Re: A Room for Everybody

[Dan Cardish <dcardish@spherenet.com>]

At 10:10 AM 24/11/96 EST, you wrote:
>A recent message to this group commented on relations between Leitz (the
>compny, owners and management) and the Nazis. ...[snip]

I think that a company should be judged by the actions of it officers, not
by its products.  You shouldn't blame Leitz simply because they made a fine
camera that was used by the nazis.  The British, during the war, held a
public campaign to obtain privately held Leicas to be used for the war
effort.  They too valued the camera, even though it was made by their enemy.
Furthermore, I have independently heard the story mentioned in an earlier
post concerning how Leitz would give cameras to emigrating Jews (when they
still could) because they were forbidden from taking currencies out of
Germany.  Is there any evidence that high ranking officers of Leitz (or of
the Letiz family) were active Nazis?

Dan C.