Henry Ford didn’t just build cars. He built a media machine that pumped out some of the most destructive rhetoric of the 20th century. When people talk about The International Jew Henry Ford Sr., they aren’t just talking about a book or a series of articles. They’re talking about a dark pivot in American industrial history where the world’s most famous businessman decided to spend his massive fortune on a crusade against a specific group of people.
It’s messy. It’s uncomfortable. Honestly, it’s a part of the "Ford legend" that the Henry Ford Museum and modern car commercials usually try to gloss over with sepia-toned filters. But you can't understand the 1920s—or the rise of global antisemitism—without looking at what happened in Dearborn, Michigan, between 1920 and 1922.
The Dearborn Independent: A Billionaire's Megaphone
In 1918, Ford bought a struggling weekly newspaper called the Dearborn Independent. He didn't do it because he wanted to be a media mogul. He did it because he felt the mainstream press was "controlled" and he wanted a direct line to the "plain people" of America. For the first year or so, it was mostly just boring farm reports and Ford’s musings on bird sanctuaries.
Then things shifted.
Starting in May 1920, the paper began a 91-week run of articles targeting Jewish people. These weren't just "opinion pieces." They were systematic attacks. They claimed a global conspiracy was underfoot to control the world’s economy, undermine American morals, and ruin the "Anglo-Saxon" way of life. These articles were eventually bound into a four-volume set titled The International Jew: The World's Foremost Problem.
How the Message Spread
Ford was a logistical genius, and he used that skill to distribute hate. He forced Ford dealerships across the country to meet subscription quotas for the Dearborn Independent. If you bought a Model T, there was a good chance you’d find a copy of the paper on the front seat. At its peak, the paper had a circulation of nearly 900,000. That made it one of the most widely read publications in the United States.
He didn't need to make money on it. He had car money. He just wanted the "truth" out there.
The Connection to The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
If you’ve ever studied conspiracy theories, you’ve heard of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. It’s a forged document, likely created by the Russian secret police at the turn of the century, purporting to be the minutes of a secret meeting of Jewish leaders planning world domination. It’s fake. It’s been debunked a thousand times.
But Henry Ford believed it. Or at least, he found it useful.
The International Jew Henry Ford Sr. relied heavily on the Protocols. Ford’s editors, specifically William J. Cameron, took those European myths and "Americanized" them. They blamed Jewish people for everything Ford hated:
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- Jazz music (which Ford thought was "morally degrading")
- Short skirts and modern fashion
- The Federal Reserve
- Labor unions
- The "decline" of professional baseball
Basically, if Ford didn't like a change in society, he found a way to blame it on the "International Jew." It was a convenient scapegoat for a man who was increasingly frustrated that he couldn't control the culture as easily as he controlled his assembly lines.
The Global Impact and the Nazi Link
This is where it gets truly dark. Ford’s influence didn't stop at the U.S. border. The International Jew was translated into dozens of languages, including German.
Historians like Neil Baldwin and Steven Watts have documented how Ford’s writings were a major inspiration for the fledgling National Socialist movement in Germany. In the early 1920s, a young Adolf Hitler had a life-sized portrait of Henry Ford hanging in his office.
"I regard Henry Ford as my inspiration," Hitler told a Chicago Tribune reporter in 1923.
Ford is the only American mentioned by name in Mein Kampf. When the Nazi party took power, they didn't forget their "inspiration." In 1938, on Ford’s 75th birthday, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the German Eagle. It was the highest honor Nazi Germany could give to a foreigner. Ford accepted it. He wore the medal.
Even as late as the Nuremberg trials, Baldur von Schirach, the leader of the Hitler Youth, testified that he became an antisemite after reading Ford’s books as a young man.
The Lawsuit That (Temporarily) Shut Him Up
Ford thought he was untouchable. He wasn't.
