Hitler was able to burn books and try to change history because there was no law that prevented it in Germany. Americans are protected by the 1st Amendment right of free speech but the problem comes when the media becomes the willing or unwilling propaganda arm of a political party. Racially offensive characatures of Japanese and Germans were common during WW2 and any semblance of criticism of the war effort by citizens was quickly investigated by J.Edgar Hoover's federal cops. The media even sanctioned the incarceration of American citizens without due process by executive order during WW2 because federal propaganda deemed Japanese American citizens to be potential enemies.
