Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1180196
Stunning Discovery Cranston came home to New York City in time for Christmas in 1938. At Macy's his attention was drawn to a book display fea- turing Mein Kampf. Curious, he picked up a copy of the English translation of the book that he had originally read in German. The American edition was noticeably thinner. Flipping through the book, he realized that the edition had been sanitized. The revelation propelled Cranston to meet with his good friend, Hearst editor Amster Spiro, the seasoned former city edi- tor of the New York Journal. Spiro, the son of East European Jewish immigrants, had been helpful to Cranston when he was job-hunt- ing after graduation by introducing him to potential employers in the journalistic com- munity. For some time both Cranston and Spiro had been exploring innovative ways of publishing that would offer less expen- sive options to American readers. Now, with this jarring discovery, Cranston immediately turned to Spiro. Together they came to the same conclusion: Hitler posed an unaccept- able existential danger to the world. He must be stopped. In 1939, Americans got their news mainly from newspapers, radio broadcasts, and magazines because television was not yet a fixture in the homes of average Americans. What would be the most expedient, effec- tive, and economic way to alert the Amer- icans to the Hitler danger? They devised a strategy to publish a shorter version of Mein Kampf translated from the original German, with annotations that would be easy to read and digest. A sense of real urgency spurred them to action. Cran- ston and Spiro each brought their particular strengths to the mission. Spiro's business acumen proved essential to establish Noram Publishing Company (incorporated on 31 March 1939). He moved quickly to contract ser- vices for printing and distribution with Caslon Publica- tion Service, Inc., and Interborough News Company. Cranston's analytic skills, ability to read and write quickly, and laser-like focus on various tasks were all crit- ical to achieve their goal. He consulted various editions of Mein Kampf, then translated, analyzed, and wrote a condensed English version with explanatory notes and commentary. The Cranston edition highlighted passages from the original Mein Kampf that revealed the full extent of Hitler's ideology of Aryan supremacy, his chilling anti-Semitic beliefs, and his plans for world domination. For readability, Cranston boiled down Hitler's labored repetitive prose and rants, yet retained the essence and tenets of Hitler's intent. Cranston's annotations were not relegated to footnotes but were made right next to the most alarming statements. Writing at breakneck speed over eight days, he hired a battery of secretaries to pro- duce the translation. 7 One secretary became suspicious of the tireless tall lanky fellow who spoke rapidly with words that echoed 21 THE CAPITOL DOME Fig. 5. On January 29, 1988, Cranston was photographed in his Senate office with a rare copy of his edition of Mein Kampf. Decades after its publication, Cranston had purchased this copy for $50 from a private seller.