Organizational Communication Commons^™

Ibm And Germany 1922–1941, Donald W. Mccormick, James C. Spee

Organization Management Journal

In 1941, one of IBM’s most profitable customers was the German government. Germany leased IBM’s punch card tabulation machines (ancestors of the computer), and used them in its war against France, the United Kingdom and others. They were also used to conduct the census, to keep track of Jews and other ‘‘undesirables’’, and to operate the concentration camps. In 1937, Hitler awarded Watson a medal. By 1940, however, US public opinion had turned against Germany and he returned the medal. Outraged, German IBM executives and high-ranking Nazis threatened IBM’s control over its subsidiary. Although its activities were legal under US …