1945. The Nazi Propaganda Ministry's Record on Bill Downs

The Nazi Propaganda Ministry's File on Bill Downs

In 1945 Lieutenant Colonel John M. Redding sent Bill Downs a brief file kept on him by the Nazi Propaganda Ministry. The file was created in response to an article in Newsweek published on February 21, 1944. Redding wrote:

HEADQUARTERS BERLIN DISTRICT COMMAND SHAEF PUBLIC RELATIONS PARTY

11 July 1945

Mr. William Downs
Columbia Broadcasting System
New York, New York

Dear Bill:

In going through the Propaganda Ministry records in Berlin, we found the enclosed dossier, kept by the Nazis on your activities. I thought you might like to have it as a memento.

Mostly, I don't know what it says, although I am told that perhaps I could make some money by selling it.

John M. Redding
Lt. Col., AC

The file reads:

Sparte: AusL. Korr. 

1943: Korr. C.B.S. in Moskau. 

Kehrte Anfang 1944 nach den USA zurück und schrieb darauf in der Zs. "Newsweek", dass die Verluste der Sowjetunion in diesem Kriege in Moskau auf 15 Millionen Tote geschätzt würden. Wahrscheinlich würde aber niemals irgend jemand genau erfahren, wieviele Sowjetbürger wirklich in diesem schrecklichsten aller Kriege umgekommen seien.

Downs also received a translation:

File, concerning: Foreign correspondents

1943: Correspondent. CBS in Moscow.

Returned to U.S.A. beginning of 1944, then stated in magazine "Newsweek" that the losses of the Soviet Union during this war in Moscow are estimated to be 15 millions. Probably nobody would ever learn exactly how many citizens of the Soviets really perished in this most horrible of all wars.