Nazi activities in this country have been brought to a head by the first open attack on the Jews of America by the Friends of New Germany, Hitler organization in the United States, which has proclaimed a boycott on the Jews. The following is the fourth of a series of articles detailing the rise and growth of the Nazi-inspired anti-Semitic movement in this country in all its ramifications. The articles are based on an exhaustive investigation of Nazi propaganda activities in this country and in Germany for a period of over a year.
In the middle west the Friends of New Germany, Hitler’s most active group in this country, have as their strongest supporters the Germanic Alliance. The Germanic Alliance, according to its chairman, Oscar P. Pfaus of Chicago, is the strongest international German group in existence. Pfaus has stated that his organization is active in almost every country in the world and that its membership is sufficiently large in those countries to which Germans have emigrated to have considerable political influence.
Pfaus has been a frequent speaker at affairs of the League of Friends of New Germany in Chicago. He is one of the most bitter anti-Semites heard from any rostrum in the city. In one address he dwelt at length on the persecution of Jewry in almost every European country, strove to justify such persecution, and predicted that America in the future would follow the trend adopted by European countries with regard to “punishing” the Jews.
SUPPORTS CHRISTIANS
Pfaus has not confined his anti-Semitic soul within the narrow realm of predicting the arrival of American anti-Jewish pogroms. He has given the support of his group to the Crusaders for Economic Liberty, a militant Fascist group under the direction of George W. Christians. This cooperation came about last Fall through the Germanic Alliance chapter in Muscatine, Iowa, a unit said to have more than a thousand adherents under the district leadership of C. F. Fulliam.
In negotiating the merger of the organizations, Fulliam wrote to George W. Christians stating that his chief in Chicago thought well of the Crusaders for Economic Liberty and their “storm troops,” the Crusader White Shirts. Fulliam opined that considerable enlistment could be gained in the Iowa districts in which farmer troubles abounded at the time, He explained that the Germanic Alliance was an international group with a large membership and correspondingly great political influence throughout the world. Offering full support of his organization, Fulliam expressed the opinion that as the greeting, “Heil Hitler!” is popular in Germany today, “let me salute you as you will be saluted in days to come. Hail! Christians.”
Up to this point Christians blatantly announced that the Crusaders for Economic Liberty were “The American Reds.” On the envelopes of his correspondence and on the letterheads of his writing paper he had placed this inscription together with a red flag crossed with the Stars and Stripes. Shortly after the dispatch of this letter Christians’ group changed from “The American Reds” to “The American Fascists.” His letterheads and envelope insignia changed accordingly.
At a great demonstration in Chicago last December, Oscar Pfaus addressed the League of Friends and their sympathizers and set forth the principles of the Crusaders for Economic Liberty. He injected into his remarks a brand of anti-Semitism such as the Crusaders themselves had not mentioned.
A few weeks ago Fulliam was mentioned in charges brought by Alexander Brin, a Boston Jewish newspaper publisher, who asserted that Fulliam had been engaged in circulating the anti – Semitic speeches of Congressman Louis T. McFadden, the Silver Shirt prophet, through the mails under the congressional frank and otherwise without postage. Brin claimed that a number of other postage-paid envelopes in which anti-Jewish attacks were contained, bore a rubber-stamped inscription, “C. F. Fulliam, director of propaganda intelligence service, 320 East Ninth street, Muscatine, Iowa.” While Fulliam admitted that he had frequently mailed material bearing full postage, he denied circulating McFadden’s speeches under the congressional frank.
IN WIRT’S CASE
Christians too came in for considerable publicity recently during the furor over Wirt’s charges that a brain-truster had said, “Roosevelt is only the Kerensky of this revolution.” Christians from his headquarters in Chattanooga, Tennessee, asserted that he was the author of the statement and that he had made the assertion in the presence of the president. The story was carried throughout the nation over press service wires.
The Wirt investigation, incidentally, provided a Roman holiday for many reactionary groups, including the Silver Legion, which from their Washington Bureau produced a widely circulated confidential letter, in which Wirt’s charges were “explained” as a reference to the entire “Jewish brain trust.” Republicans, Klansmen, Communists, and others also made great to do over the affair in efforts to discredit the present administration.
The Crusaders for Economic Liberty is recognized among Fascist “intellectuals” as perhaps the strongest threat to American democracy. George W. Christians, writer of numerous orders for revolution by his White Shirt followers, is regarded as the keenest of current Fascist leaders, despite the insane ideas which he has sown among his following, which is said to be strongest in the Pacific North West. He is known to be unscrupulous in his efforts to publicize his movement and win support. It is understood that he first contemplated taking Jews into his organization in consideration for financial support from Jews into his organization in consideration for financial support from Jewish interests, but when this was refused, he completed his alliance with the Germanic Alliance, adopted the anti-Semitism of the latter, and began seeking support from other anti-Semitic factions, both German and American.
SUPPORTED BY KLAN
He has received considerable support from remnants of the Ku Klux Klan throughout the South, and West. To this day, however. Christians’ policies toward Jews are locally modified to gain the support of any particular group to which he happens to be appealing. When he encounters a group which is intolerant of intolerance, he either abandons entirely the Jewish issue or speaks in their favor. On the other hand, when he comes upon a group like the Friends of New Germany and their allied organizations, he opens up with both barrels in a campaign to “take back America for Americans.” Christians has refused to merge with other American groups in instances when his absolute leadership might be jeopardized. When he can not completely absorb those units which would cooperate with him, he remains at a distance and has no truck whatsoever with them. From those who know intimately Christians and his organization, I understand he is extremely cautious about launching his group into new areas until complete political soundings have been made, so determined is he to keep the Crusaders pure of forces which might rebel in the future.
HOPES TO ENACT BILL
The fixation with Christians appears to be enactment of H. R. 11898, which he describes as “a bill to establish economic liberty in the United States of America and for other purposes.” The cross, which is one of the many official insignia of the Crusaders for Economic Liberty, signifies the Christian aspect of the movement. In some circles it is believed that Christians is in the best position to rally to his support hundreds of German organizations throughout the country which now adhere to the policies of the League of Friends of New Germany. It is certain that the League of Friends of New Germany can never be regarded by Americans as anything but an outgrowth of the American branch of the German National Socialist Party and a large group of organized agitators, organized and supported by an alien government. It is becoming quite clear that the Silver Legion, until now closely allied with the Nazis, can not hope to gain the support of patriotic, and mentally sound Americans. As pointed out in preceding articles, the tie-up between the Silver Shirts and Nazis who had reportedly conspired to overthrow the American Government, has been enough to disgust many adherents to the Silver Legion. The withdrawal of a Los Angeles post from the Silver Legion may be only the first of many such withdrawals. The suspension of publication of Liberation, weekly organ of the Silver Legion, may be regarded as another step in the decomposition of that group.
MAY GO TO CHRISTIANS
In efforts to find an American vehicle for their anti-Semitism it is not unlikely that the German American element brought under the swastika banner of the Friends of New Germany, may adhere to Christians. While ne has not as yet established a group organ, Christians is exceedingly active in correspondence through circulars and private communication with members of his organization. For this reason it will be harder to attack the Crusader White Shirts. This, together with the fact that the dirty linen of the White Shirts has not as yet been washed in the public press, it would seem, will make and has made them the favored of German-American Nazis.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
