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Summary: Don't Blame IBM USA for what German Dehomag Hollerith did!
Review: Author Black has slanted this book and readers should understand this as they read it. First, the Hollerith machines were shipped to Germany long before IBM became IBM in 1924. His emphases on "IBM" in the leading chapters of the history shows he is bent on blaming IBM. In reality, the machines were designed to record and digest data, and it was wholly in the minds and hands of those businesses and governmental agencies throughout Germany how these machines were used. Black's pitch is like what is going on here in this country, i.e. blame the gun manufacturers because someone shot someone with their product, not the owner of the gun.During the 1930's the knowledge and card products to program and run the Dehomag company machines was self-contained in Germany and did not have to rely upon support from USA. Comments in the book also confirms this. The original card manufacturing plant was in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., and later started in Endicott, New York. These two plants were supporting all of the card production for the United States sales at the time. Was Watson interested in selling these machines once he entered what later became IBM? Certainly, that was the objective of the corporation. That is the objective of any corporation, to sell its product(s). The book is interesting to read and provides much information on what took place in Germany and the rest of Europe under the Nazi takeover and subversion of the various societies. But, Dehomag Hollerith was a German company, run by Germans, controlled by Nazi overseers who dictated the design of the cards and the use of the machines! The book should have been called "Germany and the Holocaust." But, then it probably would not sell too many copies and support the intended objective.
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Summary: A note on IBM
Review: As a serious academic scholar of the Holocaust, I find thatBlack's book posts many potential problems for IBM. True, IBM was notat the Wannsee conference that organized the Final Solution, but theHollerith machines did exist at the camps, with the Germansubsidiaries name printed on the electronic punchcard. At Mauthausen,they were called 'Haeftlingkarten', or prisoner cards. IBM main triedto buy out Dehomag because they were making money hand over fist, butthat is not the crime. The crime exists when Dehomag WENT TO THE CAMPSTO SERVICE THE MACHINES AND DELIVER MORE PUNCHCARDS. There is no waynot to know what is going on in a concentration camp that is fullyoperational. The stench of burning bodies is a bit difficult tomiss. No, IBM is probably not criminally liable for participating inthe murder of Jews and others, but like other companies that workedwith the German government (such as Ford, Bayer, Krupp, Daimler-Benzand Volkswagen)that used forced labor they surely profited off of thetreatment of enemies of the Reich. Yes, IBM knew what was going on,but they were making too much money, yet they didnt want to causetrouble with the Americans or the Nazis by saying something. It wassimply convenient for them to continue to sell millions of punchcardsto the German government, and not ask what they were used for, knowingfully well what they used them for when they saw the same cards whenthe technicians serviced the Hollerith machines at the camps. Blackgoes a bit far in trying to prove that IBM was a willing participantin the murder of the Jews. We can not look back and say that IBM knewwhat would happen when they introduced this technology. But they didproduce it for the German government in fast order, and they chose tobe silent when they found out what it was being used for....because itwas financially worth it to be silent. IBM did not create the gun, butthey created the better ammunition that helped to make a system ofkilling more efficient. If you doubt this, research IBM in Europe from1900-present, as virtually every book that discusses it does not talkat all about the war years.....IBM has done well in wiping out thatpart of its history. Black has documented his information thoroughly,but IBM is not as guilty of murder, but they are accomplices to thecrime.... For those that chalk this up to the Holocaust industry, staywith your accounting job, and leave history to the historians.
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Summary: A must read!
Review: This book is a must-read. Edwin Black and his team spent years combing archives and the Internet to gather data for this book, and the results must have IBM execs shaking in their shoes. The book is well-written AND documented to a fare-thee-well (61 pages of notes for 420 pages of text), and proves that IBM knew what their automation was being used for when they assisted the Nazi regime. IBM President Thomas J. Watson received a medal from Hitler for his services to the Reich. IBM employees designed and implemented systems that enabled the Reich to relentlessly slaughter human beings even in the midst of a two-front war. IBM's employees designed census forms which were entered onto Hollerith punchcards and processed to find Jews. Concentration camp prisoners were tracked relentlessly using Hollerith punchcards, which tracked everything from a prisoner's birth date and occupation to which physical punishments and tortures had been meted out. Hollerith punchcard systems were essential to the Reich's war machine and to keeping the machinery of death moving smoothly. At that time, IBM had a virtual stranglehold on punchcard technology. The machines were leased from IBM, and the cards could only be purchased from IBM. The cards for each job had to be custom-designed - by IBM. IBM profited handsomely from the deaths of millions. By using Watson's influence with Government officials judiciously and becoming as indispensable to the Allies as they were to the Germans, IBM got to keep the millions it made in Nazi-controlled Europe during the war. I've heard that there are lawsuits against IBM pending. If the IBM lawyers are smart, they'll settle. No amount of money can bring the dead back to life, but reparations are in order. IBM made millions making the Holocaust work, and simple justice demands that they forfeit that money, with punitive interest.
