hidden Jews. The Ukrainians were passive, benumbed by the "Bolshevist terror." Only the ethnic
Germans in the area were busily working for the Einsatzgruppe. (Raul Hilberg, The Destruction of
the European Jews, 1961, p. 202)
The Slavic population stood estranged and even aghast before the unfolding spectacle of the
"final solution." There was on the whole no impelling desire to cooperate in a process of such
utter ruthlessness; and the fact that the Soviet regime, fighting off the Germans a few hundred
miles to the east, was still threatening to return, undoubtedly acted as a powerful restraint
upon many a potential collaborator. (Raul Hilberg, The Destruction of the European Jews, 1961,
p. 201)
First, truly spontaneous pogroms, free from Einsatzgruppen influence, did not take place; all
outbreaks were either organized or inspired by the Einsatzgruppen. Second, all pogroms were
implemented within a short time after the arrival of the killing units; they were not
self-perpetuating, nor could new ones be started after things had settled down. (Raul Hilberg
summarizing anti-Jewish activity in Ukraine, The Destruction of the European Jews, 1961, p. 204)
The Ukrainian violence as a whole did not come up to expectations. (Raul Hilberg, The
Destruction of the European Jews, 1961, p. 204)
Do you not find it disturbing, Mr. Jordan, that 60 Minutes' claim of a massive pre-German pogrom in Lviv is
contradicted by Simon Wiesenthal's earlier statements that the pogrom was post-German? And do you not find it even
more disturbing that when we turn from media stars like Simon Wiesenthal and television announcers like Morley Safer
to respected historians - in fact, the most respected historian of the Jewish Holocaust, Raul Hilberg himself - that
there is a curious lack of awareness of this most egregious of all World War II pogroms, and in fact flat denials that
anything of the sort ever happened?
Yours truly,
Lubomyr Prytulak
cc: Ed Bradley, Steve Kroft, Morley Safer, Lesley Stahl, Mike Wallace
Jordan Letter 3 May 14/96 Nowhere is the SS so openly celebrated
May 14, 1996
Michael H. Jordan
Chairman, Westinghouse Electric Corporation
11 Stanwix Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
USA 15222
Dear Mr. Jordan:
There are certain questions that keep revolving in my mind to which I can't seem to find any answers - perhaps
you could help me with one of these.
The particular question which I have in mind at the moment is what it was that led Morley Safer to the conclusion
that the Galicia Division reunion in Lviv - scenes of which were shown on "The Ugly Face of Freedom" - was in fact the
most open celebration of the SS imaginable - in Mr. Safer's own words: "Nowhere, not even in Germany, is the SS so
openly celebrated."
Now for what strikes Mr. Safer as being the most open of all conceivable celebrations of the SS, I would think
that the corroborative scenes shown should have contained all, or most, or at least several of the following
ingredients:
(1) a display of photographs of Hitler,
(2) a display of photographs of Himmler, head of the SS,
(3) a display of swastikas,
(4) a display of the lightning-bolt "SS" insignia, or any "SS" insignia,
(5) the playing of Nazi songs, perhaps Nazi marching songs,
(6) goose-stepping on the part of the participants,
(7) participants raising their hands in the "Heil Hitler!" salute,
(8) pro-Nazi literature distributed to the participants as part of the celebration,
(9) pro-Nazi statements elicited from the participants by reporters,
(10) pro-Nazi statements made by speakers addressing the celebrants,
(10) reminiscences of Nazi successes during World War II,
(12) expressions of anti-Semitism.
I would think that before a summary as extreme as "Nowhere, not even in Germany, is the SS so openly celebrated,"
a responsible reporter would have mentally run over such a check-list to measure precisely how much corroboration was
really at hand. Had Mr. Safer done this, he would have come up with a remarkable figure - and that figure is exactly
zero! Zero out of a possible twelve! In other words, the scenes aired by 60 Minutes contain not a shred of evidence
- not the smallest clue, not the slightest hint - that this was in any way a "celebration of the SS." To speak words
as provocative and inflammatory as were Mr. Safer's, while at the same time offering as corroboration scenes which in
no way support those words, perhaps demonstrates the contempt in which Mr. Safer holds the intelligence of the 60
Minutes viewer.
Had Mr. Safer done just a bit of homework before he started talking, he would have discovered that the Galicia
Division was a combat unit whose only role was to fight the Soviet advance on the Eastern Front. Had Mr. Safer done
just a bit of reading before giving vent to his prejudices and stereotypes, he would have discovered that the Galicia
Division has never been so much as accused of any war crimes or any crimes against humanity - not even by the Soviets
