¿Did JFK really say:
Hitler is one of the greatest men, the old trust him, the young idolize him. It is the worship of a national hero who has served his country.…Within a few years, Adolf Hitler will emerge from the hatred which surrounds him as one of the most significant figures that ever lived.
If so, when and where did he say this?
You are possibly referring to this:
After visiting these two places you can easily see how that within a few years Hitler will emerge from the hatred that surrounds him now as one of the most significant figures who ever lived. He had boundless ambition for his country, which rendered him a menace to the peace of the world, but he had a mystery about him in the way that he lived and in the manner of his death that will live and grow after him. He had in him the stuff of which legends are made.
This is from Prelude to Leadership (The Post-War diary of John F. Kennedy). See page 73 to 74.
But what you quoted is mixed with this:
As to his popularity, especially among the youth of Germany, there can be no manner of doubt. The old trust him; the young idolise him. It is not the admiration accorded to a popular Leader. It is the worship of a national hero who has saved his country from utter despondency and degradation.
David Lloyd George: Daily Express, September 17, 1936
Also see this.
