Eisenhower’s Great-Grandson Speaks Out Against Holocaust Denial on V-E Day Anniversary

Eighty years after the end of World War II and the horrors of the Holocaust, a disturbing trend persists: the downplaying or outright denial of the genocide that claimed the lives of six million Jews. This alarming reality was brought to the forefront by Merrill Eisenhower Atwater, the great-grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe. Atwater’s poignant remarks coincided with the global commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, a day marking the formal surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allied powers on May 8, 1945.

The end of the war in Europe brought a close to a conflict that ravaged the continent and resulted in the deaths of an estimated 40 million people. Among the staggering loss of life, the systematic extermination of six million Jews stands as a testament to the depravity and inhumanity of the Nazi regime.

Atwater’s commitment to preserving the memory of the Holocaust extends beyond his family legacy. Just last month, he participated in the March of the Living on Holocaust Remembrance Day, walking alongside Holocaust survivors and thousands of participants from around the world. This solemn march retraces the path from Auschwitz to Birkenau, the infamous Nazi death camps in occupied Poland, serving as a tribute to the victims, a show of solidarity with the survivors, and an honor to the liberators who brought an end to the camps’ reign of terror.

The experience of marching with survivors and witnessing their resilience left an indelible mark on Atwater. He recounted a particularly moving moment to Fox News Digital, stating, "When you’re sitting with 80 Holocaust survivors and both you and they are crying because of how special the moment is—and they tell you, ‘Without your great-grandfather, this never would have happened’—I say, without your bravery, this never would have happened." He emphasized the interconnectedness of individual actions and their profound impact, adding, "One person equals multiple lives that were saved. It wasn’t just the liberation of the camps—it was saving generations."

Among the participants in the March of the Living was Israel Meir Lau, the former chief rabbi of Israel and a child survivor of Buchenwald. Lau holds a unique connection to the Eisenhower family, having personally met Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower during the liberation of Buchenwald. The march also honored the memory of Chaim Herzog, the father of current Israeli President Isaac Herzog. A British army officer during World War II, Chaim Herzog played a crucial role in liberating the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Furthermore, Yitzhak Isaac Halevi Herzog, Chaim’s father and also a future chief rabbi of Israel, met with Gen. Eisenhower in 1946 as part of a mission to provide aid to Jewish survivors across postwar Europe.

Atwater described his participation in the March of the Living as "humbling" and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to "sit and talk with unsung heroes." He shared the story of one survivor in particular, Eva Clarke, who deeply impacted him. "She’s one of the kindest souls I’ve ever met. Finding out that the gas ran out just a couple days before she was born—that’s divine intervention," he said. "She led the way. Just an incredible woman with an incredible story. She should inspire everyone."

Eva Clarke’s story is one of unimaginable suffering and miraculous survival. She was born on April 29, 1945, at the gates of Mauthausen concentration camp, one of only three known babies to have survived birth within its confines. Her mother, Anka Kauderova, endured three and a half years of unimaginable hardship in concentration camps, including Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, and the Freiberg slave labor camp. She was eventually transported to Mauthausen in open coal wagons, along with 2,000 other prisoners, enduring a grueling 17-day journey with minimal food and water.

Clarke recounted her parents’ harrowing experience, stating, "My parents were in Theresienstadt for three years, which was unusually long. They were young, strong, and able to work. To some extent, it was a transit camp to a death camp." She explained that her parents’ luck ran out in September 1944 when her father was sent to Auschwitz. Incredibly, her mother volunteered to follow him the next day, believing that their situation couldn’t get any worse and that they would somehow survive together.

Tragically, Anka never saw her husband again. An eyewitness later informed her that he was shot and killed during a death march near Auschwitz on January 18, 1945, just days before the camp was liberated by the Russian army. In 1943, Anka became pregnant, a dangerous act in the concentration camp. "Becoming pregnant in a concentration camp was considered a crime punishable by death," Clarke explained. Her brother was born in February 1944 but died of pneumonia two months later. "Had my mother arrived at Auschwitz with a baby in her arms, both would have been sent to the gas chamber. Nobody knew she was pregnant again—with me."

In April 1945, Anka was sent to Mauthausen. "When my mother saw the name at the train station, she was shocked—she had heard how horrific it was. That shock likely triggered her labor, and she began giving birth to me," Clarke said. She attributes her survival to timing, noting that the Nazis ran out of gas on April 28, the day before she was born. Hitler committed suicide on April 30, and on May 5, the American 11th Armored Division liberated the camp. The Americans brought food and medicine, although many prisoners were too weak to survive even with this assistance. Three weeks later, Anka was repatriated to Prague by U.S. forces. She later met her second husband and eventually settled in the U.K.

Clarke expressed her gratitude for Atwater’s commitment to preserving the memory of the Holocaust, stating, "I feel Merrill is my new best friend. It was overwhelming to meet someone whose great-grandfather played such an important role in ending the war. I was delighted to reconnect with him again in Auschwitz a few weeks ago. Everyone wanted to thank him for what his great-grandfather did."

Clarke plans to return to Mauthausen to mark the 80th anniversary of its liberation by U.S. forces. "I’ll be there with two other babies who were born under similar circumstances. We are so grateful, I can’t even express it," she said.

Reflecting on the moral clarity exemplified by his great-grandfather, Eisenhower Atwater underscored the importance of recognizing our shared humanity. "We all know right from wrong. It is wrong to kill people, wrong to put babies in ovens, wrong to put people in gas chambers. That’s clear," he said.

He acknowledged that Holocaust denial often stems from disbelief, stating, "It’s easy to say something didn’t happen because it’s hard to comprehend the death of that many people. I get that. But it did happen. Nazi Germans killed 10,000 people a day—it’s well-documented. They documented it themselves, and the Allied forces saw it first-hand." He concluded by emphasizing the importance of confronting the uncomfortable truth of the Holocaust: "Nobody really wants to talk about the death of six million people over a five-to-six-year period. But it’s the truth."