Podcast
Behind the Bastards
The book described how Avery Brundage stayed in Germany for six days and toured several facilities during the 1936 Olympics, but had little time to meet with Jewish athletes because Jews were not allowed to join German sports clubs.
I want to actually first read you a summary of the whole trip by Oliver Helms and his book Berlin 1936, which I like less than Guy's book.
— Episode: Part Two: How Avery Brundage Gave Hitler...
Episode: Part Two: How Avery Brundage Gave Hitler an Olympi...
The book described how Avery Brundage stayed in Germany for six days and toured several facilities during the 1936 Olympics, but had little time to meet with Jewish athletes because Jews were not allowed to join German sports clubs.
I want to actually first read you a summary of the whole trip by Oliver Helms and his book Berlin 1936, which I like less than Guy's book.
Brundage stayed in the capital of the Third Reich for six days, inspecting construction on the Olympic Stadium and other facilities, visiting a number of museums and generally enjoying life.
He had little time left over for meeting representatives of Jewish athletics when they told him that Jews were no longer allowed to join German sports clubs.
In Berlin, 1936, Oliver Helms writes of him, quote, His main qualification for this task was something completely different.
A conspicuous personal fascination with Adolf Hitler.
And his conversation with Cheryl, Hitler made no concessions.
Jews were not being discriminated against.
He lied. They were merely being treated as separate from the German people and thus could not be members of the German Olympic team.
Cheryl pressed the Fuhrer on the issue.
It was Germany's friend, he said, and wanted only the best for the country.
But if the Fuhrer insisted on this position, the IOC would take the games away from Berlin.
Hitler snarled that in that case, the Third Reich would stage a purely German Olympic Games.