1942: You Can't Do Business with Hitler – Episode 3: No American Goods Wanted
Complete original wartime propaganda broadcast of "You Can't Do Business with Hitler," episode three, "No American Goods Wanted." Produced by the Office for Emergency Management in Washington. Douglas Miller, former commercial attaché in Berlin (15 years), argues that Hitler launched an undeclared war against the United States as early as 1934 – not a shooting war, but using sabotage, propaganda, espionage, and the weapon of international trade to destroy American prosperity. First case: James Dennison, an American businessman shipping beef tallow to Hamburg in 1937. The Nazis refused to let him unload, claiming the tallow was "food" (since it could be made into margarine), and no true Aryan could eat food grown outside Germany. Miller protested to a Nazi official, Herr Rupprecht, who declared Dennison's contract invalid because it violated "the sacred principle that German blood be forever linked with holy German soil." The tallow was banned. Miller later notes that U.S. exports to Germany collapsed under such policies. Second case: Dr. Wiener, a German friend who owned an American-made car bought before Hitler. A $10 carburetor cracked, making the $1,000 car useless. Nazi regulations forbade importing American auto parts. Miller asked a Ministry of Economics official why American manufacturers wouldn't sell parts. The official explained: the Nazis offered to buy $100,000 worth of parts in exchange for $100,000 in German goods – but demanded the American firm also buy an extra $1 million worth of German goods for cash. Miller called the terms preposterous. The official replied: "It is a privilege for foreigners to be here, no matter what the terms." Dr. Wiener's car would be scrapped for bombs and cannons. Finally, Miller reveals a Nazi propaganda blunder. The March 1941 issue of the German-American Commerce Bulletin (New York office) contained two contradictory articles. Page 3 said Germany wanted to buy American cotton and finished products. Page 12, by Eric Neumann (Secretary of State in the German Ministry of Economics), said Germany's goal was independence from foreign foodstuffs and industrial materials – exactly the opposite. A panicked editor realized they had accidentally told Americans the truth: the Nazis did not want American goods. Miller concludes: The Nazis carried on a trade war against America, refusing to buy our surplus food or manufactured goods. Notable Moments: Hitler declared war on the U.S. in 1941 but actually launched economic war in 1934; James Dennison's beef tallow banned as "foreign food"; Nazi official invokes "sacred principle of German blood"; Dr. Wiener's $1,000 car junked for lack of a $10 carburetor; Nazi trade terms: buy $100,000 in parts only if you buy $1 million more in German goods for cash; German-American Commerce Bulletin blunder – telling the truth on page 12; "You can't do business with Hitler." Period Details: Broadcast 1942. Source: Douglas Miller's book (1941). Producer: Office for Emergency Management, Washington. Writer/director: Frank Shelford (credited as Frank Talbert in previous episodes). Narrator: Douglas Miller. Significance: This episode demonstrates how Nazi economic policy deliberately excluded American goods, harming both U.S. exporters and ordinary Germans (like Dr. Wiener). The propaganda blunder story shows the Nazis lying to Americans while telling Germans the opposite. The episode reinforces the series' central message: no compromise with Hitler is possible because the Nazis never intended fair trade. Subscribe for more historic broadcasts and vintage audio. #YouCantDoBusinessWithHitler #WWIIPropaganda #DouglasMiller #OfficeForEmergencyManagement #1942 #VintageRadio #Episode3 #NoAmericanGoodsWanted
