Remembering the Space Age. - Black Vault Radio Network (BVRN)

OperatION paperCLIp IN hUNtSVILLe, aLaBaMa
particular outrage over the fact that it might be true . . . again,
huntsville is in no position . . . because . . . you had slavery
right here . . . and many of the same people are still here today
. . . and even if they’re not, they’re from other parts of the
South . . . and you have the same immorality. 27
Smith emphasizes the slave labor system of the South, even though the
system was not limited to this area of the United States. this may be his
interpretation of the Jim Crow system that was implemented only in the
Southern States and is generally seen as having continued the racist ideals of the
earlier slave labor system. the mentality of those who enforced and complied
with the Jim Crow system is, therefore, similar to that of those who enforced
and complied with the previous slave labor system. this implies that white
Northerners had potentially acquired a diferent mindset since the slave labor
system ended while white Southerners had not. Whether that is a fair assertion
or not, Smith’s comment is signifcant because of the connection he makes
between German and american histories of cruelties committed against those
perceived as racial minorities.
Sonnie hereford describes how white people in huntsville dealt with
segregation, which seems remarkably similar to attitudes of the majority of
Germans towards the plight of Jewish people and other minorities during the
third reich.
Many Caucasians here . . . were just nonchalant. I mean with
some of them, they knew that the black people were being
mistreated, but they weren’t trying to do anything about it,
and then there were some of them doing the mistreating. You
know what I mean. and there were a few that wanted to
work with us to try to change it. 28
Of course, what made the Germans diferent from other white people in
town was their newcomer status and foreignness. that status apparently came
with expectations on behalf of african american residents that were quickly
disappointed.
Well, we were hoping that . . . they might join us in our fght
for freedom . . . But I guess we were naïve . . . We were
thinking . . . since they were encountering some resistance . . .
maybe they’ll join with us and all of us will fght . . . But . . . I
27. Smith interview, July 29, 2007.
28. hereford interview, July 19, 2007.
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