Bertelsmann Examines Its Past

German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG, which owns the publisher Random House and half of Barnes & Noble's online business, will appoint an independent committee to research its activities during the Nazi era.

The company made the move after a German sociologist accused Bertelsmann of covering up its Nazi ties in the 1930s and '40s. The author, Hersch Fischler, made the accusations in an article titled Bright Future, Dark Past, which was published by a Swiss newspaper in October.

Bertelsmann released a statement Wednesday saying the research panel would consist of a historian, a theologian, and an expert in literature, and would meet internationally accepted standards for researching corporate histories.

In a corporate history prepared for its 150th anniversary in 1985, Bertelsmann maintained that it was closed down by the Nazis in 1943 because of the devout Christianity of its then-boss, Heinrich Mohn. Bertelsmann was founded in 1835 as a publisher of prayer books and hymnals.

Fischler, however, reported Mohn was a "passive" member of the S.S. who avoided arrest when the Nazis investigated Bertelsmann for illegally procuring paper and profiteering.

Bertelsmann also published pro-Hitler books used by the Nazi propaganda machine in the 1930s and '40s, as well as action stories glorifying battles and anti-Semitic works, Fischler claimed.

Bertelsmann said its booklist during the Nazi era "probably passed on the discussion of the time in its entire breadth and variety."

But it noted that the titles cited by Fischler were relatively few considering the thousands of publications put out by Bertelsmann over the period, adding that a large number of its theological books were banned by the Nazis.

Nevertheless, it said the company, including majority shareholder Reinhard Mohn, son of its wartime leader, "recognized its responsibility without reservation" to present a complete corporate history.

Bertelsmann, which resumed operations in 1947, is now the world's third-largest media company after Time Warner Inc. and the Walt Disney Co., operating in 53 countries with 60,000 employees and annual revenues of $16 billion.

Along with its global magazine and music businesses, Bertelsmann owns half of Europe's largest commercial broadcaster, CLT-UFA.

Following the purchase of New York-based Random House this year, Bertelsmann is also the world's largest English-language publisher of trade books. It has a joint venture with America Online Inc., and paid $200 million in October for a 50 percent stake in Barnes & Noble's online book-selling business.

By Paul Geitner