Nazi propaganda leaflet mimicking a US silver certificate given to a US soldier after the liberation of Paris
Extent and Medium
a: Height: 2.625 inches (6.668 cm) | Width: 4.500 inches (11.43 cm)
b: Height: 2.625 inches (6.668 cm) | Width: 1.625 inches (4.128 cm)
c: Height: 2.625 inches (6.668 cm) | Width: 6.125 inches (15.557 cm)
Creator(s)
- Lewis H. Weinstein (Subject)
Biographical History
Lewis H. Weinstein was born on April 10, 1905, to Jacob Menehem and Kuna Romanow Weinstein in Arany, Lithuania. His parents emigrated to the United States the next year. He had a brother and a sister and was raised in Portland, Maine. Weinstein worked as a reporter for a local newspaper and taught Hebrew school before moving to Boston in 1921. He graduated from Harvard College magna cum laude in 1927 and Harvard Law School in 1930, and then joined a prominent law firm in Boston. On September 2, 1932, he married Selma Yeslawssy and they had two children. He enlisted in the United States Army and, in 1944, was on General Eisenhower's staff as liaison to General Charles de Gaulle. After the Normandy landings in June 1944, he served as liaison officer from General Eisenhower to Generals DeGaulle and Koenig. He entered Paris with them on August 25, 1944, the day of liberation and was present during the signing of the instrument of surrender by the Germans. Weinstein was so persistent in his efforts to get Eisenhower to personally visit Ohrdruf, the first concentration camp liberated by US troops on April 4, 1945, that he was kicked out of his office. Weinstein had to get him there by a ruse, but afterwards, Eisenhower thanked him for being so insistent, telling him: “…you were right. I would never have believed that this was possible.” During 1945, Weinstein was chief of the liaison section of the European theater of operations. He achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was awarded several military honors: Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with clusters, Legion of Honor, Croix de Guerre avec Palme, and a Papal Military Medal. After the war, he returned to his law practice in Boston. He had a distinguished career with a special interest in housing issues on a local and national level. Weinstein was a litigator and also taught at Harvard and MIT. Weinstein was an advocate for Jewish postwar concerns and served as chairman of several national Jewish agencies, including the American Jewish Conference on Soviet Jewry, which he helped found in 1968. He was active in many local, state, and national organizations and was president of Hebrew College in Boston from 1946-1953. Weinstein died on October 23, 1996, age 91 years.
Archival History
The leaflet was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1992 by Lewis H. Weinstein.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Lewis H. Weinstein
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Nazi propaganda leaflet resembling a US dollar bill given to US Army Colonel Lewis H. Weinstein in Paris on the day of liberation, August 25, 1944. His jeep was surrounded by thousands of grateful Parisians near the Montparnasse railroad station. An emaciated man with a Star of David badge pushed his way forward and asked him if he was Jewish. Weinstein said yes and the man blurted out: “ I’m the last of my family. The rest went to Drancy.” He tore off his badge and handed it and an envelope with the leaflet to Weinstein, and disappeared. These leaflets were dropped from planes over Paris in late 1943, as part of a German propaganda campaign to raise suspicions against the United States and its part in the worldwide Jewish conspiracy. The streets would appear to be littered with real dollar bills, and after picking one up, a person would discover that it was fake and see antisemitic rant. Weinstein entered Paris with General de Gaulle and US troops on August 25, 1944, the day of its liberation by Allied Forces. He served in the US Army on General Eisenhower's staff and was Eisenhower's liaison to General De Gaulle. Weinstein was so persistent in his efforts to get Eisenhower to personally visit Ohrdruf, the first concentration camp liberated by US troops on April 4, 1945, that he was kicked out of his office. Weinstein had to get him there by a ruse, but afterwards, Eisenhower thanked him for being so insistent, telling him: “…you were right. I would never have believed that this was possible.”
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Folded white colored paper leaflet with a graphic design in black and green ink on the front cover replicating a United States one dollar silver certificate. It has a black decorative border with corner medallions with the denomination 1 and text. The face of the bill is the front cover, with a portrait of George Washington in the center; to the left is the denomination 1, serial number Y91033384A in blue ink, and the signature of Henry Morgenthau above title, Secretary of the Treasury. The back cover resembles the verso of a dollar bill, with a green decorative border with the Great Seal of the United States: an unfinished pyramid, topped by the Eye of Providence within a triangle, and an eagle and shield. The denomination 1 is in the center and the 4 corners. Inside the cover, there is a Star of David, with text within, printed across the center fold, with text to the left and right. Intact measurements: 2.625h x 6.125w unfolded: 2.625 x 12.375w The bill has became separated at deep fold lines into 3 sections. a. The exterior image is the face of the false dollar bill, split of the outer edge after the r in America and on the reverse, at the center of the Star of David. b. The partial left side of the section with the face of the dollar bill. c. The exterior image is the complete back of the false dollar bill; the reverse side cuts off at the center of the Star of David at what would be the inner, center fold. Adhesive tape is adhered over deep creases in the center and near the outer edge.
Subjects
- Liberation (Paris, France)--Personal narratives, American.
- Soldiers--United States--Biography.
- Anti-Jewish propaganda--France.
- World War, 1939-1945--France--Paris--Personal narratives, American.
- Propaganda, Anti-American--France.
- Jewish soldiers--United States--Biography.
Genre
- Object
- Information Forms