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are making this difficulty about getting rid of Barletta and other anti-American representatives
of GM." Barletta was GM's Cuban representative.
Questioned about these activities by Hoover's men, Mooney insisted he was a patriotic
American, a lieutenant commander in the Reserves in the United States Navy, with a son on
active duty with the Navy. Asked by the FBI's L.L. Tyler in mid-October 1940 if he would return
the Hitler medal he said he would, "but it might jeopardize General Motors getting part of the
$100,000,000 of stockholders' money invested in Nazi Germany." Clearly, along with
other Fraternity members, Mooney was working for a quick negotiated peace to release those
funds; but even in this time of European war, they were gathering interest toward the time
when the war would be over, and America would stand next to Hitler in the scheme of things.
He added, "Besides, Hitler is in the right and I'm not going to do anything to make him mad. I
know Hitler has all the cards." He said he was sure Hitler would win the war; that there was
justice in Hitler's general position; that Germany needed more room; and that if we tried to
prevent the expansion of the German people under Hitler, it would be "just too bad for us."
Soon after making these remarks, Mooney was promoted to assistant to Sloan in charge of
defense liaison work in Detroit! In a special report to J. Edgar Hoover, FBI agent Tyler stated
(July 23, 1941): "Men of Mr. Mooney's prominence, holding the views he holds, are potentially
dangerous to national security."
Tyler was convinced, he went on, that Mooney "was threatening to the National Defense
Program" that Mooney purportedly was aiding. Tyler also felt that Graeme K. Howard was a
danger. He had been given a secret report from the State Department, which made clear that
Sumner Welles, the Under Secretary of State, had had to threaten Howard with public
exposure before Howard would agree to fire nine hundred Nazi spies working for the General
Motors Export Corporation in South America.
On May 1, J. Edgar Hoover reported to Adolf Berle that he had evidence that Eduard Winter
was a Nazi agent, who moved freely around Europe and had been given his position by
Mooney in Antwerp just after Hitler occupied the Low Countries. Adding that Winter "hopes to
be on the winning side whichever is victorious in the present conflict," Hoover stated that
Winter was the son-in-law of a German Foreign Office official. He had good party connections
in Germany. In a comment on this note, John Riddleberger of the State Department said, "I
can easily understand how Mr. Mooney's and Mr. Winter's minds would run along the same
channel with respect to the war."
Further reports on Mooney state that he had aided the Germans as director and financial
contributor to the German-American Board of Trade for Commerce, which greatly aided certain
Nazis. The German-American Commerce Association Bulletin contained pictures of Mooney
standing in front of a swastika; it named him as a GACA financial contributor.
On March 21, 1942, representatives of Du Pont were reported by the U.S. Consulate in Basle
to be meeting with representatives of Hermann Goring's industries at Montreux and St. Moritz.
The subject of the discussions was not disclosed, but the meeting caused grave concern in
Switzerland. It was alleged in reports after the war that substantial Du Pont funds were
retained from 1942 on in Occupied France, gathering interest for Du Pont/General Motors.
On April 15, 1942, a curious item appeared in Gestapo reports in Berlin. Eduard Winter, it
seemed, had been arrested on suspicion of American espionage. He was now running the
General Motors Adam- Opel unit in Nazi Germany and had fallen foul of Wilhelm Ohnesorge,
the postminister who had similarly denounced Westrick. As in the ITT matter, Himmler stepped
in and Winter was released. It was clear that, like Ford, General Motors was protected from
seizure in time of war. Winter continued as usual.
On July 3, 1942, the U.S. Embassy in Panama sent a lengthy report to the Secretary of State,
giving particulars of Nazi activities in the area. A paragraph read: "General Motors gives orders
for molds to the Nazi firm, Erca, or via, the firm Alpa, San Martin. Both firms should be on the
blacklist because they employ Nazis and work together with Nazi firms." The companies were
not blacklisted.
On November 25, the Nazi alien property custodian appointed Carl Luer, an official of the
government and the Dresdnerbank as manager of the General Motors Adam-Opel
establishment at Russelsheim. This establishment manufactured military aircraft for the
German government throughout World War II. It manufactured 50 percent of all Junkers Ju 88
propulsion systems; the Junkers was the deadliest bomber of the Nazi air force. It was decided
by a special court at Darmstadt shortly after November 25 that the directorial board under
Eduard Winter would remain unaltered.
Charles Levinson, formerly deputy director of the European office of the GO, alleged in his
book Vodka-Cola,
Alfred Sloan, James D. Mooney, John T. Smith and Graeme K. Howard
remained on the General Motors-Opel board ... in flagrant violation of
existing legislation, information, contacts, transfers and trade continued
[throughout the war] to flow between the firm's Detroit headquarters and its
subsidiaries both in Allied countries and in territories controlled by the Axis
powers. The financial records of Opel Russelsheim revealed that between
1942 and 1945 production and sales strategy were planned in close
coordination with General Motors factories throughout the world. ... In 1943,
while its American manufacturers were equipping the United States Air
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