On an Austrian Train, Hitler’s Voice Played Over the Loudspeakers
New York TimesMay 15, 2023
The Facts
Bloomfield Auctions in Belfast is set to auction off a silver-plated pencil that purportedly belonged to Adolf Hitler at its upcoming event that will also feature a signed photo of the Nazi dictator and an 1869 hand-written pardon from Queen Victoria for Irish rebels.
The pencil is thought to be a gift from Hitler’s romantic partner Eva Braun for his 52nd birthday on April 20, 1941, and is estimated to sell for between £50K ($61K) and £80K ($98K).
The Spin
Narrative A
Selling Nazi memorabilia, or anything belonging to Adolf Hitler, serves to memorialize a brutal regime that massacred millions of Jewish people. Some countries have laws against selling Nazi items, but the UK does not. This has led to people making profits off items belonging to some of the most evil people in human history. Profiting off possessions from the Nazi regime is a slap in the face to the Jewish community.
Narrative B
Auctioning items that belonged to Nazis or Adolf Hitler in no way honors or promotes the heinous acts they committed. The sale of such items should be allowed because World War II was one of the most significant events in human history, and people should be allowed to preserve artifacts, even if they are from unspeakably dark times. While it's a very sensitive subject, we must be able to separate our strong condemnation of evil from the right to preserve history.