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Summary: THINK about it!
Review: An exceptional book!!! Hidden profits, endless patent infringement litigation, inappropriate dealings with government officials, and ultimate re-assimilation of subsidiaries and their blood-tainted earnings from blocked accounts all combine to portray a company that not only destroyed its competition, but actively assisted the Nazis in automating their establishments (census bureaus, railroads, SS offices, and concentration camps, to name a few) which colluded in the extermination of millions of Jews, gypsies, and social undesirables. Moreover, unlike such companies as Ford and Standard Oil that simply sold a product, IBM leased its Holleriths and had a vested interest in keeping the equipment functioning and the royalties flowing, providing the Nazis with on-site service and maintenance visits as well as specially-tailored punch card supplies throughout much of the war. A must read for anyone who is interested in the tragic consequences that occur when corporate and national self-interest collide.
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Summary: Pure Evil
Review: Genocide is pure evil. There are no special circumstances thatmitigate the action. If an individual is complicit in theimplementation of Genocide they are part of that evil. If anindividual or Corporation facilitates the administration of thegenocide, they or the company again are a part of that evil. Genocideis not unique to the Germany of the Nazi's, they were not the first,and they were not the final practitioners of the crime.Because abook documents unethical/amoral behavior by a company, in this caseIBM, the book is not automatically deserving of praise. It is notautomatically a scholarly work. It is not immune from the samestandards that any serious Historian must adhere to. Based on myreading of Mr. Edwin Black's book I believe IBM is certainly guilty ofbending every rule they could, breaking them when bending did notwork, and allowed business ethics to guide their decisions as opposedto the most minimal ethical standards that should guide any individualor company.Mr. Black has written about a valid topic. His decisionto make it a shrill editorial at times, and at others to communicatehis ignorance of basic business practices eliminates this book fromthe level of accuracy and excellence that true scholarshiprequires. Some examples should be noted to make my point. 1.IBM putthe blitz in krieg. 2.He compares Hitler's Brownshirts singing andswaying to their anti Semitic nonsense, to IBM salesmen in Blue Suitssinging Company songs in New York. 3.He would have readers believethat the world was aware and enraged about Hitler and his "FinalSolution" in 1933. This is pure nonsense, as any reputableHistorian will affirm. Even Mr. Black finally gets to the acceptedHistorical dates of the final solution. This unfortunately is not theonly inconsistency in the book. Mr. Black on more than one occasionwill temper inflammatory editorial at the book's beginning withwell-known facts at the end.On page 280 Mr. Black begins anexplanation of a financial maneuver that IBM implemented that wasabsolutely motivated by profit, and in no way influenced by events inGermany. However neither Mr. Black, his editors, proofreaders oranyone else corrected an extremely simplistic business event.Thisis important because it is so basic and so wrong and so repeated toillustrate a very valid point... The issue was IBM taking funds from ablocked account and investing the funds in their German subsidiaryeffecting the issuance of new stock. In point of fact doubling thecompany's investment. This action is about as far from "any otherstock split" as can be imagined. The damaging point he wasattempting to make was that IBM increased its investment in Germanyrather than be limited by 6% dividend caps, and severe taxpenalties. A "stock split" does not increase investment, it doesnot increase value, it does not enrich shareholders. If you own 1share out of 100, after a split you own 2 shares of 200. You own thesame amount of the company nothing changes. It is the most basic ofmath. IBM doubled their investment with a cash infusion, this is anentirely different event, and totally changes the complexion of whatthe Author was trying to communicate, and the level of noxiousbehavior IBM was a party to....You willhave to get by nonsense he espouses like; the dawn of technology wasthe sunset of humane conduct. He evidently missed the Genocide inArmenia, Lenin's and Stalin's Russia to name only three. How about theGenocide of people of color via the slave trade that legally continuedfor centuries prior to The Corporal showing up. How about the NativeAmericans in The United States?IBM was clearlyinterested in making money and securing international market shareahead of any concerns about how their machines were being used. Dothose that conducted the business during the time deservecondemnation, absolutely. And while we are at it let's be sure toinclude all the companies that were guilty. If you selectively choosecompanies, you selectively write History. When this happens you comedangerously close to revisionism, and that is a contemptibleact.The book and the subject is valid History... The IBM machine is one ofthe first displays when entering the museum. It drew so much attentionprior to this book, the display had to be scaled down. While this bookmay be the first in depth study of the topic, it is hardly theexposition of an unknown topic that this Author would have you believehe has introduced to the world.
