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The historical fact that Hitler’s obsession with a “master race” and “pure blood” actually stemmed from studies in the United States is true. This system of thought is called Eugenics.

Here is a brief summary of this dark period:

What is Eugenics?

Eugenics is the idea of improving the human species by eliminating “bad genes” and multiplying “good genes.” Although the English Francis Galton first coined this term in 1883, the most radical and legal applications of these ideas came to life in the early 20th century in the United States.

Practices in America (Before Hitler)

Years before Hitler came to power, the U.S. was taking the following steps:

1. Compulsory Sterilization Laws: In 1907, the state of Indiana passed the world’s first compulsory sterilization law. Tens of thousands of Americans deemed “mentally disabled,” “alcoholic,” “criminal,” or “unfit” were sterilized without their consent.
2. Racial Segregation and Immigration Laws: The 1924 Immigration Act used eugenic arguments to restrict the entry of Southern and Eastern Europeans and Asians, who were considered “inferior races.”
3. Financial Support: Major organizations such as the Rockefeller Foundation and the Carnegie Institution provided substantial funds for eugenics research. In fact, these foundations initially funded similar programs in Nazi Germany.

Hitler and the American Connection

In his book Mein Kampf, Hitler praised American eugenics laws and emulated the U.S.‘s “determination” in this regard. Nazi officials corresponded with American experts, particularly to study sterilization laws in California.

Important Difference: While the eugenics movement in America was mostly under the guise of relieving economic burden and “improving the quality of society“; Hitler transformed it into an instrument of systematic genocide and direct “racial purification” (Holocaust).

Conclusion

In summary; Hitler did not create these ideas from scratch. He took the “scientific” guise of racism and sterilization laws from America and scaled them to a much more brutal and industrial dimension. After World War II, when the Nazi horror became apparent, eugenics movements in America and Europe suffered a major loss of reputation and were forced underground.

Rockefeller Family’s Support

The Rockefeller family and especially the Rockefeller Foundation were among the biggest financial supporters of eugenics (improving the human race) studies in America and Germany. This support was both ideological and in the form of very significant material aid.

Here are the striking details of this support:

1. Support in America: Funding “Scientific” Racism
   The Rockefeller Foundation was one of the main donors to the Eugenics Record Office, a center founded in New York in 1910. This center worked to profile people deemed “genetically defective” and to establish the scientific (!) basis for compulsory sterilization laws.
2. Support Given to Nazi Germany
   The Rockefeller Foundation‘s support was not limited to America. Before and after Hitler came to power, they transferred millions of dollars (in today’s money) to German eugenics research:
   • Kaiser Wilhelm Institute: The Foundation funded the Anthropology, Human Heredity, and Eugenics departments of this institute in Berlin. The studies conducted here formed the basis for Nazi Germany‘s “racial hygiene” laws.
   • Josef Mengele Connection: The Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, known as the “Angel of Death,” worked as an assistant in institutes funded by this foundation before going to Auschwitz and participated in research supported by these funds.
   • Funding Amount: By the mid-1920s, Rockefeller had provided grants of approximately $410,000 (millions of dollars in today’s terms) to hundreds of German researchers.
3. Why Did They Support It?
   At that time, elite families like Rockefeller and foundation managers believed that the root of societal problems (poverty, crime, diseases) lay in “bad genes.” According to them, preventing the reproduction of people in the lower strata of society was the key to building a modern and healthy civilization. This perspective, combined with racism, paved the way for Hitler‘s genocidal policies.
4. What Happened After the War?
   After the unvarnished brutality of World War II came to light, the concept of eugenics began to be met with widespread hatred worldwide. Consequently, the Rockefeller Foundation and similar organizations stopped using the name “eugenics.” However, these funds and studies did not completely disappear; they later evolved and continued under more acceptable names such as “population control,” “family planning,” and “genetics.”

Behind these efforts were not just a single name, but several generations of the family and the institutional identity of the family’s foundation (the Rockefeller Foundation). However, the most prominent figures considered the “architects” of this work are:

1. John D. Rockefeller Jr. (2nd Generation of the Family)
   He was the biggest individual supporter of this movement. Rockefeller Jr., as he was known, sincerely believed in eugenic ideas.
   • Collaboration with Margaret Sanger: He secretly and generously financed Margaret Sanger, the pioneer of the birth control movement (who was also a proponent of eugenics).
   • Anonymous Donations: Fearing public backlash, he funneled millions of dollars anonymously to many eugenic institutions. His goal was to control the reproduction of “undesirable” classes.
2. John D. Rockefeller III (3rd Generation of the Family)
   The grandson of the elder John D. Rockefeller, this individual took the matter to the next level.
   • Population Council: He founded this council in 1952. Since the name “eugenics” had gained a bad reputation after World War II, the work continued under the names “population control” and “family planning.” The first president of this council was Frederick Osborn, who was also the founder of the American Eugenics Society.
3. Foundation Managers and Experts
   The Rockefeller family provided the money, but there were important figures who decided where that money would go:
   • Wickliffe Rose: As one of the directors of the Rockefeller Foundation, he personally approved the funds that went to the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Germany (the center of Nazi eugenics).
   • Charles Davenport: He was the biologist who founded and directed the Eugenics Record Office in America with funds received from the Rockefeller and Carnegie families.

Why Did They Do It?

These family members saw themselves as “social engineers.” They believed that the solution to poverty, crime, and diseases was not social welfare, but the elimination of “low-quality” individuals. They considered their own lineage “superior” and sought a scientific guise (eugenics) to preserve this superiority.