The Wilmington morning star., 1943-11-08
CHAPTER 2

February, 1899, saw an episode
so alien to America, and so alarm
ing, that it plunged me into a
career as an investigator of Nazi
activity. I was about to witness
star-spangled murder with Aneri-
can Democracy as the corpse.
When l visited Pete Stahrenberg
for the second time he had given
me a red-wirite-and-b blue leaflet
addressed ITO all American Pa
triots" which read:
GEORGE WASHINGTON
BIRTHDAY EXERCISES
Mass Demonstration for True
Americanism
Madison Square Garden
February 20, 1889
ERMAN-AMERICAN BUND
That MASS Demonstration for
True Americanism' turned out to
be the widest demonstration SO
far staged on this side of the
Rhine. The great hall was jam
med with 10000 men, women and
many children. High above the
speakers platform lowered huge
figure of George Washington,
thanked by giant black swastikas.
From somewhere in the rear OF
the hall came the muffled sound
of drum beats as uniformed Nazi
legion, 1900 s,rong, marched in
behind the swastika flags and the
banners of the German National
Socialist Party! Twelve hundred
brown-shirted arms smartly rails
ed in a Hitler salute!
The first speaker who stepped
to the platform was short, sandy
haired James Wheeler-Hill, Rus
sian-born national secretary of the
Bund, followed by the "Goebbels"
of the Bund, Gerhard Wilhelm
Kunze, Rudolf Markham, Georg
Froboese. Reverend S. G. Won
Bose. Wheeler-Hill began:
eve stand before you loyal and
lava biding, to be here dedicated
together with you to the task of
national and social reconstruction,
and resolved as you are resolved
to restore America to the true
HITLER. Mussolini, Franco and
to nv anazement, the mention
of the Reverend Charles Z. Cough
Inns name received ear-splittlng
applause, while the President was
booed and Kissed and our Off
Gals slandered as, one after an
other, high Bund officials parad-
ed to the speakers stand. But
they were merely "warmer-up-
pers'' for Fritz Kuhn.
The crowd went wild as Der
Bundesfuhrer rose to speak. Bow
legged, bull-necked, he acknow-
lodged the applause with the Nazi
salute and then spoke with thick
German accent:
1--WE now know that it vas the
Joos who were responsible for
Americas entering the World War
through pressure brought upon
President Wilson. 1t vas the Joos
who :"
Suddenly, unable to listen to
Kuhn's gospel of hate any longer,
youth leaped from his chair
and rushed toward the platform.
Rut before he could reach it the
O. D. men (Ordnungs Dlensu, the
storm troops in uniform along
the aisles, nad gone into action
1 heard in the roar OF the
nob the sinister cry of Turkish
bashibozouks in action. A moment
later the battered body OF the
beaten youth was carried out.
7 was fascinated by the idea OF
investigating these people who
seemed intent upon destroying ev-
cry vestige of freedom IN Afnerl-
ca.
My first step was to become a
convincing actor. l took room,
near Mulberry Street ana nveo
for week in the heart OF New
Works Italian section under the
name of George Pagnanelh. l ate
italian food and went to ltallah
movies. I listened to Italian mus
ic and watched Italian housewives
night alone in my tiny room IN
a's smelly iy''t tenement, listened 1, to
family uuarrels-in Italian. l mo,
deled nay dress after those l mao
seen, NV ..Pagnanelli suit was
dark reddish-brown. My "pagnanl-
Ii shoes were pointed with fancy
designs, dark maroon in color
The rest of my Pagnanell ward d.
robe was modelled after tnat VI