From 1933 until America's 1941 entry into World War II, nearly 500 Nazi films were shown in American theaters, accounting for nearly half of all foreign language film imports during the period. These poorly disguised propaganda films were primarily meant to generate recognition for the Third Reich among four groups of people: Americans of German ancestry; the 350,000 German nationals in America; avowed Nazis who lived in the United States; and other anti-Semitic groups, individuals and isolationists. Produced by Germany's top studios and featuring prominent pro-German and Nazi actors, directors and technicians, the movies were replete with overt and covert anti-Jewish imagery and themes. In spite of this obvious intent to use the medium to justify Nazi ascendancy, viewers and film critics from such prominent publications as the New York Times, Variety, the Washington Post and the Chicago Times consistently overlooked the films' anti-Semitic message, dubbing them harmless entertainment