• 111 011.4.11 10maietemoolosiiimio--
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
20 Friday, July 31, 1981
Lasky Profiles Ford Family, Their Legacies, Edsel's Memories
interest in the back-
ground of the family, the
grandfather's anti-
Semitism, the people who
figured in the various
occurrences, incidents
and escapades.
In his portrayals of the
Henry Ford II personal life,
Lasky draws upon his most
recent real estate involve-
ments, his relationships
with Max M. Fisher and Al
Taubman in the various
contributions towards the
elevation of the standards
directed towards Detroit's
improvements, such as the
Renaissance glory and simi-
lar concerns in making
their home city a place of
deepening respect.
The land development
schemes involving Max
Fisher, Al Taubman and
Henry Ford II all allegedly
involved private ventures
which provided tax shelters
for Ford. "Neither was
named a defendant" and
would not comment, Lasky
wrote, and these accusa-
tions therefore emerge more
"Never Complain, Never
Explain" is the title Victor
Lasky selected, from a
comment to a reporter by
Henry Ford II, for his biog-
raphy of the grandson of
Henry Ford I and the son of
Edsel Ford.
It became a controversial
book, resented by the sub-
ject of the biography be-
cause of the emphasis on the
Marriages, the sex life, the
accusation that the present
generation auto magnate
was an alcoholic. --
This book has great merit
as an historic document for
this and perhaps future
generations because it is
more than a biography of
. Henry Ford II. It is the story
of the Ford family, of the
dominant empire that
emerged as a leader in the
automobile industry.
Students of this indus-
trial era will be especially
intrigued by the evolu-
tionary descriptions of
the rise of the Ford em-
pire. The Lasky book, at
the same time, revives an
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1
HENRY FORD II
as rumors which were then
rampant in the story of the
Renaissance Center.
Marjorie (Mrs. Max)
Fisher figures prominently
in this biographical tale.
Marjorie is portrayed
as the good hostess. Mar-
jorie had very close rela-
tionships with the women
in Ford's life. There is this
reference to this subject
in "Never Complain,
Never Explain" (Richard
Marek Publishers).
"As usual Henry was say-
ing very little publicly
about his failed marriage.
Or, for that matter, about
his relationship with Kathy
DuRoss, though he never
made any secret of his
closeness to the former
model. Nor was Kathy reti-
cent about her relationship
with Henry. Talking with a
newspaperwoman about
what a 'great hostess' Mrs.
Max Fisher was, Kathy
said, 'Henry and I stayed
with the Fishers in Palm
Beach and we both said it
was like staying in your
own home. She is so relaxed,
she makes running the
house, having dinner on the
table. seem to be effortless,
but everything is superb.'
"Never Complain, Never
Explain" is the story of all
the Fords, and Victor Lasky
does not ignore the
grandfather, his prejudices,
peculiarities, the characters
he surrounded himself with,
his anti-Semitism.
The reconstruction of
the era in which the elder
• Ford created a field for
the anti-Semites serves as
an addendum to the re-
views of the books on
Ford extensively re-
viewed in The Jewish
News, June 5, 1981, issue.
Lasky wrote on this sub-
ject:
"Among those `powerful
enemies' were the Jews,
who, Ford had come to be-
lieve, dominated both in-
ternational banking and
revolutionary movements.
In fact, Ford thought the
Jews were so powerful that
Catholics were their tools.
To obtain material backing
up his thesis, Ford hired a
pack of detectives. -Com-
municating in code and
identified by numbers such
as 101X, the sleuths hung
around synagogues and in-
filtrated Jewish organiza-
tions looking for Jewish
`secrets.'
"Still Ford refused to
relax his anti-Semitism,
even when Hearst editor
Arthur Brisbane, an old
friend, appealed to Ford
to cut out the nonsense. yoked reflections made President in 1940, tried this
The problem with Bris- upon them .. .
tactic in seeking a $500,000
bane, the Independent
" 'I deem it to be my duty contribution from Ford. In
countered, was that he as an honorable man to time Ford became wise to
'has' not studied the make amends for the wrong the gambit. When told
(Jewish) Question.' And done to the Jews as fellow- about the 'Jews around
when 121 prominent men and brothers, by ask- Roosevelt,' Ford pulled a
non-Jewish Americans, ing their forgivenessfor the surprise. 'Well,' he said,
including two former harm I have unintention- `that's all right. If 'they' we-
Presidents, William ally committed, by retract- ren't around Roosevelt to
Howard Taft and Wood- ing so far as lies within my handle the money, this
row Wilson, also pro- power the offensive charges country would go broke in a
tested to Ford, he kept on laid at their door by these hurry.'
running the articles, con- publications, and by giving
`Ford's antagonism
tending that there was them, the unqualified as- toward the Jews did not
nothing in them that surance that henceforth sit too well with his only
could conceivably hurt they may look to me for son. For one thing, his
friendship and goodwill.'
