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252 6 Life in North America during World War II
German was willing to become a law-abiding American citizen but he felt, as the
heir of a very different culture, something that could not be cast overboard at once.
The tension between the two attitudes is obvious. It is also well illustrated by most
of the upper-class Jews who were driven by Hitler from Germany to America. In
spite of the horrible treatment they had received, a large proportion of them still
felt as Germans and as aliens in the American culture.
The attitude my wife and I had about going slow in petitioning for American
citizenship, particularly in view of the uncertainty of my position at the American
Museum [p. 96], was very much resented by the officials of the Naturalization
Office. They considered it glaring evidence of hostility toward America.”
Ernst and Gretel Mayr first applied for US citizenship in 1939, but during the
waiting period, war broke out in Europe, and the Department of Immigration
and Naturalization stopped granting US citizenship to Germans. After the end
of WW II in 1945, the Mayrs reactivated their application for US citizenship and
their application was rejected. They submitted a new application, which was again
rejected owing to the anti-German hostility of the Immigration office in New York.
Eventually, they hired an attorney, and with his help and with fifty (!) signed
affidavits in hand supporting the Mayrs from colleagues, neighbors and friends,
the courts finally granted the Mayrs US citizenship in December 1950.