The authors return to their closely related innuendos about Jewish business ethics and the slave trade in the summary of the chapter, "Jews and Slavery in Colonial North America." They write, "With Jews and their skillful commercial practices came their Black slaves." (p. 119) In fact, the presence of slavery in North America predates the first Jewish immigrants by more than thirty years. Moreover, these first slaves were unloaded in the Jamestown colony, and the subsequent slave economy developed largely in the South, whereas these original Jewish colonists settled in New Amsterdam (later called New York).

The "Hamitic myth" myth
Elsewhere, the Historical Research Department attempts to blame Jews for the biblical "justifications" of slavery in vogue during the 19^th century. They write, "...it is...the misinterpretation of the Old Testament which offered the holy justification for oppression on purely racial grounds. It suggested that 'Ham was smitten in his skin' and it was Noah who told Ham that his 'seed will be ugly and dark skinned.' It was this interpretation of the scripture which the New World Jews chose to embrace." (p. 203) Nonetheless, as The Secret Relationship's own sources on rabbinical responses to the Civil War indicate, this biblical argument carried little weight in Jewish circles - even among those sympathetic to the Confederacy. Jewish debates on the issue of slavery began only on the eve of the Civil War; it is obvious that this "biblical" theory was, in fact, advanced by white Christians, whose historical record in this era receives virtually no scrutiny in The Secret Relationship.

In their search for incriminating evidence against the Jews, the authors even enlist the support of the Spanish Inquisition ... [that by their] own admission ... brought about "a reign of terror throughout Europe" ...  responsible for the impoverishment, exile, and death of countless Jews, Muslims, and "heretical" Christians.

Using the Spanish Inquisition to Attack Jews
In their search for incriminating evidence against the Jews, the authors even enlist the support of the Spanish Inquisition. "More than once, Jews were accused not just of being Jews but for slave dealing and sometimes for that alone. The Inquisitors charged its [sic] subjects for either crime .and frequently Jews were found guilty on both counts.... Slave dealing and slavery and its connection with Judaism and Jews was offensive to the Spanish reformers." (p.33) By the authors' own admission, the Spanish Inquisition brought about "a reign of terror throughout Europe" which was responsible for the impoverishment, exile, and death of countless Jews, Muslims, and "heretical" Christians. And yet the authors in this passage accept as historically valid the Inquisitors' judgment of Jewish slave dealing. Perhaps more significantly, they refuse to acknowledge that Jews were singled out for persecution because of their identity as Jews.

Defending Racism
Similarly, in describing Jewish involvement in the colonial slave trade of the West Indies, the authors write, " . . .as these arrangements flourished, the national interests were circumvented and the local governments taxed and restricted the Jews as the leading traders. These restrictions led to the historical application of the term 'persecution,' but evidence shows that the practice of subordinating the national interest... and not religion, per se, raised the ire of the Gentile." (p. 26) Whether the discriminatory practice of taxing Jews was motivated by religious prejudice or economic self-interest, it remains an inherent form of anti-Semitic persecution. Indeed, these penalizing taxes are reminiscent of the pre-Civil Rights era poll tax, which ostensibly had economic rationalizations, but in reality was levied to deprive African-Americans of their Constitutional rights. Furthermore, the authors defend these special taxes against Jewish merchants, even though these merchants didn't have to be guilty of any "sharp practices" to be forced to pay the taxes, they merely had to be Jewish. Once again, the Nation of Islam here defends, rather than opposes, racism against Jews.