Connect the Dots

Organization

The Dearborn Independent

Weekly newspaper in Dearborn, Michigan. Under Henry Ford (November 1918 to December 1927) it printed the false, antisemitic series “The International Jew”; it later resumed under new owners.

8 links, 4 backed by primary records

Play the story Explore connections On the map ›

Dates
1901–1961
Place
Dearborn
Wikidata
Q7729397
Over time
  1. Active 1901–1961
  2. people who worked here E. G. Pipp (editor) Nov 1918 – Apr 1920
  3. funded by Henry Ford (covered the paper’s losses, $5M) Nov 1918 – Dec 1927
  4. people who worked here William J. Cameron (editor and chief writer) Apr 1920 – 1927
  5. produced The International Jew Nov 1920 – May 1922

Printed “The International Jew” series from 22 May 1920. The Benson Ford Research Center holds its records.

Connections 8

people who worked here

  • Ernest Liebold 1918 general manager Scholarship & press 1
  • E. G. Pipp Nov 1918 – Apr 1920 editor Primary record 234
  • William J. Cameron Apr 1920 – 1927 editor and chief writer Scholarship & press 13

    The Benson Ford finding aid places his editorship between 1921 and 1927.

acquired by

  • Henry Ford Nov 1918 Primary record 25

    The Atlantic says Ernest Liebold made the purchase on Ford’s behalf.

funded by

  • Henry Ford Nov 1918 – Dec 1927 covered the paper’s losses, $5M Primary record 2

    The Benson Ford Research Center’s figure for the paper’s losses under Ford.

produced

involved in

Timeline 7 dates
  1. 1901–1961 The Dearborn Independent
  2. 1918 Ernest Liebold worked at The Dearborn Independent
  3. Nov 1918 – Apr 1920 E. G. Pipp worked at The Dearborn Independent
  4. Nov 1918 Henry Ford acquired The Dearborn Independent
  5. Nov 1918 – Dec 1927 Henry Ford funded The Dearborn Independent
  6. Apr 1920 – 1927 William J. Cameron worked at The Dearborn Independent
  7. Nov 1920 – May 1922 The Dearborn Independent produced The International Jew
Proof 6 sources
  1. Henry Ford and the Jews: the story Dearborn didn’t want told, Bridge Michigan, 4 Feb 2019. Scholarship & press
    After paying $1,000 for the Independent (about $18,000 in today’s dollars), Ford named his closest aide, Ernest Liebold, the newspaper’s general manager.
    William Cameron, a Canadian immigrant who was a star reporter and editorial columnist for the News, came aboard as the lead writer.
    His underlings deliberately declined to copyright the content, so other anti-Semites were free to publish the books.
  2. Finding Aid for Dearborn Independent Graphic Files, 1922-1926, Accession 91.98, Benson Ford Research Center, The Henry Ford, Sep 2013. Primary record
    The Dearborn Publishing Company, which published The Dearborn Independent, was formed in November 1918, with Henry Ford as president, Clara Ford, vice-president, Edsel Ford, secretary-treasurer and E.G. Pipp, editor.
    Henry Ford purchased the small-town weekly in November 1918 to provide a forum in which to rectify what he felt were misinterpretations of his opinions by the press, and as an outlet for his ideas on social issues.
    The first publication under Henry Ford's ownership was issued on January 11, 1919.
    Despite its vast circulation, with subscriptions exceeding 900,000 at its peak in 1925 and 1926, The Dearborn Independent was not a commercial success during the Ford era, losing $5 million in 8 years.
    aired in two campaigns in 1920-1921 and 1924-1925.
  3. Antisemitism and Henry Ford’s “The International Jew”, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Holocaust Encyclopedia. Scholarship & press
    When his editor, Edwin Gustav Pipp, resigned in protest, Ford replaced him with William J. Cameron.
    The Dearborn Publishing Company reissued this series of articles as four individual books.
    In April 1924, Ford’s newspaper published multiple articles that accused Jews of conspiring to exploit American farmers.
    Thousands of free copies were delivered to local clergy and community organizations.
  4. The International Jew: 1920s Antisemitism Revived Online, Anti-Defamation League, 30 Jan 2017. Scholarship & press
    E.G. Pipp, editor of The Dearborn Independent, resigned in disgust in April, 1920, and was replaced by William J. Cameron.
    Many of the paper's antisemitic articles were reprinted by the Dearborn Publishing Company in four paper-bound volumes
    The International Jew: The World's Foremost Problem (November, 1920); Jewish Activities in the United States (April, 1921); Jewish Influences in American Life (November, 1921); and Aspects of Jewish Power in the United States (May, 1922).
    The Dearborn Independent first attacked Jews in its May 22, 1920 issue and continued to do so in 91 subsequent editions.
  5. America’s Most Dangerous Anti-Jewish Propagandist, The Atlantic, 7 Nov 2023. Scholarship & press
    Ernest Liebold, who had purchased the Independent, a weekly newspaper in Ford’s hometown, in late 1918 on Ford’s behalf.
  6. Henry Ford and Antisemitism: The Notorious “Dearborn Independent”, American Jewish Archives. Scholarship & press
    Circulation reached at least 900,000 by 1926.
Page history 1 change
  1. Add 55 stories, each checked against its sourcesAlibek96e92fe6

Something wrong or missing? Tell us, with a source, or edit this page.