50 Years Ago: Who re-armed Hitler’s Germany?

We are asked by a reader to furnish proof of the statement to the effect that Russia has been supplying Nazi Germany with ferro-manganese. and indispensable war material.

The statement in question appeared in the New York Nation and was reprinted in Forward April 30th. 1938.

France, in spite of its fear of Nazi Germany, enormously increased its sales of iron ore to Germany alter Hitler’s accession
The figures speak for themselves: 7,116,599 cwt in 1932; 11,566.202 cwt in 1933; 17,060,916 cwt in 1934. 58,616,111 cwt in 1935. Sweden followed suit. Not only does it export more than 75 percent of its excellent iron ore to Germany, but through Bofors it supplies the Nazis with one of the most effective anti-aircraft guns in the world. Last year Germany got 42 percent of its iron ore from Sweden and 33 percent from France
Others have been aiding the Nazis in the same generous manner. The Pratt 8 Whitney Aircraft Co. signalised the rise of Hitler to power by licensing its excellent aircraft engines to a German firm. Soviet Russia in a recent year supplied 52 percent of Germany’s ferro-manganese, an essential for armament. Some German planes today use the British Rolls-Royce engine.

[From an article “Russian Help For German
 Rearmament’, Socialist Standard, December 1938.]