In 1934, as Germany's sterilizations were accelerating beyond 5,000 per month,
the California eugenics leader C. M. Goethe upon returning from Germany ebulliently
bragged to a key colleague, "You will be interested to know, that your
work has played a powerful part in shaping the opinions of the group of intellectuals
who are behind Hitler in this epoch-making program. Everywhere I sensed that
their opinions have been tremendously stimulated by American thought.…I
want you, my dear friend, to carry this thought with you for the rest of your
life, that you have really jolted into action a great government of 60 million
people."