Final Project Proposal

For this digital history project, I propose to discuss an extension of a research paper I wrote last semester for my Senior Seminar class on the Holocaust. I wrote a paper that discussed the reception of David S. Wyman's controversial book The Abandonment of the Jews: America and the Holocaust, 1941-1945. This book proposed a series of twelve steps that the United States could have taken to rescue the several hundred thousands of Europe's Jews during the Holocaust. The twelve steps include: 1. create a War Refugee Board in 1942, rather than wait until January, 1944; 2. pressure or negotiate with the Germans to release Jews; 3. pressure the Axis satellites to release Jews; 4. provide European havens and aid to released Jews; 5. locate havens outside of Europe for the Jews; 6. provide shipping to transfer Jews to havens; 7. encourage and assist Jews to escape; 8. provide large sums of money for these purposes; 9. provide medical supplies and food to victims in the camps; 10. pressure allied and neutral countries to assist Jews; 11. bomb Auschwitz and the rail lines leading to it; and 12. disseminate publicity about the Holocaust, threatening the German leaders, and warning the victims.

I discussed three prominent Holocaust historians' opinions, reviews, and subsequent books they wrote about the steps Wyman devised to save Europe's Jews, including Henry L. Feingold, Michael R. Marrus, and William D. Rubinstein. These scholars had very harsh opinions about Wyman's ideas and research. Many of them believed that Wyman's ideas were not feasible to implement at the time of the Holocaust and that he did not account for what the victims of the Holocaust were capable of doing to try to save themselves. But there were also many positives written about Wyman's book including the use of his extensive research to open the door for a brand new topic concerning the Holocaust to be discussed. This spurred a great debate among Holocaust historians to examine which was very important and only began since his book was published in 1984.

I would also expand my research by discussing some other famous Holocaust historians who were just as harsh on Wyman as other scholars were that I did not discuss in my paper such as Lucy S. Dawidowicz, Kitchen, and any others that I may find useful for this original research project.

One online resource that I used which was very helpful during my research was the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website which has a wide range of areas to examine all areas of the Holocaust. Much of my information directed me towards books and journal articles the Holocaust historians wrote about David S. Wyman's controversial 1984 book. I would like to use any images or text that I find on this website to help strengthen my argument that the reception of David S. Wyman's book were mixed and highly controversial, but brought about a brand new debate that is very much apart of our growing history since the Holocaust roughly ended 65 years ago.