Less than 24 hours after saying that the Jews control Washington's foreign policy and the media, and that Hitler's actions should be "put into context," Hollywood director Oliver Stone issued an apology on Monday, saying he "made a clumsy association about the Holocaust."

Open gallery view Oliver Stone Credit: AP

Stone had told British publication The Sunday Times that U.S. public opinion was focused on the Holocaust as a result of the "Jewish domination of the media." The remarks sparked a massive backlash, with a large number of Jewish organizations and Israeli officials publicly condemning the director's comments.

In a statement released Monday, Stone said that, "In trying to make a broader historical point about the range of atrocities the Germans committed against many people, I made a clumsy association about the Holocaust, for which I am sorry and I regret."

Stone added that he did not believe that Jews control the media, or any other industry , and that the fact that the Holocaust was still an important and current topic is actually a great achievement and a credit to those committed to perpetuating the memory of the atrocities commited during that period.

