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Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 4-1983 The American Race Issue as a Factor in “The Black Horror on the Rhine" Controversy (1919-1922) as Reported by the New York Times and Selected American Periodicals W. Wilson Woods Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Woods, W. Wilson, "The American Race Issue as a Factor in “The Black Horror on the Rhine" Controversy (1919-1922) as Reported by the New York Times and Selected American Periodicals" (1983). Master's Theses. 1646. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/1646 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE AMERICAN RACE ISSUE AS A FACTOR IN “THE BLACK HORROR ON THE RHINE" CONTROVERSY (1 9 19-19 22) AS REPORTED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES AND SELECTED AMERICAN PERIODICALS by W. Wilson Woods, Jr. A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of History Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan April 1983 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE AMERICAN RACE ISSUE AS A FACTOR IN "THE BLACK HORROR ON THE RHINE" CONTROVERSY (1 9 1 9 -1 9 2 2 ) AS REPORTED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES AND SELECTED AMERICAN PERIODICALS W. Wilson Woods, J r ., M.A. Western Michigan U niversity, .1983 The international controversy arising from the use of black colonial troops by the French occupation forces in the German Rhine­ land after World War I is examined in this paper. Particular emphasis is given to American press accounts of the events on the Rhine (1919- 1922) including those of the New York Times, the Nation, the Literary Digest, and the New Republic. Two questions are addressed: Were the events on the Rhine, particu lary the alleged a tro c itie s committed by French black colonials, accurately reported? Secondly, was the reporting of the controversy affected by racial violence in the United States? With the exception of the Nation none of the cited publications sought to confirm or disprove charges of a tro c itie s , relying instead on second-hand and often highly biased information. Findings also suggest little or no exploitation of the race issue in the reporting of this controversy. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is with deepest appreciation that I thank Dr. Howard A. Mowen, Professor Emeritus of History for his time and expertise. I would also like to extend my thanks to Professor Ross Gregory, Professor W illiam S. Rodner, Professor James M. Ferreira, and Dean Norman C. Greenberg fo r th e ir encouragement. To my w ife Nancy, who saw me through this project, I extend my deepest gratitude. It should go without saying that the responsibility for the following material is solely my own. W. Wilson Woods, Jr. n Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INFORMATION TO USERS This reproduction was made from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technology has been used to photograph and reproduce this document, the quality of the reproduction is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. 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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1320824 WOODS, W. WILSON, JR. THE AMERICAN RACE ISSUE AS A FACTOR IN "THE BLACK HORROR ON THE RHINE" CONTROVERSY (1919-19 22) AS REPORTED BY THE "NEW YORK TIMES" AND SELECTED AMERICAN PERIODICALS WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY M.A. 1983 University Microfilms International300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor. MI 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................. i i INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 1 The Problem . ................................................................................................. 3 THE RHINELAND OCCUPATION ........................................................................................ 5 Arrangements fo r the O ccupation ......................... 6 H istorical Background: The Rhineland „ ............................................... 8 Rhinelander Reaction to the Occupation .............................................. 9 BLACK AMERICAN FORCES . ...................................................................................13 AMERICAN REACTION TO THE RHINELAND OCCUPATION .......................................... 15 Black American Forces Withdrawn ............................................................... 16 BLACK FRENCH COLONIAL TROOPS: A SHORT HISTORY .......................................... 18 Senegalese Forces ............................................................................................. 19 German Reaction to Senegalese Troops in World War I ...................... 21 FRENCH DECISION TO USE BLACK OCCUPATION FORCES .......................................... 23 German Reaction to "Colored" Occupation Troops .............................. 25 International Controversy: "Black Horror on the Rhine" .... 26 THE NEW YORK TIMES AND THE RHINELAND OCCUPATION.........................................28 THE RACE ISSUE IN THE UNITED STA TE S.................................................................32 Race and the Literary D ig est ..................................................................... 32 Race and the New Republic ......................................................................... 34 Race and the Nation ......................................................................................35 American Thought as Reported by the L ite ra ry Digest ..................... 37 American Press A ttitudes as Reported by the Nation ..................... 41 i i i Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. SELECTED PUBLICATIONS REPORT THE RHINELAND CONTROVERSY 44 The Madison Square Garden Protest Meeting . 51 The "Black Horror" Ridiculed ...................................... 58 The Nation1s Correspondent in the Rhineland . 59 THE CONTROVERSY DIMINISHES ...................................................... 64 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................ 67 JOURNAL ARTICLES CONSULTED ...................................................... 78 PERIODICALS AND NEWSPAPERS CONSULTED ................................. 78 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................... 79 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INTRODUCTION In the period immediately following World War I the United States experienced unprecedented racial violence. In a nation rigidly segre­ gated by law and custom, in which skin color determined one's social, p o litic a l, and economic p o s itio n , a v io le n t clash between whites and blacks seemed inevitable. The black war veterans who returned in 1919 found social and economic conditions l i t t l e or no better than those which

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