IBM involvement w/ Germany during WWII (was Re: Christie's auction...)

[Lyle Bickley]

Eric is correct - IBM Germany was independent - and this is a well documented 
fact.

However, before the U.S. entered WW II (1937), Watson Sr. was invited to visit 
Berlin for the Internation Chamber of Commerce.  Watson was awarded the Cross 
of Merit, Germany's second highest honor for foreigners.  The medal was a 
gold and white enamel cross adorned in each corner by a German Eagle resting 
on a swastika. The award was given "In your work for the International 
Chamber of Commerce, you have also worked for Germany".  The medal came to 
haunt both IBM and Watson Sr. as the true goals of the Nazis came to be 
understood.

During in the War, Willy Heidinger, the head of IBM's German subsidiary, and 
Watson, Sr. became bitter adversaries.

For an excellent (non-biased) look at IBM during the War years you might want 
to read "The Maverick and his Machine" by Kevin Maney - a history of Thomas 
Watson, Sr. and the making of IBM.  Of the several books I've read on the 
history of IBM, I consider it the best.

Cheers,
Lyle

On Sunday 20 February 2005 11:00, Eric Smith wrote:
> James Cosper wrote:
> > Basically it's saying that IBM had contracts with the US Gov for
> > advanced computing equipment during the war.
> >
> > That they leased the same or similar equipment to Germany, and to each
> > country that Germany took over, specifically for doing the Census,
> > Banking, controlling industrial inventory and computing train schedules.
>
> So the US Government allowed IBM to lease equipment and sell cards
> to the Axis powers during the war?  This seems hard to believe.
> I wouldn't have thought that the US would have exported *anything* to
> the Axis (other than munitions), even things as mundane as pencils or
> paperclips.
>
> Since IBM Deutchland manufactured equipment locally, I would have
> thought that it was operating autonomously during the war, without
> support from IBM headquarters.
>
> Eric

-- 
Lyle Bickley
Bickley Consulting West Inc.
http://bickleywest.com
"Black holes are where God is dividing by zero"