[modified] Inspired by her research for the hit podcast Ultra, Rachel Maddow charts the rise of a wild American strain of authoritarianism that has been alive on the far-right-wrong edge of American politics for the better part of a century. Before and even after American troops had begun fighting abroad in World War 2, a clandestine network flooded the country with disinformation aimed at sapping the strength of the U.S. war effort and persuading Americans that their natural alliance was with the Axis, not against it. It was a sophisticated and shockingly well-funded campaign to undermine democratic institutions, promote antisemitism, and destroy citizens’ confidence in their elected leaders, with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the U.S. government and installing authoritarian rule.
At the same time, a handful of extraordinary activists and journalists were tracking the scheme, exposing it even as it was unfolding. In 1941 the U.S. Department of Justice finally made a frontal attack, identifying the key plotters, finding their backers, and prosecuting dozens in federal court.
None of it went as planned.
While the scheme has been remembered in history—if at all—as the work of fringe players, in reality it involved a large number of some of the country’s most influential elected officials. Their interference in law enforcement efforts against the plot is a dark story of the rule of law bending and then breaking under the weight of political intimidation.
That failure of the legal system had consequences. The tentacles of that unslain beast have reached forward into our history for decades. But the heroic efforts of the activists, journalists, prosecutors, and regular citizens who sought to expose the insurrectionists also make for a deeply resonant, deeply relevant tale in our own disquieting times.
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1939-2-20 Pro-Nazi rally held at Madison Square Garden in New York City - HiPo > .On 20 February 1939 a pro-Nazi rally was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, organised by the German American Bund.
The German American Bund was the successor to the Friends of New Germany organisation. This had been established, with support from Nazi Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess, by recent German immigrants to America who supported the Third Reich. It was soon investigated for being unpatriotic and, after it closed at the end of 1935, the German American Bund was established.
Under the leadership of Fritz Julius Kuhn, a naturalized American citizen of German descent, the organization gained momentum although it never received financial or verbal support from the Nazi government in Germany.
On February 20, 1939, at an event that arguably marked the height of the organisation, Kuhn addressed approximately 20,000 at a rally at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Nazi flags, swastikas, and propaganda adorned the venue while an enormous portrait of George Washington hung behind the stage.
Amidst this ocean of symbolism, Kuhn delivered an anti-Semitic and pro-Hitler speech, reflecting the organization's loyalty to Nazi Germany. President Roosevelt was repeatedly referred to as ‘Frank D. Rosenfeld’ while his New Deal was called the "Jew Deal" and the product of a Bolshevik-Jewish conspiracy.
Meanwhile, outside the building, 1,500 police officers had to hold back enormous crowds of anti-Nazis who had come to protest. Some protesters managed to gain access to Garden, where members of the militant arm of the Bund engaged in in fistfights with the hecklers. After the rally, Kuhn was found guilty of embezzlement and forgery, and the organisation rapidly declined.
Under the leadership of Fritz Julius Kuhn, a naturalized American citizen of German descent, the organization gained momentum although it never received financial or verbal support from the Nazi government in Germany.
On February 20, 1939, at an event that arguably marked the height of the organisation, Kuhn addressed approximately 20,000 at a rally at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Nazi flags, swastikas, and propaganda adorned the venue while an enormous portrait of George Washington hung behind the stage.
Amidst this ocean of symbolism, Kuhn delivered an anti-Semitic and pro-Hitler speech, reflecting the organization's loyalty to Nazi Germany. President Roosevelt was repeatedly referred to as ‘Frank D. Rosenfeld’ while his New Deal was called the "Jew Deal" and the product of a Bolshevik-Jewish conspiracy.
Meanwhile, outside the building, 1,500 police officers had to hold back enormous crowds of anti-Nazis who had come to protest. Some protesters managed to gain access to Garden, where members of the militant arm of the Bund engaged in in fistfights with the hecklers. After the rally, Kuhn was found guilty of embezzlement and forgery, and the organisation rapidly declined.
