I do not believe it was the case that Mein Kampf was unavailable, or its importance unappreciated, in the run-up to World War II. Why?

I have in front of me an English language version of Mein Kampf from 1939. The publisher was Houghton Mifflin, and the introduction by the editors explain it as the “best evidence of the character, the mind, and the spirit of Adolf Hitler and his government.” This version was annotated, the publisher notes, because the text “often warps historical truth and sometimes ignores it completely.” The introduction points out that the work is propaganda, that it uses race to defend anti-Semitic policy, and that it supports “still more absolute and violent forms of nationalism than even the nineteenth century knew.” The publishers added that an abridged version of Mein Kampf, published in English in 1933 might not give the “full flavor of the author’s mind” thus the full translation was necessary.

Among the editors listed on the masthead, by the way, are John Chamberlain, Sidney B. Fay, Carlton J.H. Hayes, and Alvin Johnson. No slouches these.

I take from this that at least portions of Mein Kampf were available to English-language readers from 1933, that they were made available to educate them – particularly Americans — on the scope and character of Hitler’s ideas, that prominent and important people were dedicated to this task, and — that it was right to make the effort. Unless I am missing something, it seems to me we face a similar situation. So – if we’re voting, I vote publication.