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Summary: The Great IBM Stumbles...and I am shocked and saddened.
Review: This book answers some of the most important questions that arose from the hatred that spewed from the largest monster that ever walked on the face of the earth: The Third Reich. It shocked me to learn that the IBM corporation was largely responsible for the cataloging and logistic systems support in the muder of 6 million people. One of the world's most powerful corporations apparently knew what its systems were being used for mass murder. It saddened me to learn that much of my professional career was based on technologies first created to support the evil monster. This is an excellently written book. It is excellently researched and excellently reported. The facts in the book are unassailable and the book is fully foot noted. The contribution of this book to the knowledge of the Third Reich's processes, and the importance of information technology in that arena is significant. And in addition to all of that--it is an easy read. It is written in an easy to follow style. I strongly recommend this book to everyone who can read.
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Summary: Excellent
Review: Anyone criticizing this book probably hasn't read it and is interested in blindly defending IBM. It is ridiculous to think that IBM's CEO, Thomas Watson, didn't know how the IBM machines, and the tremendoes amount of punch cards, were being used. This was a man who received the second greatest honor bestowed by the Reich in the form of a medal. To say that IBM didn't know what was happening is worse than saying that nobody in Germany knew what was happening. IBM was not stupid....they knew. Only now, it is imperative to continue denying. It was interesting to note that after the war, IBM was able to reclaim its machinery.
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Summary: Another Scoop for Edwin Black
Review: I have to hand it to Mr. Black for uncovering the hidden secrets from the past. In his book "The Transfer Agreement" he did it and now he's at it again...Sad stuff...but it needs to be told...The truth will prevail!
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Summary: An intriguing book
Review: Thomas Watson (IBM's president during Nazi Germany) was both a personal confidant to FDR and decorated with the highest Nazi medal possible to a non-German (though after proudly accepting the award, several years later he returned it). He had personal correspondence with Hitler, and IBM America controlled 90% (i.e. had complete control) of the German subsidiary, Dehomag, and in fact exported to the German subsidiary much of the supplies needed during the first year or two of Nazi leadership (~1933-35). IBM produced practially ALL of the tools needed for Nazi efficiency in any type of statistical manner, and IBM was responsible (though no directly) for finding the names of Jews, their anscestry, etc. The list goes on, and the author has IBM and other documents to prove it, all in a well written and organized, intriguing book. As a side, it's funny to read other reviews (denying IBM's involvement) who either 1) didn't read the book, or 2) don't want to believe the truth when it's in front of their face. I question wether the person who said the author being an OS/2 advocate is the reason he wrote this book even read the preface. The author's parents are both Holocaust survivors, and he is himself a Jew, which is a far more logical reason to write this book than having a personal vendetta against IBM. I also question another reviewer's knowledge of this book when the person said "the premise that IBM knew at any point in the 30s that the Holocaust was going on is simply not true." There are many quotations of contemporary news papers (i.e. The New York Times) in this book, which show contemporaries were perfectly aware of the atmosphere in Germany, and of the Nazi agenda to "cleanse" Germany of the Jews. Hitler didn't hide his agenda, but broadcast it loud and clear for all to know. Wether knowledge of specific concentration camps was known is totally irrelevant. IBM was still creating specialized statistical devices to determine the "Jewry" of each German citizen, knowing full well what the information was for.
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Summary: Technological power is everyone's concern.
Review: As the son of an ICBM rocket designer, I have been concerned with ethics, economics and technological issues of power and progress all my life. This book will probably be subject to much criticism and vilification for the uncomfortable truths it reveals. Everyone concerned with human rights, racism government invasion of privacy and control should read this and in the motto of the book's main culprit Thomas J. Watson THINK. If we ever needed a clear example of the absolute political importance of privacy of personal information and limitations on the role of state intrusion into private lives this book may prove historically to be an important beacon for future generations. The very fact that this horrifying aspect has taken so long to emerge is added warning of the need for active vigilance in every one of us. I had only just finished reading James Bacque's 'Crimes and Mercies' which presents another mirror into a distorted past, the two books together are enough to make thinking people question many so called truths which they may have grown up with. Tell eveyone about this book. It doesn't matter how embarrassed IBM may be about its criminal past. This is an issue for everyone concerned with the use of powerful new technologies for profit beyond control.
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