Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1180196
22 THE CAPITOL DOME some of Hitler's heinous pronouncements. She reported her unease to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Shortly thereafter, Benjamin Epstein of the ADL visited Cran- ston in his apartment. Cranston quickly cleared up the misunderstanding by taking Epstein into his confi dence about his purpose. Epstein, who had lived in Berlin as a student a few years earlier, unhesitatingly offered his assistance to the mission. Cranston's personal fi les show that Epstein introduced Cranston and Spiro to people who would lend their connections to expand distribution of the Cranston edition in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other Western cities. 8 The fi nished Cranston product was a condensed version of the original book from about 270,000 to a more digestible 70,000 words in 32 tabloid-size pages (fi g. 5). The title—Adolf Hitler's Own Book Mein Kampf (My Battle)—was emblazoned on the cover of the publica- tion. The cover also boldly stated that this version pro- vided "Critical Comments and Explanatory Notes" and "Complete in this Issue….Unpublished Nazi Propaganda Maps Exposing Hitler's 10 Year Plan for Conquest of Europe." In cartoon style, splashes of bold red color accented the book cover showing Hitler hovering over a map of Europe—each hand holding shapes of Italy and Great Britain as if they were puzzle pieces to fi t into his master plan. The Cranston edition's "Publisher's Foreword" stated: Rival publishers have recently put two unabridged unexpurgated editions on the American market. They are bestsellers. Peo- ple throughout the United States must wait months for their turn to obtain Mein Kampf from lending libraries. But Mein Kampf should be read today! Operating on a startlingly short deadline and limited budget, Cranston and Spiro contacted as many news dealers as they could to make the case for their version and to maximize distribution. They urged news dealers to display a fl yer they had provided, to draw attention to the Cranston edition. The race against Hitler was on. Hitler's American Publisher Sues On 10 April 1939, the Cranston edition hit the newsstands, selling for 10 cents a copy to make it accessible, afford- able, and readable for greater exposure and distribution than a book might have. Not only would this edition expose Hitler but its low price could deprive Hitler his share of the 40 cents' royalty from his publisher. Half a million copies were sold in less than two weeks and plans were underway to expand distribution. The edition attracted buyers but it also drew the anger of nefarious elements. In St. Louis, New York, and elsewhere, some newsstands selling the Cranston edition were attacked with stink bombs, and some stands were overturned. Cranston attributed these acts to Hitler's minions or other Nazi sympathizers. Rather than their intent to intimidate, the attacks proved to Cranston and Spiro that they were on the right track and striking the right chord with Nazi sympathizers. There were no other attacks to obstruct or stop the Cranston version. History tells us that at the time, Hitler was occupied with implementing the next steps in his grand plan of con- quest. Hitler's army had already invaded and occupied Czechoslovakia on 15 March 1939. Hitler's American publisher, Houghton Miffl in Company, warned Noram to cease the publication of Alan Cranston's Literary Works The Big Story (1940) This play, based on Cranston's experiences as a journalist, was co-written with his friend Lee Falk, creator of the comic strips The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician. The Killing of the Peace (1945) The book is about the role of the Senate and iso- lationists in the failure of the League of Nations. The New York Times called it one of the 10 best books of 1945. The Sovereignty Revolution (2004) (Edited by Kim Cranston, with contributions by Jane Goodall, Mikhail Gorbachev, GSI President Jonathan Granoff, and Jonathan Schell) This posthumous book contains Alan Cranston's vision of how sovereignty could be redefi ned in the twenty-fi rst century to allow humanity to resolve challenges from international terrorism to climate change to regional wars and genocide.