Ron, I have an old copy here of one the Toronto newspapers from about the mid-thirties, and on the front page is an article about how Chancellor Hitler of Germany is revitalizing the German economy. There isn't even a hint in the article that Hitler might in any way be a bad guy or a danger to other nations. Rather, he is presented simply as a highly effective and well respected national leader among western nations.

It's fascinating to read this article now in a mainstream Canadian newspaper of the time with the benefit of hindsight and realize that most people's view of Hitler in North America and in the UK and Europe also was radically different than it became after the Czech crisis in '38. He was clearly not seen as a threat by the average Canadian at the time that article was written. I imagine that was true of the average American or Englishman too. Given that situation, why would most North American businessmen not have happily done business with Germany when there was money to be made?

The powers that be, after all, meaning our governments and our mainstream media, had not yet officially labelled him as a threat...