I'm An American -- Max Lerner

On July 20, 1941 Max Lerner spoke with Henry Nichols, of the Boston Immigration and Naturalization Service, about the present day problems facing Americans. The professor states Americans' greatest danger is their optimism. He references the Nazis' modern weapons of words through radio and propaganda. Lerner reveals American adversaries are saying the attack and defeat of the nation will be an inside job -- by splitting American opinion along class lines. He states reasons why Americans are still mentally strong. Dr. Lerner offers suggestions on the best plans for peace, as well as scenarios if human liberties are lost. He says, “Democracy has to be defensive, dynamic, militant and a revolutionary force with the same appeal to man’s imagination and emotions as it did in the beginning.” The program concludes with the college professor explaining how and why Americans can inspire a dynamic democracy. Max Lerner (b. Maxwell Alan Lerner) was born on December 20, 1902 in Minsk. In 1907, he immigrated to the United States with his parents. Dr. Lerner graduated from Yale and earned his doctorate from Brookings Institute in 1927. He began his career as an editor for the Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, The Nation and PM. His most influential book was titled "America as a Civilization: Life and Thought in the United States Today." He was an opponent of discrimination against African Americans, but supported the wartime internment of Japanese Americans. He was also an advocate of Roosevelt’s New Deal during the 1930s. In 1949, Lerner earned a place on the master list of Nixon’s political opponents; after his column for the New York Post debuted. His book, "The Unfinished Country" is a collection of more than 200 of his daily columns in the New York Post.