IBM, the Holocaust, and My Grandfather
The intersection of business ethics and profits can be a confusing place -- where heroes are hard to find
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By Sam Jaffe
On June 6, 1940, Thomas Watson, the chairman of International Business Machines, returned a gold-encrusted, swastika-laden medal to Adolf Hitler, who had personally draped it over Watson's chest three years before. The medal was to thank Watson for making Germany's economy more efficient with IBM technology. Instead, Watson returned it with a letter castigating Hitler for his Nazi policies.