IBM - Their relation to the Third Reich

[Hiro]

Last night I went to the mall with my girlfriend for dinner...we stopped in the book store. Im an avid reader and usually buy books by unknown authors. Last night, I saw this one book up at the front of the store and it just caught my eye. I had to buy it.

Title : "IBM And The Holocaust - The strategic alliance between Nazi Germany and America's most powerful corporation."

Author : Edwin Black

Normally, I usually focus on Science Fiction books. But every now and then a book like this catches my eye. This is honestly the one event in history I can ever relate to because my grandparents faught in World War II against the son of a bitch Hitler.

Just in the first two chapters a lot is told that I never really knew. Such as IBM made the punch cards that counted everyone, labeled certain people for death and extermination by different methods, and which had died from work. Its just hard to believe the IBM cooperated in this bullsh.t.

Lets just say I will never buy another IBM product in my life.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0609607995/o/qid=986064000/sr=2-1/107-2115094-7808519
:(

*if this is in the wrong topic section, i apologize. didn't really know where to post it*

[Edited by Corsec on 03-31-2001 at 10:52 AM]

[cruelpupet]

First off, yes this is in the wrong section. I'd label it Off Topic, or Suckage: IBM.

As for IBM's involvement with the Nazi's, I dont think its as bad as that book makes it out to be. I'll admit that I dont know much about the subject, but I have seen the book around, and to me it looks like they bend the truth to make IBM look bad (so they sell more copies).

From what you describe, it seems that IBM made a computerized cataloging system. It could just as easily be sold to a company like UPS, so they would know what boxes go where, in fact they probably did sell that system to someone else. The fact that the Nazi's used it to catalog people instead of boxes is not IBM's fault.

[ufcrusher]

I saw a couple of news reports that developed after the intital research was done and subsequent to the book being published. What it comes down to is that IBM machines were used by the Nazis, but they were standard census machines. When news of what was occurring, or rather rumors (at that time), of what was occurring reached the US, IBM ordered that it and all subsidiaries not sell the Nazis anymore products or supplies. Apparently a "rogue" divison in Switzerland (although it could have been the Netherlands) violated the order and continued selling the machines and supplies to the Nazis.

According to the books author, there would have been no other feasible way for Hitler to have attempted such a large mass extermination attempt other than with the aid of IBM products. His apparent take on the matter is that because it was original IBM machines, supplies, and an IBM subsidiary was still supplying the Nazi's, IBM as a whole is liable. While it is certainly plausible that IBM was selling its machinery to Germany before the horror of the holocaust was brought to light, I find it a bit hard to believe that IBM would have a "rogue" division that would go directly against the company policy.

Either way, the entire situation is one that could garner a lot of debate and have dire impacts for IBM.

[helius]

The evidence is definitely not overwhelming. See here (http://www.cmht.com/casewatch/civil/ibm.html).

[topane]

Damn lawyers. If I accidentally run over someone in my Chevy, should GM be sued cause they made the f**king car?

[sbp]

Fucking lawyers. Whenever you turn around there's another bastard trying to capitalize off the suffering of others. :nono:

Lawsuit against IBM to be dropped (http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001-03-29-ibm.htm)