America First: When Congress distributed Nazi propaganda
By: Alexandra E. Jones
Tags: Nazis, Congress, World War II, America First, Propaganda

How the bi-partisan push for American isolationism in the 1940s was funded by Nazi Germany

On the day that Adolf Hitler finally ascended to power as Chancellor of Germany, the United States government was silent. No official statement was made, as the feeling within President Herbert Hoover’s administration was that this was ‘an internal German affair’. A few American congressmen made unofficial comments off the record, stating they had faith that Hitler would act with moderation compared to his previously inflammatory rhetoric.

Hitler himself was hardly gloating. He returned to his hotel room shortly after his formal appointment by President von Hindenburg on the morning of January 30th, 1933, having spent the entirety of the previous evening finalizing a detailed national program for presentation. Only two of his fellow Nazis, Hermann Goering and William Frick, had been appointed to government positions alongside him. When questioned by AP News correspondents about his apparent success as he made his way through swaths of supporters with their arms raised in the Nazi salute, Hitler only replied, “Well, we shall see. Now, let’s eat.”

ADOLF HITLER SHAKES THE HAND OF GERMAN PRESIDENT PAUL VON HINDENBERG, SHORTLY AFTER HITLER WAS CONFIRMED AS CHANCELLOR IN JANUARY 1933. SOURCE: BUNDESARCHIV, BILD 183-S38324.

Hitler’s closest advisers were quick to proclaim that he would pursue a policy of friendship with the United States, which “he admired more than any other foreign country.” This declaration was welcomed by supporters of the America First movement, who were committed to promoting the national interests of the United States and maintaining distance from any future foreign wars. Those who supported these sentiments included Americans spanning the full width of the socio-economic spectrum, from farmers to Senators. They could also be found on both sides of the political aisle in Washington, with Republicans and Democrats espousing a policy of isolationism and internal prosperity in the desolate wake of the Great Depression and the First World War.

Americans were not alone in their support of the ‘America First’ ethos. In fact, this agenda was primarily supported politically and financially from inside Nazi Germany itself. German High Command believed, rightfully so, that by supporting America’s isolationist policies and cementing public opinion to that effect, Germany itself would be free to expand its empire in Europe without America’s interference or intervention. Shortly after Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor, the German Foreign Office began its propaganda campaign, with the assistance of American First supporters, to garner support for the Nazi government and to ensure that public opinion remained firmly against entering a war in Europe.

POSTER PRODUCED BY THE AMERICA FIRST COMMITTEE. SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES

The intermediary for this special relationship between the German Foreign Office and the US Department of State was Hans Thomsen, deputy ambassador at the German Embassy in Washington until 1942. Besides being commonly referred to as a poster-boy for Aryan aesthetics due to his height, physical prowess, and blonde coloring, Thomsen had also been a private secretary to Adolf Hitler for several years, witnessing his rise to power first-hand. Subsequently, he became Nazi Germany’s go-to ambassador in the United States for rallying support for Hitler’s government on Capitol Hill.

Thomsen enjoyed enormous success in this endeavor. He and other German agents initially targeted low-hanging fruit such as the America First contingent, rife with powerful captains of industry as well as Senators and Congressmen. Prominent supporters who had the ear of the American public included William Randolph Hearst, a newspaper tycoon who openly supported Hitler’s ‘Germany First’ policy.

The San Francisco Examiner, one of the many papers under Hearst’s ownership, featured a stylized eagle with ‘America First’ in bold print above its head and the slogan ‘An American Paper for the American People’ printed on a flowing ribbon clutched within the eagle’s talons. This paper, amongst others, was known for printing isolationist propaganda and even articles written by Hitler himself. Hearst would also frequently publish his own op-eds, in which he extolled the virtues of Nazism and proclaimed that it was a friend to all those who valued liberty, due to the Nazi party’s fanatical opposition to communism.

HEARST’S ‘SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER’ IN 1933, DEPICTING AN AMERICA FIRST EMBLEM

Another vital cog in the Nazi propaganda machine on American soil was the poet and propagandist George Viereck. Born and raised in Munich before becoming an American citizen in his mid-twenties, Viereck was an ardent supporter of the Nazi party. While he lacked the glamour and physical charisma of fellows such as Thomsen, he more than made up for any shortcomings in this arena with his cool intellect and mind for espionage. He shrewdly viewed the world with sharp, dark eyes through rimless spectacles and favored private apartments or nondescript corners for his more covert strategic meetings.

With the support of both Hitler and German minister of propaganda Dr. Goebbels, Viereck undertook a partnership with the prominent New York public relations firm of Carl Byoir & Associates in the early 1930s. Through the firm, he arranged for contracts with clients such as the German Railroads Information Bureau, a propaganda arm of the German government masquerading as a tourism promotion agency. Shortly afterwards, Viereck published the book Germany Speaks, which detailed the lofty goals of the New Germany and praised Hitler’s leadership. He would also contribute articles to the America First magazine Social Justice, run by prominent Roman Catholic priest Father Charles Coughlin. Coughlin himself was known as “The Radio Priest” due to the vast audience that his broadcasts attracted, and was a fervent supporter of the fascist governments of both Hitler and Mussolini.

EXCERPT TAKEN FROM ‘CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: MAY-JUNE 1940’

Viereck’s efforts were largely funded by Hans Thomsen through a special account opened at the Chase National Bank. Another major source of funding for his propaganda efforts was the General Aniline and Film company, today known as GAF. At the time, the company was the American arm of IG Farben, the notorious German pharmaceutical conglomerate. It operated internationally for the purposes of espionage, war production, and chemical research that resulted in products such as Zyklon B, the chemical used in gas chambers for mass executions. The modern survivors of the company include Bayer, BASF, and Degussa.