Columbia Would Welcome Hitler, a Dean Insists

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

The next round of controversy at Columbia will involve remarks of a dean who says that Hitler would have been welcome on Morningside Heights if he would take questions from students.

The dean, John Coatsworth, heads the same institution that will serve as Columbia’s host for President Ahmadinejad. The decision of Columbia to honor the Iranian anti-Semite and terror master with a speaking platform has drawn outrage among political leaders in the city, including the speaker of the City Council, Christine Quinn.

“If Hitler were in the United States and wanted a platform from which to speak, he would have plenty of platforms to speak in the United States,” Mr. Coatsworth said in an interview with Fox News that was linked last evening by the Drudge Report. “If he were willing to engage in debate and a discussion to be challenged by Columbia students and faculty, we would certainly invite him.”

A former professor of history at Harvard, Mr. Coatsworth is dean of the university’s School of International and Public Affairs, whose graduates, according to a statement Mr. Coatsworth issued last week, “serve as diplomats, intelligence analysts, security experts, business leaders, human rights activists,” and leaders of non-governmental organizations.

Columbia acknowledged last week that the visit to the university of Mr. Ahmadinejad was initiated not by the university but by the Iranian envoy to the United Nations through a faculty member, Richard Bulliet. Mr. Bulliet is described in Wikipedia as having been criticized for, among other things, “his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as overly favoring the Palestinian cause” and also for offering “qualified support” for the revolution that brought the mullahs to power in Iran in 1979.


The New York Sun

© 2024 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use