Stephen Samuel Wise

In an attempt to stall the Jews from protesting In New York against Nazi crimes then Secretary of State Cordell Hull sent the heads of the rally a false telegram. In it he stated that the United States government investigated the accusations against the Nazis and found that even though there was “considerable physical mistreatment” the protest should end because it was just a Nazi “phase” that could be “considered virtually terminated”.

Rabbi wise being one of the most influential Jews in America was able to convince Cordell Hull and the State Department to launch an investigation into the Nazi’s treatment of Jews in Germany.

In response to Rabbi Wise’s request to the State Department to investigate Germany in regards to reports of Jewish oppression going on Hull sends a telegram to United States embassy in Germany. In it Hull admittedly acknowledged that this was only to be a token investigation because he was “under heavy pressure”. He told the embassy to just do a press release stating that nothing was going on to stop the Jewish boycott march. The Embassy did this even though George Gordon at the Embassy said that Nazi denials of abuse were “absurd”.

The German Embassy in the United States called Rabbi Wise throughout the weekend before the Madison Square Garden anti-Nazi march was to take place. They repeatedly told him that if he called the rally off that Nazi - Jewish relations will improve.

The morning of the anti-Nazi rally Rabbi Stephen Wise was wondering if he should call off the march. He was contacted by pro-Zionist groups in Germany asking him to call off the protest. He called then Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis and gave him the final say. Brandeis told him to go through with the rally.

The anti-Nazi rally lead by Rabbi Stephen Wise was a success. It completely filled Madison Square Gardens twenty thousand capacity, and spilled out side of the venue by an estimated thirty five thousand.

Other rallies were held in the United States, and around the world.

Speakers:
Rabbi M. S. Margolies
Catholic and former governor Alfred E. Smith
Methodist Episcopal Church Bishop Francis T. McConnell
Union head William Green
John Haynes Holmes
Senator Robert Wagner
Jewish Writer Samuel Margoshes
Jewish Activist Joseph Tenenbaum
Zionist Chaim Greenberg

In response to the Madison Square Garden boycott lead by Rabbi Wise to be held the next day - Hitler and Göbbels decide to have a counter boycott against German Jews.

Just two weeks after Hitler becomes chancellor Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis is on record in conversation with Stephen Wise saying that “the Jews must leave Germany. There is no other way”.

British Parliament member Sidney Silverman sends a copy of the Riegner cable to Rabbi Stephen Wise. The United States State Department had the document, but failed to relay the information to Wise.

On the demand of Göring the German Jewish leaders go the London to stop the stop the anti-German boycott. The group was lead by Martin Rosenbluth, and also included Richard Lichtheim, and Ludwing Tietz.

Once in the Zionist headquarters they along with other British Zionist’s mad a phone call to rabbi Wise in the United States to get him to stop the Madison Square Garden protest which he declined to do.

When the group did what Göring asked they met with German ambassador Leopold von Hoesch who asked them to confront Rufus Isaacs the Lord of Reading. Isaacs was going to resign in protest of the Third Reich treatment of Jews, but Hitler did not want the bad press. The group was able to get Isaacs to delay his resignation by two weeks, but he still vented his frustrations in parliament a few hours later.

Schacht then President of Reichsbank had come to America to talk to President Roosevelt and the Secretary of State Hull about the current Germany situation. Roosevelt voiced concerns about the Jewish persecution going on in Germany, but was eager to mend economic ties. Also at the meeting Schacht dropped the bomb - Germany was running out of finances and would soon be defaulting on all external loans. Roosevelt’s response was “Serves the Wall Street bankers right!”. Hull was more concerned with this news and the affects that it would have on the depression ravaged American economy.

Schacht also met with President of RCA David Sarnoff and other prominent Jewish group heads including Stephen Wise. Schacht repeated the Nazi rhetoric that what was happening inside of Germany was not the concern of foreigners. The talks broke down and went nowhere - especially seeing that the Jews knew that the boycott was crippling Germany’s economy.

When Schacht was leaving he was contacted by James McDonald on behalf of the Foreign Policy Association. McDonald stated that France was talking about invading Germany and dividing up the country if the Jewish persecution continued. The information was relayed to Hitler after Schacht was back on the boat to Germany.

This group was originally called the “Federation of American Zionists”