View of the Olympic Stadium, centerpiece of Berlin's Reich Sports Field. Berlin, Germany, 1936.

The Nazis made elaborate preparations for the August 1–16 Summer Olympic Games. A huge sports complex was constructed, including the new stadium and state-of-the art Olympic village for housing the athletes. Olympic flags and swastikas bedecked the monuments and houses of a festive, crowded Berlin.

Most tourists were unaware that the Nazi regime had temporarily removed anti-Jewish signs, nor would they have known of a police roundup of Roma (Gypsies) in Berlin, ordered by the German Ministry of the Interior. Nazi Germany used the 1936 Olympic Games for propaganda purposes. The Nazis promoted an image of a new, strong, and united Germany while masking the regime’s targeting of Jews and Roma as well as Germany’s growing militarism.

The Nazis spent large sums in preparation for the Olympic games. Here, German officials show the extent of the Olympic village using a scale model. Berlin, Germany, July 1936.

A display advertising the 11th Summer Olympic Games which were held in Berlin, Germany, 1936.

An American travel agency displays images of a peaceful Germany sent by the German Railways Information Office to attract visitors to the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. United States, prewar.

Exhibition of Nazi publications—carefully purged of antisemitic titles—on display during the Berlin Olympics. The poster shows countries in which Hitler's Mein Kampf had been translated into the native language. Berlin, Germany, August 1936.

Adolf Hitler passes through the Brandenburg Gate on the way to the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games. Berlin, Germany, August 1, 1936.

An enthusiastic crowd greets Adolf Hitler upon his arrival at the Olympic Stadium. Berlin, Germany, August 1936.

On August 1, 1936, Hitler opened the 11th Summer Olympic Games. Inaugurating a new Olympic ritual, a lone runner arrived bearing a torch carried by relay from the site of the ancient Games in Olympia, Greece. This photograph shows an Olympic torch bearer running through Berlin, passing by the Brandenburg Gate, shortly before the opening ceremony. Berlin, Germany, July-August 1936.

Adolf Hitler salutes the Olympic flag at the opening of the Olympic Games in Berlin. Germany, August 1, 1936.

In the Olympic Stadium, German spectators salute Adolf Hitler during the Games of the 11th Olympiad. Berlin, Germany, August 1936.

Scene from the opening ceremonies of the 1936 Olympic Games. Berlin, Germany, August 1, 1936.

On August 1, 1936, Hitler opened the 11th Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. Inaugurating a new Olympic ritual, a lone runner arrived bearing a torch carried by relay from the site of the ancient Games in Olympia, Greece. This photograph shows the last of the runners who carried the Olympic torch arriving in Berlin to light the Olympic Flame, marking the start of the 11th Summer Olympic Games. Berlin, Germany, August 1, 1936.

At a ceremony during the 1936 Olympic Games, German spectators spell out the phrase, directed at Adolf Hitler, "Wir gehoeren Dir" [We belong to you]. Berlin, Germany, August 1936.

German (swastika) and Olympic flags fly in Berlin during the Olympic Games. Berlin, Germany, August 1936.

A street scene showing displays of the Olympic and German (swastika) flags in Berlin, site of the summer Olympic Games. Berlin, Germany, August 1936.

Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels sign autographs for members of the Canadian figure skating team at the Winter Olympic Games. Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, February 1936.

Closing ceremonies of the 4th Winter Olympic Games. Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, February 16, 1936.