Gangsters vs Nazis

 

    Prolific true-crime author Michael Benson has published a new book, Gangsters vs Nazis: How Jewish Mobsters Battled Nazis in Wartime America, that focuses on an area of American history that few Americans are familiar with. Many Americans probably know that there was a large anti-war movement in 1930s America. As Hitler consolidated power in Germany, violated the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles, and made conquests and threats in Europe, the "America First" movement attracted American celebrities and political figures like Charles Lindbergh, Helen Keller, John F. Kennedy, Gerald Ford, Lillian Gish, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Heads of major American corporations also supported the movement. They argued that European affairs were not America's concern and that we should not be duped again into fighting a war that wasn't ours and seeing American boys die in vain.

(Charles Lindbergh addressing an America First Rally)

    How many Americans realize that there were actually fascist, pro-Nazi organizations, mostly comprising German- Americans? Organizations like the German-American Bund (Brotherhood) and the Silver Legion claimed to have tens of thousands of members, although a few thousand active members was probably more accurate. They wore brown, black, or gray uniforms and swastika armbands to emulate the German Brownshirts and military uniforms. They paraded in the streets and held rallies, proudly displaying the Nazi German flag alongside the American flag and portraits of Hitler alongside portraits of George Washington. They performed the fascist salute and shouted "Heil, Hitler!" Some men even grew Hitler moustaches. They even ran at least 21 summer camps across the country to indoctrinate German-American boys and girls. 

                                                        (Bund rally at Madison Square Garden)

                (Bund leader Fritz Kuhn)

    A major tenet of the agenda of these groups was anti-Semitism. Unfortunately, that was (is?) not a foreign concept in America; Charles Lindbergh, America's greatest hero of the age, was extremely anti-Semitic, along with many in the America First movement. Father Charles Coughlin, a Roman Catholic priest with millions of regular listeners to his weekly radio broadcasts, also used his platform to blame Jews for the ills of the world. As American Jews learned of Nazi persecution of Jews in Germany and the creation of concentration camps and ghettoes and saw incidents of anti-Semitism in the U.S rise, some Jews decided it was time to take action.

 

(Judge Nathan Perlman and Rabbi Stephen Wise)

    New York Judge Nathan Perlman had an idea. He, sometimes with prominent Rabbi Stephen Wise, met with Jewish mob figures like Meyer Lansky and suggested that they use some of their muscle to harass the anti-Semites. Lanksy and others jumped on the idea, seeing it as their patriotic duty as Americans and as Jews. However, Rabbi Wise warned them that murder was off the table, dampening a little of their enthusiasm. Nevertheless, squads were assembled to keep track of Bund and fascist meetings, to infiltrate, and to inflict as much physical damage as possible - short of murder. Even after the US joined the war and the fascist organizations were disbanded, Jewish mobsters provided intelligence, surveillance, and security in the northern and midwestern states. Their assistance was valuable in thwarting German espionage and sabotage, especially in shipyards and factories.

     Gangsters vs Nazis was a great read, about a subject that I knew little about. As far as Hollywood is concerned, it seems, mobsters were predominantly Italian/Sicilian. In reality, there were large Irish, Jewish, and Italian crime organizations, sometimes clashing with each other, sometimes allying with each other in a common goal. For example, the Jewish mobsters mentioned in the book often worked with Italian crime bosses who opposed Mussolini even though Italy was a German ally. It's also very readable. Benson is no stodgy academic writing a thesis, he uses language fitting for the subject. I recommend this book to anyone interested in pre-WWII America or organized crime history.

Michael Benson did a 7 Questions with us. Check it out here https://chattingwiththehistocrats.blogspot.com/2022/05/7-questions-with-michael-benson-author.html