In the mid-1920s, a Jewish lawyer and farm cooperative organizer named Aaron Sapiro sued Ford for libel. Sapiro argued that the Independent had smeared his reputation and the reputation of Jewish people generally. Ford tried to dodge the trial for years. He even staged a car accident to avoid testifying in court.
Eventually, realizing he was going to lose and that his business was starting to suffer from a Jewish-led boycott, Ford caved.
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In 1927, he issued a "public apology." He claimed he was "shocked" by what had been published in his own newspaper. He said he had been too busy to read it and that his subordinates had gone rogue.
Nobody really believed him.
The man was a micromanager who controlled every bolt in his factory; the idea that he didn't know what was on the front page of his personal newspaper for seven years is, frankly, ridiculous. But the apology served its purpose. He closed the Dearborn Independent and promised to destroy the remaining copies of The International Jew.
The problem? He didn't own the copyright to the foreign translations. The books continued to circulate in Germany and elsewhere, fueling the fires that would eventually lead to the Holocaust.
Why Does This Matter in 2026?
You might wonder why we’re still talking about a hundred-year-old newspaper.
Because the playbook hasn't changed.
The way The International Jew Henry Ford Sr. utilized mass media to spread "alternative facts" is the blueprint for modern disinformation. Ford understood that if you repeat a lie often enough, and if that lie is delivered by a "trusted" successful brand, people will buy it.
He used his status as a "disruptor" and an "innovator" to shield himself from criticism. People thought, Well, he's the richest man in the world, he must know something we don't. It’s the same logic we see today when billionaires use social media platforms to push fringe theories.
The Lingering Legacy
Ford’s family has spent decades trying to make amends. The Ford Motor Company has donated millions to Jewish charities and organizations like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). They’ve been transparent about this history, which is more than you can say for many corporations with dark pasts.
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But the books are still out there. If you go into certain corners of the internet today, you’ll find PDF versions of The International Jew being shared as "forbidden knowledge." It remains a foundational text for white supremacist groups.
Assessing the Damage: Was Ford Just a Man of His Time?
A common defense for Ford is that "everyone was a bit antisemitic back then."
That’s a cop-out.
While it's true that antisemitism was common in the 1920s, Ford was extreme even by the standards of his era. Many of his contemporaries, including former President William Howard Taft and the Federal Council of Churches, publicly condemned him. He wasn't just reflecting the culture; he was actively poisoning it.
He was a man of contradictions. He paid his workers five dollars a day (a massive sum at the time) because he wanted them to be able to buy his cars. He revolutionized industry. He loved nature. And yet, he harbored a deep, irrational hatred that helped pave the way for the greatest atrocity in human history.
It’s a reminder that brilliance in one field—like engineering or business—doesn't make someone a moral authority. In fact, that brilliance can make their flaws a lot more dangerous.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Reader
Understanding the history of The International Jew Henry Ford Sr. isn't just a history lesson; it's a guide for navigating the modern world. Here is how to apply this knowledge:
- Scrutinize "Disruptor" Authority: Just because someone is a genius at building rockets, electric cars, or software doesn't mean their views on history, sociology, or race are valid. Separate the product from the person's personal ideology.
- Track the Source of Modern Tropes: Many of the "New World Order" or "Globalist" conspiracy theories circulating on social media today are direct descendants of the rhetoric in Ford’s Dearborn Independent. When you see these tropes, look for the historical roots.
- Support Archival Transparency: Encourage organizations and companies to own their history. The Ford Motor Company's eventual decision to acknowledge and repent for Henry Ford’s actions is a case study in how a brand can survive a dark past through honesty rather than erasure.
- Evaluate Media Distribution: Be aware of how information reaches you. Ford used the "Model T" delivery system; today’s "Fords" use algorithms. Always ask: Who owns the platform, and what is their incentive for showing me this?
The ghost of the Dearborn Independent still lingers in the way we consume news and trust—or distrust—the wealthy. By looking directly at what Henry Ford Sr. did, we can better identify the same patterns when they emerge in our own time.