Intellectual freedom, cultural exchange, and Nazi Germany: the relationship between the Deutsch-Ausländischer Buchtausch, University of Denver, and other cultural heritage institutions

Shortly after Hitler’s rise to power, the Prussian State Library was restructured, birthing a new entity – Deutsch-Ausländischer Buchtausch (DAB, German Foreign Book Exchange). The DAB responsible for exchanging books and serials with scholarly institutions worldwide. In 1936, University of Denver (DU) received gift from DAB. Nearly 50 per cent would be categorised as Nazi propaganda or eugenics literature by current standards. Upon further research, it discovered that DAB’s relationships included Stanford, Yale, Boston Museum Fine Arts, Metropolitan Art in New York City, Royal Historical Society, Society Antiquaries Scotland, Institut d’Égypte, Promotion Hellenic Studies, Bombay, countries Spain Portugal. This paper provides detailed review DAB–DU case, an examination DAB, reviews exchanges.