Electroconic, the international audiovisual specialists, have created an interactive exhibit around an early letter written by Adolf Hitler for the Museum of Tolerance, a Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum, in Los Angeles.
Related: Electrosonic Profile / Robert Simpson on World’s Fairs: Expo Beginnings (part 1) / Sound Advice from Leading Lights: The Future for Audiovisual in the Attractions Business / Audiovisual: Electrosonic Refreshes The Scottish Government’s Media Centre’
The letter, written in September 1919, six years before the publication of Mein Kampf is Hitler’s first known anti-semetic writing. Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, is clear about the historical importance of the letter which calls for, “The uncompromising removal of the Jews altogether.”
Electrosonic sales consultant Les Hill and VP of Entertainment Chris Conte worked with Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer of the museum, Sue Burden, to find a way to display the letter that allows visitors to interact with the document and appreciate its historical significance. The result is an interactive touchscreen display with digital content and interactive software supplied by Cortina Productions.
The four page typewritten letter, signed by Hitler, is displayed in a wall mounted glass case with a 65-inch Mitsubishi LED touchscreen, powered by CyberTouch. Visitors can virtually interact with the letter in German or English, as well as accessing maps, video and photos about the history of the Third Reich and the acquisition of the letter. The GUI can be operated by two visitors at once or else in docent mode for group presentations. 
The interactive video source for the touchscreen display is provided by a Dell Vostro 460 Mini Tower with an ATI Radion HD 5570 graphics card. Audio for the film clips and sound design elements for the interactivity are delivered by a ceiling-mounted Dakota speaker array.
Working on the project were: Guy Fronte (Electrosonic Project Manager), Win Roach (Electrosonic Lead Installer), Julie Adgurson (Electrosonic Engineer) as well as from Hansol Park (Architect and Senior Associate at Yazdani Studio of Cannon Design, ).
Since the Museum of Tolerance opened in 1993, Electrosonic have worked with the museum on many exhibits and installations. Sue Burden, says, “Electrosonic was very professional to work with, as always; it’s a pleasure to do projects with them, and we keep asking them to do more and more things for us.”
About the Museum of Tolerance
The Museum of Tolerance (MOT) is a “Museum to Educate and Enlighten”, asking visitors to understand the historical significance and contemporary relevance of the Holocaust and aiming to challenge all forms of prejudice and discrimination in our world today. The Museum of Tolerance is not just a symbol of society’s wish to live in peace, but also resource to help achieve that goal. The Musuem of Tolerance welcomes 250, 000 visitors annually including 130, 000 students, and many major corporations, organisations and educators have benefitted from the museum’s specialized programs.
About Electrosonic
Electrosonic is an international audio-visual company that creates tailored, state-of-the-art solutions for a wide range of markets including theme parks, museums, video conferencing and control rooms. Since its founding in 1964, Electrosonic has built a strong reputation for working on complex projects of all sizes, and has developed lasting partnerships with customers and suppliers. Beyond complete integrated systems, Electrosonic provides a full range of services including technical design, projector lamp sales, maintenance and operational support.
