Today we celebrate Memorial Day, a holiday which commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. We know us dachshunds have a bit of a tangled past in the United States, and even the UK, in regard to our German ancestry during times of great world wars, most notably World War One. Today though, we are going to look at how a 6-year-old Dachshund Lover spoke up to Henry Morgenthau, Jr., the Secretary of the Treasury, about how Dachshund imagery was being used to sell war bonds during World War Two. This article is via The New York Times, April 5, 1943:MORGENTHAU DEFENDS DACHSHUND CARTOON
Calms Boy Protesting Use With Hitler's Face on It
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., April 4
A war bond advertisement caricaturing a dachshund with Hitler's face so enraged John Anson, a 6-year-old dachshund fancier, that he wrote to Secretary Morgenthau saying that "you ought to be ashamed of yourself."
Today the San Francisco boy had a reply bearing the great seal of the Secretary of the Treasury and apologizing to dachshunds in general.
"I asked him (Mr. Morgenthau) not to make fun of dachshunds or to make them unhappy by drawing Hitler's face on them," John said. "I told him I had two dachshunds and that they were nice little dogs and I loved them and that they were good Americans."
John felt better about it today after his mother read to him this reply, dated March 27, from Mr. Morgenthau's secretary:
Dear John:
The Secretary read your letter with a great deal of interest and he asked me to thank you for writing him.
He was sorry that you thought he was making fun of dachshunds, for Mrs. Morgenthau and he have a dachshund themselves and both are very fond of this breed of dog.
Of course, those pictures are made to catch the eye of people who read their papers hurriedly, and so the artist must try to express just one idea in a simple way with each picture.
Will you please tell your dachshund that there was no intention to insult them or the other members of their breed?
We're not sure if the above Dachshund imagery was used to sell war bonds, but it depicts the head of Hitler, as discussed in this post.
Dachshund Lover Henry Morgenthau, Jr., the 52nd United States Secretary of the Treasury.Woof! Have a great day, and don't miss some amazing stories of dachshunds and the military from the archives:
Veterans Day and Dachshunds
Dachshunds in Pop Culture: Fritz and the "Jane" Cartoon Series
Dachshunds in History: The Saga of Sgt. Wally D. Hund
Dachshunds Reunited with their Dads in the News
Dachshunds and Veterans Day
Dachshunds Teleconferencing with their Dads in Iraq in the News
Dachshunds in History: Mimi, A Most Unpopular Dog During WW2
Memorial Day Dachshund: Meet Gus
Dachshund News Roundup! - story on Vietnam War Veteran Jim Quick and his dachshund
Dachshund News Roundup! - story on Iraq War Veteran Scott MacKenzie and his new rescue boy
Dachshunds in History: Hark! Hark! The Dogs Do Bark!
Dachshunds in History: Dogs of War
Huh. That Dachshund kinda looks more like Kaiser Wilhelm than Hitler. It's got the Kaiser's mustache and pointy helmet.
ReplyDeleteI loves me some Dachshunds, though. And in Soldotna, Alaska, many of them march in city parades (Weenies on Parade).