Journalists: Dorothy Thompson

Episode Summary

The podcast episode from Encyclopedia Wamanica is about Dorothy Thompson, an American journalist who reported on the dangers of Nazism in Germany in the years leading up to World War II. Dorothy Celine Thompson was born in 1893 in New York. After graduating from Syracuse University, she moved to Europe to work as a foreign correspondent. Based in Vienna, she developed an expertise in Central European politics. In 1931, she interviewed Adolf Hitler and wrote a critical biography of him titled "'I Saw Hitler'". Her biting portrayal angered Hitler, who expelled her from Germany in 1934, making her the first American journalist removed by the Nazis. Back in the United States, Dorothy used her platform as a prominent syndicated columnist and radio broadcaster to warn Americans about the threat of fascism. By 1939, she was one of the most famous women in America. However, she faced criticism for her anti-Zionist views after World War II. As a result, many newspapers dropped her column. Dorothy continued writing until her death in 1961 during a trip to Portugal. She is remembered as a crusading journalist who tried to alert Americans to the Nazi threat long before the country entered World War II. Often called the first lady of American journalism, Dorothy Thompson exemplified courage in reporting.

Episode Show Notes

Dorothy Thompson (1893-1961) was a crusading journalist who urged her fellow Americans to pay attention to the threat of Nazi Germany. She worked tirelessly in print and on the radio to warn Americans of the threat of fascism years before the official U.S. entry into World War II. Her efforts made her one of the most famous women in the United States and she is often regarded as the “First Lady of American Journalism.”

Episode Transcript

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It's just one way Macy's is demonstrating an ongoing commitment to inclusivity in everything they do. SPEAKER_12: An American journalist who is a very good friend of Great Britain, famed for outspoken newspaper articles and radio talks, Miss Dorothy Thompson. During her tour of Britain, Miss Thompson visited the Czech headquarters with Dr. Masaryk and Mr. Richard Law. Long before the war, Dorothy Thompson saw the rottenness of the Nazi system. She has consistently worked with her voice and her pen to bring about the downfall of the German bully. Thanks for helping us, Miss Thompson. You're doing a grand job. SPEAKER_07: Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Encyclopedia Wamanica. Today we're talking about a crusading journalist who urged her fellow Americans to pay attention to the threat of Nazi Germany. She worked tirelessly in print and on the radio to warn Americans of the threat of fascism years before the official US entry into World War II. Her efforts made her one of the most famous women in the United States, and she's often regarded as the first lady of American journalism. Meet Dorothy Thompson. Dorothy Celine Thompson was born on July 9, 1893 in Lancaster, New York, to Peter and Margaret Thompson. When she was seven years old, her mother passed away, leaving Dorothy's father to raise three children. He soon remarried, but Dorothy didn't get along with her stepmother, whom she said had an allergy to children. So in 1908, Peter sent Dorothy to Chicago to live with his two sisters in order to avoid further conflict. There, Dorothy attended the Lewis Institute before transferring to Syracuse University. At Syracuse, Dorothy studied politics and economics and graduated with a degree in 1914. After graduation, Dorothy devoted herself to feminist activism. Her first job out of college was stuffing envelopes for the Woman's Suffrage Party in Buffalo. But activism did not pay well, and Dorothy had dreams of becoming a journalist. SPEAKER_07: In 1920, Dorothy and a suffragist friend, Barbara De Porte, boarded a ship for London to embark on careers as foreign correspondents. The pair began work at the International News Service, which had bureaus all over Europe. Dorothy got her big break when she visited Ireland and was the last to interview Terence MacSweeney, one of the major leaders of the Sinn Fein movement. She later booked an exclusive interview with Carl I, the overthrown former king of Hungary, by sneaking into a castle dressed as a Red Cross nurse. These interviews helped Dorothy make a name for herself, and she landed a new job in Vienna as a foreign correspondent for the Philadelphia Public Ledger. During her time at the Philadelphia Public Ledger, Dorothy developed a deep understanding of Central European politics, boosted by her fluency in German and her 1923 marriage to Hungarian writer Joseph Bard. Dorothy was promoted to bureau chief for the Public Ledger and the New York Evening Post. While her career trajectory was looking good, Dorothy's personal life was more in flux. She filed for divorce in 1927. That same year, she met novelist Sinclair Lewis. A year later, Dorothy accepted his marriage proposal and said goodbye to Germany in order to start a new life with him in Vermont. Marriage did not end Dorothy's interest in international politics. She took trips back to Germany to report on the growing threat of fascism. She had long been aware of Adolf Hitler and had previously attempted to interview him during his early rise to prominence. In 1931, Dorothy was finally granted an interview with Hitler. She was allowed to ask three questions and they had to be submitted a day in advance. The interview became the basis for her book, "'I Saw Hitler'", in which Dorothy wrote about the growing dangers of Hitler's rise. Dorothy described Hitler in the following terms. He's formless, almost faceless. A man whose countenance is a caricature. A man whose framework seems cartilaginous, without bones. He's inconsequent and voluble, ill-poised and insecure. He's the very prototype of the little man. Dorothy's biting character assessment in the work clearly rattled Hitler. In the summer of 1934, three years after the interview, Hitler retaliated. The Nazi government expelled Dorothy from Germany, making her the first American journalist to be removed from the country by the regime. The move served as a warning to foreign journalists in Germany. Criticism of Hitler would not be tolerated. Back in the United States, Dorothy devoted herself to publicly opposing the Nazis. She attacked the German government in her syndicated column, On the Record, which ran in 170 newspapers and reached roughly eight million readers. She also spread her message in radio broadcasts for NBC. SPEAKER_13: The National Broadcasting Company brings you another in a series of general discussions by that noted woman commentator and former foreign correspondent, Dorothy Thompson. Miss Thompson. SPEAKER_02: The text of the British white paper on the correspondence with the German government over Poland. SPEAKER_07: In 1939, Dorothy was featured on the cover of Time magazine, speaking into an NBC radio microphone. The article said, she and Eleanor Roosevelt are undoubtedly the most influential women in the US. It's said that Dorothy was also the basis of Katharine Hepburn's character in the movie Woman of the Year. Dorothy's popularity did not last. In February of 1941, pacifist mothers paraded her effigy outside the gates of the White House, denouncing her support of the war. SPEAKER_02: The American public is slowly coming to realize that this war is not a struggle in Europe, SPEAKER_02: but is a worldwide struggle that involves and must involve eventually every continent on the globe. SPEAKER_07: This criticism intensified during her post-war career, as her focus shifted surprisingly to anti-Zionism. After taking a trip to Palestine, Dorothy began speaking out against the creation of the state of Israel. As a result, many papers dropped her column, but Dorothy continued to write. She covered domestic stories for Ladies Home Journal until her death. She also began to write a memoir, but never finished. Dorothy passed away on January 30th, 1961, during a trip to Lisbon, Portugal. All month, we're talking about journalists. For more on why we're doing what we're doing, check out our newsletter, Womanica Weekly. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Encyclopedia Womanica. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow. 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