Torches of Freedom

Mimetic Rivalry and the Desire to Smoke—Even Unto Death

On April 6, 1917, the same day America declared war on Germany, twenty-five-year-old Edward Bernays began the process of enlisting in the U.S. Army. According to Larry Tye’s book about him, Bernays, a 5’4” Austrian-born Jew who was the nephew of Sigmund Freud, was eager to show his patriotism and defend his adopted country. But flat feet and defective v…