Seizing the moment in the excitement of the race, she shook Hitler’s hand and boldly kissed him, while the crowd of 20,000 erupted in laughter. Hitler, in a cheerful mood, joined in the amusement, clapping along with the crowd as the woman, Carla de Vries, returned triumphantly to her seat. De Vries, a 40-year-old American traveling through Europe, had been determined to meet Hitler. Her brother-in-law later remarked, “She wanted to meet Hitler, but I’m surprised at how she went about it.”
Her rationale from her own words? “Why? I simply embraced him because he appeared so friendly and gracious. People sitting near Der Fuehrer’s box began to cheer and applaud so loudly that I ran back to my husband and told him we had better leave. I don’t know why I did it. Certainly, I hadn’t planned such a thing. It’s just that I’m a woman of impulses, I guess. It happened when I went down to take Hitler’s picture with my small movie camera. Hitler was leaning forward, smiling, and he seemed so friendly that I just stepped up and asked for his autograph, which he wrote on my swimming ticket. He kept on smiling and so I kissed him”. After the incident, Hitler was furious about the incident for his security’s failure to halt the woman. Several of Hitler’s Schutzstaffel guards were dismissed in disgrace while several more were demoted in rank. The 1936 Olympic Games were held in Nazi Berlin, Germany and were the first games to be televised across 41 countries. (Photo credit: Bundesarchiv). Notify me of new posts by email.
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