On the other hand, there are more differences between the views presented in the sources than similarities. For example, only Wolfe explicitly shows some Germans didn’t enjoy the Berlin Olympics, describing how his ‘German girlfriend began to feel oppressed by it’. This is in contrast to Mauermayer’s view that ‘it had been an honour to be allowed to compete for Germany’, showing support from the German people for the Nazis’ involvement in the games. However, other athletes may have shown less liking for the Nazis during the Olympics. For example, Gretel Bergmann was not allowed to compete, despite being the best German high jumper, because she was Jewish. Furthermore, some German athletes might have disagreed with the rumoured use of drugs because of adverse effects.
The two sources also present contrasting, but not necessarily conflicting, views about whether the games were so magnificent to impress Hitler, or to impress other countries. Wolfe expresses a view towards the former more, remarking that the Olympics were ‘a means of showing to the world what this new power had become’. However, in source B, Large mentions that Gisela Mauermayer ‘put on a heroic show for the Führer’. However, it is very possible that all those involved in the Olympics were attempting to amaze Hitler so he in turn could amaze foreign countries. In fact, a great effort was made by the Nazis to welcome other countries during the games, and play down their racist ideology. Signs barring Jews from various places and anti-Semitic posters were taken down during the games, intending to give the idea to foreigner that the new Germany was a peace-loving country. Even Jesse Owens, an African-American who excelled in the Berlin Olympics, commented that he was treated better in Germany than he was in the United States.
To conclude, the two sources have a similar general idea that the games were extraordinarily impressive. But apart from this, they see the games very differently: source A as a way of intimidating both other countries and its people, source B as a national effort by the German people to impress Hitler.