1934 Editor Sued for Hitler's Book

PARIS A suit, alleged to have been instigated by Chancellor Adolf Hitler, came up in the Paris commercial court yesterday [June 4], when the action of a Munich publishing house against the Paris editor of "Mein Kampf" (My Battle) was heard. The Munich firm is seeking to prevent the sale of the French translation of the book and demands 1,000 francs indemnity for each copy of the book already published. After arguments yesterday the court postponed judgment for eight days. Hitler's book, written ten years ago, mostly while he was in prison on a political charge, and expressing the chancellor's opinions on European problems with extreme frankness, has, since his rise to power, had an almost equal success, millions of copies having been sold in Germany, while translations into English and Italian also have had large sales. In consequence of the interest in the book, a Paris editor requested the right to publish a French translation. This demand was refused but the Paris publisher decided to go ahead. The German publisher then brought suit. The French publisher's attorney insisted that Hitler's book could not be considered an ordinary work and that it was the program of a public figure. Hitler had declared that he has abandoned his rights as an author and the argument of material prejudice could not therefore be defended.