential positions in German financial markets, newspapers, universities and other power centers.  Hitler ranted-and-raved against the Jews as his surest path to power.

            Stone’s upcoming Showtime special hopes to put into “context” the destructive influences of Hitler and Russia’s Joseph Stalin.  “Hitler did far more damage to the Russians than to the Jewish people, 25 or 30 [million killed,” Stone told London’s Sunday Times.  Stone knows that Hitler wiped out nearly half of world Jewry and only 10% of the Russian population.  While he’s right about the numbers, Stone doesn’t get, or chose not to get, the meaning of genocide.  Hitler’s application of science and modern technology to run Europe’s death camps was unprecedented in human history.  “There’s a major lobby in the United States.  They are hard workers.  They stay on top of every comment, the most powerful lobby in Washington.  Israel has f***** up United States foreign policy for years,” said Stone, revealing the extent to which his emotions have gotten the better f him.

            Stone was particularly critical of U.S. policy toward Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calling U.S. foreign policy “horrible.”  Former President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama have been consistent trying to halt Iran’s feverish pursuit of nuclear weapons.  After much belligerent talk toward Israel, Stone ignored Ahmadinejad’s fascist takeover since stealing the last presidential election June 13, 2009.  Since then, Ahmadinejad has engaged in a brutal crackdown of pro-reform opposition candidate Mir- Hossain Mousavi and his supporters.  Thousands have been detained, arrested, incarcerated and liquidated.  Iran’s refusal to cooperate with the U.N Security Council or the International Atomic Energy Agency, leaves the U.S. wary of Iran building its first A-bomb.  Former CIA Director Michael Hayden now handicaps a future war with Iran highly probable.

            Stone’s recent public remarks are designed to help promote his Showtime special but could easily backfire.  Fingering Israel makes headlines but tells an old story of scapegoating.  Stone, who’s half Jewish, should know better than pulling a page out the Mein Kamph playbook.  Hitler targeted the Jews to accomplish his fascist takeover of Germany because Jews stood between him and his power-grab.  Whether or not he was fighting Russian communists, Hitler went mad, ignoring at least 1,000 years of Jewish contributions in German history.  Before Hitler’s Holocaust, Jews considered Germany the safest most prosperous home in Europe.  Stone thinks he has a unique point of view but it’s more of garden-variety anti-Semitism.  Stone now has a lot of explaining to do, not so much about his twisted logic but why an otherwise successful person chooses to self-destruct.

About the Author    

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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