16 February 7 • 2019
jn

continued from page 14

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jews d
in 
the

International Jew’
 for the Dearborn 
Historian. McGraw explores the 
history of Ford and the Dearborn 
Independent with one overarching 
premise in mind — we cannot 
afford to forget our history, warts 
and all, if we are to learn from it 
and progress. 
McGraw wrote the piece while 
editor of the Dearborn Historian, a 
long-standing, regional historical 
journal. (He was terminated Jan. 
28; the same day Dearborn Mayor 
John O’
Reilly halted distribution 
of the Historian featuring his story. 
See page 12.) Prior to his current 
position, McGraw worked for 32 
years at the Detroit Free Press, after 
which he worked as a communi-
cations director for Compuware; 
co-founded the online news source, 
DeadlineDetroit.com; and was a 
feature writer for Bridge Magazine 
and other publications. 
His articles have appeared in a 
wide-range of journals, such as the 
New York Times, the Washington 
Post, the Toronto Globe and Mail, 
the Fifth Estate and Orbit. McGraw 
has also edited three books: Great 
Page in Michigan History, The 
Quotations of Mayor Coleman A. 
Young and, for Detroit’
s 300th 
birthday, The Detroit Almanac. 
“Henry Ford and ‘
The 
International Jew’
” is a well-re-
searched article that has two main 
themes. First, McGraw describes 
the anti-Semitic reports and publi-
cations generated by the Dearborn 
Independent, beginning in May 
1920. For the next two years, hard-
ly a week would pass without some 
anti-Semitic tract in the newspaper. 
Ford claimed he did not dictate 
nor monitor the editorial processes 
of the Independent, but this would 
appear to go against his nature of 
attempting to exert control over 
everything he owned or managed. 
Indeed, as McGraw points out: 
“Few people are aware of the details 
of how Ford spent millions on 
his paper and on the four-book 
International Jew series.” The lat-
ter publication sold more than 
200,000 copies a few years after 
it was printed and was translated 
into 12 languages, including, of 
course, German. McGraw pro-
vides a detailed narrative of the 
Independent’
s operations during 
this era, the development of its 

reputation both in America and 
abroad and, most poignant, Hitler’
s 
admiration for these works and 
Henry Ford the person.
But it is McGraw’
s second-
ary theme that is most chilling. 
The anti-Semitic writings of the 
Independent and The International 
Jew are still prevalent today. For 
example, a search easily finds these 
publications used as resources 
for neo-Nazi and far-right online 
newsletters and blogs.
McGraw, however, like many 
other historians who have tackled 
this subject, still can only speculate 
about one question: Why was Ford 
anti-Semitic? He didn’
t like banks. 
Was that the catalyst for his views? 
Ford grew up in rural America in 
the late-19th century with all its 
prejudices. Did this inform his 
opinion? No one really knows: Ford 
never directly addressed the founda-
tion of his opinions regarding Jews. 
There were also contradictions 
in his behavior. Ford relied upon 
Albert Kahn, a Jew, as his chief 
industrial designer and, until the 
Independent began its anti-Semit-
ic campaign, had been friendly 
with Rabbi Leo Franklin (after the 
Independent’
s campaign against 
Jews began, however, Franklin, 
famously, returned his Ford auto-
mobile, and as an editor of the 
Detroit Jewish Chronicle, took Ford 
to task).
“Henry Ford and ‘
The 
International Jew’
” is a good read. 
It is good history, and it has an 
important lesson, one that is most 
relevant for current American and 
world politics.
I got the chance to ask McGraw a 
few questions regarding his reasons 
for writing this article, what he 
learned along the way and what he 
hopes it accomplishes: 
 
Q: As you have noted, your 
article does not describe a “happy 
story.” Moreover, this disturb-
ing story shows the dark side of 
one of Michigan’
s and America’
s 
leading historical figures, the man 
who more than any other individ-
ual put America on wheels. Why 
did you decide to write this story?
Bill: I’
ve researched the story of 
Henry Ford and anti-Semitism for 
years but had the chance to write 
about it only once or twice for the 

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