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You often see photos of Henry Ford being awarded the Grand Service Cross by Germany as proof that Ford was a Nazi sympathizer. But like all bits of history, I search to find the context of famous events.

The photo of Henry Ford being awarded the Grand Service Cross by Germany was a photo opportunity by the Germans, the masters of propaganda. German diplomats awarded Henry Ford the Grand Service Cross on Henry Ford's seventy fifth birthday on July 30, 1938. Pictures of Ford shaking hands with German consular filled newspapers around the world.

Various versions of the Grand Cross of the German Eagle were created by the Nazis to honor allies and to use in a propaganda war courting American economic partners in the 1930s. Thomas Watson, the chief executive of IBM received a similar award on a visit to Berlin in June 1937. James D. Mooney, head of overseas operations at General Motors, also was honored with an award in August 1938.

Henry Ford was a strange character and quite a mixed bag. In the early 1920s Ford published various articles with strong antisemitic views. But Ford was open minded as an employer actively hiring minorities and handicapped workers when it was uncommon in American industry.

None of Ford's antisemitic articles were written by Ford, but he allowed his name to be used as author. The newspaper that ran the articles, The Dearborn Independent, was shutdown in 1927 and Ford issued an apology. Just like the articles that were written by others using Ford's name, some people claim that the apology did not come directly from Ford either.

Ford's antisemitic articles were published in Germany drawing praise from Adolf Hitler, however there is no indication that Ford ever tried to connect with the German Nazi party, or any of its members.

In the early 1930s The Ford Motor Company was manufacturing one third of all the world's automobiles. Did Hitler award Henry Ford the Grand Service Cross to thank him for his support, or was Germany awarding Henry Ford the Grand Service Cross in hopes that Henry Ford would support them during the war.

--- The universe starts at Guru 42

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "The various religions are like different roads converging on the same point. What difference does it make if we follow different routes, provided we arrive at the same destination."

No matter what your destination, or puzzle in life, don't get hung up on thinking there is only one way to approach it. The Guru 42 Universe was created to stretch your mind beyond the buzzwords, to see things in a different perspective. Even if you totally disagree with the guru personally, if you think about a problem or idea in a way you never have before, the Guru has succeeded.

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