VARIETY
THE ANTI-AMERICAN
WITCH HUNT IN THE YEAR 1953
Observing the recent flourishing
of the anti-American myth in Ger–
many we discern three stages:
1951, 1952, 1953.
1951 saw the publication of
Ernst von Salomon's
Fragebogen,
which proved to be the most pop–
ular book since
M ein Kampf
and
The Myth of the Twentieth Gen-,
tury.
Only in the last hundred of
its eight hundred pages does it
deal with Americans, the tenor be–
ing: "America is no better either."
The Germans, tired of being urged
to repent of their conduct between
1933 and 1945, heaved a sigh of
relief at this presentation of an
equally culpable America. Salomon
provided the return ticket with
which one could comfortably go
back to old times as if nothing had
happened.
During the following year there
appeared another book, a not un–
interesting report interlarded with
sentimentality and a rather pathe–
tic, zealously denunciatory ideol–
ogy. Jungk, American correspond–
ent for some German papers,
called his book
The Future Has
Already Begun.
Although it did not
have the effect of Salomon's auto–
biography, it represents an interest–
ing ideological link between the
years '51 and '53. This work was
347
first published in Germany as a
series of articles, under the much
more characteristic title
America
Without a Mask.
Anti-American
ideologists of this sort don't want
to criticize, they want to unmask.
Pretending to expunge the Amer–
ica-myth they create a new one:
the myth of America as the antag–
onist of God.
Salomon's ideology was still
pretty harmless. For him it was
sufficient to absolve the German
people of guilt. Jungk introduced
the theme: "America versus God,"
which was to be more vigorously,
more effectively orchestrated by
Matthias. But even Jungk's myth–
ologizing inflated the American
people into a diabolic monstrosity.
Here we find such statements:
For even today, Americans are con–
cerned with much more than the pos–
session of land. They are basically
more ambitious than even their sharp–
est opponents would dare to believe.
That is to say, they aim not at do–
minion over continents, or even the
entire globe; they strive for something
infinitely higher. America endeavors
to gain power over the "All," com–
plete and absolute mastery over the
universe of nature in all of its man–
ifestations.
This particular power-drive is not
directed against any existing nations,
classes, races, elites, or castes. Its at–
tack is not upon governments but upon
those very forms of creation which have
been unshaken since the beginning, the
clouds, the wind, plants and animals;
it seeks to conquer and subject the
infinite heavens themselves. What is at
stake is not the seat of this dictator or
that president, but the very throne of
God. America aspires to repeat His
deeds, to create anew that cosmos
which He has already supremely or-
