Did the Nazis use the phrase one of ours all of yours
Executive summary
The exact English slogan "One of ours, all of yours" is not documented as a phrase used verbatim by Nazi Germany; multiple historians and fact-checkers who reviewed the claim found no primary-source evidence connecting that specific wording to Nazi propaganda or official orders [1] [2] [3]. That said, the phrase succinctly captures a real Nazi practice — collective reprisals and kin-liability policies — exemplified by the Lidice and Ležáky massacres after the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, a logic historians say was confirmed repeatedly in Nazi doctrine even if the slogan itself cannot be sourced to Third Reich texts [4] [3] [2].
1. The claim and how it spread
Images of a Department of Homeland Security lectern reading "One of ours, all of yours" went viral after a January 2026 press event, prompting social-media comparisons to Nazi reprisals and a public rebuke by musician Tom Morello; that circulation sparked news coverage and dedicated fact-checks [5] [6] [1]. Online sleuths and commentators tied the phrase rhetorically to fascist doctrines of punishing whole communities for the acts of individuals, and Google searches for the phrase spiked as the debate unfolded [6] [4].
2. What historians and fact‑checkers actually found
Multiple fact-checking outlets and historians contacted about the origin reported no evidence that the English wording was a documented Nazi slogan; Snopes and Lead Stories both explicitly concluded they could not find archival proof that the phrase originated in Nazi Germany [1] [7]. Academic historians interviewed by Newsweek and other outlets said the wording is not attested in the Lidice record or in Nazi propaganda archives, although the sentiment maps onto confirmed policies of hostage-taking and reprisal [3] [2].
3. The historical practices the phrase evokes
Although the literal slogan appears untraceable to Nazi sources, the concept it condenses — collective punishment and Sippenhaft (kin liability) — was practiced by Nazi authorities; after Heydrich’s 1942 wounding and later death, Nazi reprisals against Czech villages such as Lidice resulted in mass executions and deportations and are a documented example of this mentality [4] [2]. Historians stress that while the phrase captures the "essence" of that policy, it should not be presented as a verbatim historical quote without documentary corroboration [3].
4. Alternate origins and cultural circulation
Researchers and debunkers have traced similar phrasings to other sources, including Spanish Civil War rhetoric reportedly used by Francoist supporters — for example, Spanish variants like "Uno de los nuestros, todos de los vuestros" — and to modern popular‑culture and pulp‑fiction permutations; commentators warn that memes and political messaging can conflate evocative paraphrase with historical citation [7] [8]. That uncertain provenance complicates charges that contemporary officials intentionally reproduced a Nazi slogan versus employing a terse, menacing phrase that happens to echo historical practices.
5. Political framing and consequences
The phrase's presence on an official lectern triggered immediate political interpretation: critics framed it as a deliberate echo of genocidal logic while defenders and DHS called labeling everything "Nazi propaganda" tiresome and emphasized law‑enforcement intent [1] [5]. Media coverage shows a split between readers who see an unacceptable evocation of collective punishment and those who view the language as blunt rhetoric about protecting officers — a debate amplified by celebrities, partisan outlets, and fact-checkers who all had different incentives in the story [4] [6] [5].
Conclusion
The claim that Nazis literally used the exact phrase "One of ours, all of yours" lacks documentary support in the reporting and expert commentary available; historians and fact‑checkers concede the wording is not attested in Nazi sources, even as they note the phrase accurately evokes a documented Nazi practice of collective reprisals [1] [3] [2]. Where certainty ends, interpretation and political stakes begin — the phrase functions as historical shorthand rather than a verifiable Third Reich slogan based on current evidence [7] [8].