Propaganda Agenda
The failed boycotts only acted as warnings for Nazis, who now realized the necessity for masking their true agendas. Thus, when athletes began arriving in mid-July of 1936, they were treated with the utmost respect from the Nazis and Berliners. The Nazi administration was intensely eager to make a good impression with the foreigners in an attempt to divert attention and interest away from Hitler’s oppressive regime. The Berlin that the foreigners walked into was thoroughly cleansed and decadently adorned. All the “undesirables” had been sent to special detention camps outside the city, ominous anti-Jew signs had been taken down, strict Nazi policies were temporarily loosened, and newspapers toned down their harsh rhetoric. Director Leni Reifenstahl was commissioned to film the Games for the move “Olympia,” released in 1938 as a form of a Nazi propaganda film. For those two weeks during the Olympics, Germany maintained a façade of peace and tolerance.
Let the Games Begin
The opening ceremony of the XI Olympic Games were appropriately lavish. Festivities included the release of 3,000 pigeons and various musical performances. A New York Times article from the day proclaimed it was “a great day for Hitler.”
Germany Dons a Mask
Debunking the Nazi Myth
The first week of the Games was the track and field events. American Jesse Owens instantly gained popularity as he won and set records in the 100- and 200-meter sprints, long jump, and 400-meter relay. Because the first medal winners of the Olympics had included two African Americans, Hitler reportedly did not meet with the medal winners because of “weather concerns.” To maintain a low profile, Hitler did not meet with any of the subsequent medal winners. In total, Owens and his 18 other African American teammates won 14 medals in track and field. This was a direct counter to the Nazi claim of the superiority of the Aryan race and has since become one of the most memorable aspects of the 1936 Berlin Olympics.