anyone:
father's, crude anti-
"The apology was ac- Semitism offended Eds,
. "So convinced was Ford
that the Jews were behind cepted, and the fiction as being preposterous
President Lincoln's assas- spread that somehow Moreover, it was bad for
sination that he spent a Ford's anti-Semitism had business. The feeling was
small fortune seeking to been imposed upon him that many Jews were re-
discover John Wilkes by aides who had fed him fusing to buy Ford prod-
Booth's body in order to false information. That ucts."
prove his theory. Just as was true too, but the-fact
Henry Ford II, the subject
weird was Ford's discovery remains that the motor of the Lasky biography, as
magnate
never
got
of The Protocols of the
was indicated in the reviews
Learned Elders of Zion, a around to sacking those in the June 5 issue, atoned
notorious forgery purport- underlings. And as the for the grandfather's sins.
ing to reveal the inside facts Richmond Times- He took an interest in lib-
of a worldwide conspiracy Dispatch noted, 'In deny- eral movements including
for Jewish conquest. Por- ing knowledge of the the ADL, and became a sup-
tions of this document, anti-Semitic policy, he porter of Israel, opposing
which had in fact been used has set himself up as a
the Arab boycott, contribut-
to foment pogroms in czarist target for ridicule.' His ing to the United Jewish
old
editorial
adversary,
Russia, were published in
Appeal through the Detroit
the Dearborn Independent, the Chicago Tribune, ob- Allied Jewish Campaign.
served,
Mr.
Ford
ad-
blaming the Jews for virtu-
These facts are not men-
ally every misfortune ever Irances an empty head to tioned by Lasky, but he does
explain his cold feet.'
experienced by man.
have this important refer-
"Remarkably, Henry Nevertheless Jewish ence to Henry Ford II being-
Ford could not understand leaders viewed Ford's re- recognized for his philan-
why his Jewish friends were cantation as a major vic- thropic role, etcetera. As
turning against him. After tory.
Lasky states:
all, he was not against them
"One of the founder's ec-
personally; he was only
centricities that continued
against evil 'international'
to embarrass the family,
types. With.his typically in-
even after his death, was his
consistent outlook Ford
, anti-Semitism. 'We knew, of
used as the chief architect of
course, that my great-
many of his plants Albert
grandfather had apologized
Kahn, who was Jewish; and
to the Jewish people,' says
he was absolutely dismayed
Benson Ford, Jr., 'But we
when a prominent, Detroit
had also heard that the
rabbi whom he admired re-
apology was not all that
turned a gift of a brand-new
convincing. There were
Model T. He was flabber-
jokes in the family that the
gasted when protest
reasons why Cadillacs were
marches and even riots oc-
outselling Lincolns was be-
curred outside Ford show-
cause Jewish people were
rooms where the Indepen-
VICTOR LASKY
refusing to buy Ford prod-
dent was on display. A
"But was it really? In ucts.'
Jewish boycott cu't into
1938, on the occasion of his
"Following Ford's
Ford's sales.
75th birthday, Henry Ford death, the -family sought
"In 1926 Ford was slap- received the Grand Cross of to undo the damage
ped with two libel suits the German Eagle from the wrought by the old mans
brought about by his anti- Nazi-vice consul. Deluged
provacative views. His
Semitic accusations. The with protests, Ford told re- grandsons Henry and
last thing he wanted was to porters that his acceptance Benson participated in
go into court and reppat his of the second-highest Ger-
various community
Chicago Tribune experi- man decoration did not 'in- enterprises aimed at
ence. And the last thing his volve any sympathy on my combating religious
company needed was a new part with Nazism.' prejudice.,Fventually the
flare-up over Ford's anti- Moreover, he insisted, he
anti-Semitic issue was
Semitism. His son, Edsel, felt that stories about Nazi
laid to test, as far as the
among others, urged a set- persecution of the Jews had family was concerned.
tlement. Finally Ford been vastly exaggerated.
"As recently as May 1980,
"Despite his highly pub- Henry Ford II was given the
agreed to a public apology:
" 'Trusted friends with licized apology, Ford was Anti-Defamation League
whom I have conferred re- still perceived as being American Heritage award,
cently have assured me in anti-Semitic. Ford told of a
with many notable speakers
all sincerity that in their meeting he had with paying tribute to his `genius
opinion the character of the President Roosevelt; 'He in building America,'
charges and Insinuations took up five minutes telling cluding his contribution
made against the Jews, both me of his ancestry. He
the Anti-Defamation
individually and collec- wanted to prove to me that
League's ideal of seeking 'to
tively, contained in many of he had no Jewish blood.'
end the defamation of the
the articles which have And certain Republican
Jewish people and to secure
been circulated periodically political fund-raisers felt justice and fair treatment
in the Dearborn (Indepen- they could do well with the
for all citizens alike.' Ford,
dent and have been re- old man by reciting the
who made no reference to
printed in the pamphlets names of Jews who sur-
his grandfather in his re-
mentioned, justifies the rounded FDR, their
marks, was deeply ap-
righteous indignation Jewishness often fic-
preciative."
entertained by Jews tionalized.
Henry Ford met with
"In fact, according to
everywhere toward me be-
cause of the mental anguish Harry Bennett, Wendell David Ben-Gurion in De-
(Continued on Page 21)
occasioned by the unpro- Wilkie, running _ for