From Leitz sublime to Leica splitsville

It wasn't exactly a boycott, but in the late 1930s many Americans were loath to purchase German goods because of Nazi persecution of the Jews. Aside from Graflex and Speed Graphic cameras and some view cameras, serious amateurs and professionals found American-made cameras—Kodak 35s, Ciroflexes, Perfexes—rather primitive, and often poorly made. And while Kodak produced the 35mm interchangeable lens 35mm Ektra camera, it was a delicate beast with most peculiar controls (I know, I have one!). When pros needed dependable, advanced cameras and lenses, they were usually talking about German cameras, principally Leica cameras made by Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH. Many pros and serious amateurs bought them, reluctantly, because of the origin.