George Lincoln Rockwell George Lincoln Rockwell ( March 9 , 1918 – August 25 , 1967 ) was the founder of the American Nazi Party . Rockwell was a major figure in the neo - Nazi movement in the United States , and his beliefs and writings have continued to be influential among white nationalists and neo - Nazis . Early life . Rockwell was born in Bloomington , Illinois , the first of three children of George Lovejoy " Doc " Rockwell and Claire ( Schade ) Rockwell . His father was born in Providence , Rhode Island , and was of English and Scottish ancestry . His mother was the daughter of Augustus Schade , a German immigrant , and Corrine Boudreau , who was of Acadian French ancestry . Both parents were vaudeville comedians and actors , and his father ' s acquaintances included Fred Allen , Benny Goodman , Walter Winchell , Jack Benny , and Groucho Marx . His parents divorced when Rockwell was six years old , and he divided his youth with his mother in Atlantic City , New Jersey , and with his father in Boothbay Harbor , Maine . Rockwell attended Atlantic City High School in Atlantic City , and applied to Harvard University when he was 17 years old . However , he was denied admission . One year later , his father enrolled him at Hebron Academy in Hebron , Maine . He became an avid reader of Western philosophy and socially significant novels , leading him to re - examine the topic of religion . He had initially perceived himself as a devout Protestant , but after reading the Bible numerous times , he perceived religion as a necessary pillar to civilization . He contemplated the possibility of a " total intelligence " existing in the universe , and identified himself as an agnostic . Despite this , he promoted the Christian Identity sect in the 1960s . In August 1938 , Rockwell enrolled at Brown University in Providence , Rhode Island as a philosophy major . In his sociology courses , he rejected equality and the idea that man was made by his environment and all human beings had the same potential in life . He debated with fellow students over topics such as social themes in popular novels . Military service and marriages . In his sophomore year , Rockwell dropped out of Brown University and accepted a commission in the United States Navy . He appreciated the order and discipline of the Navy , and attended flight schools in Massachusetts and Florida in 1940 . On April 24 , 1943 , Rockwell married Judy Aultman , whom he had met while attending Brown University . Aultman was a student at Pembroke College , which was the female section of the university . The couple had three daughters : Bonnie , Nancy , and Phoebe Jean . At the time , Rockwell was studying at the Navy ' s aerial photography school in South Florida . When he completed his training , he served in the Pacific Theatre of World War II . Rockwell was recalled to duty as a lieutenant commander at the beginning of the Korean War . He moved to San Diego , California , with his wife and two children , where he trained Navy and United States Marine Corps pilots . In 1952 , Rockwell was ordered to report to Norfolk , Virginia , where he was notified by a superior officer that he would be transferred to Iceland . Since families were not permitted to be with American service personnel stationed there , his wife and children stayed with her mother in Barrington , Rhode Island . Due to the separation , his wife filed for divorce the following year . Several months after his return to Iceland , Rockwell attended a diplomatic party in the capital city of Reykjavík . He met Þóra Hallgrímsdóttir there , and they were married on October 3 , 1953 in the Icelandic National Cathedral by Þóra ' s uncle , the Bishop of Iceland . They spent their honeymoon in Berchtesgaden , Germany , where Hitler once owned the Berghof mountain retreat in the Bavarian Alps . Rockwell told Þóra about his political beliefs , and she replied that he would either be a " bum or a great man " . She divorced him on October 15 , 1961 . Civilian career . When the Korean War ended , Rockwell decided to become a graphic designer . He was accepted into the art program at the prestigious Pratt Institute in Brooklyn , New York . He and his wife moved to New York City so he could study at Pratt . Rockwell was introduced to the post modern art concept , something he considered to be a corporate form of trendy Communist chic mixed with Madison Avenue marketing . He viewed Jewish New Yorkers as the main promoters of this simplified yet marketable movement , and felt even more contempt towards Jews . In 1948 , Rockwell won the $ 1 , 000 first prize for an advertisement he did for the American Cancer Society . The contest was sponsored by the National Society of Illustrators in New York . He left Pratt before finishing his final year , and founded his own advertising agency in Maine . Rockwell saw a business opportunity in publishing a magazine for United States servicemen ' s wives . In September 1955 , he launched the " U . S . Lady " . After presenting the idea to the generals and admirals who headed public relations departments of the military services , Rockwell began publishing in Washington , D . C . The new enterprise also incorporated Rockwell ' s political causes : his opposition to both racial integration and communism . He financed the operation through stock sales and subscriptions . With a staff of thirty workers , Rockwell could only promise to pay his employees before the launch of the first issue . The publication continued to have financial problems , and he sold his interest in the magazine . However , he still aspired to pursue a career in publishing . Political activism . During his time in San Diego , Rockwell began moving towards the political far right . He was influenced by Senator Joseph McCarthy ' s stance against communism . Rockwell supported General Douglas MacArthur ' s candidacy for President of the United States . He adopted the corncob pipe , following MacArthur ' s example . Rockwell attended a Gerald L . K . Smith rally in Los Angeles , and read Conde McGinley ' s " Common Sense " , a political newspaper that introduced him to anti - semitism and Holocaust Denial . He then read the National Socialist manifesto " Mein Kampf " by Adolf Hitler and the Russian propaganda pamphlet " Protocols of the Elders of Zion " . Privately , he adopted their beliefs . He published an " Animal Farm " - type parody , " The Fable of the Ducks and the Hens . " This was Rockwell ' s interpretation of Jewish power in the United States in the 20th century . In 1952 , Rockwell began working with anti - semitic and anti - communist groups . That year , he attended the American Nationalist Conference , which was organized by Conde McGinley ’ s Christian Educational Association . In July 1958 , Rockwell demonstrated in front of the White House in an anti - war protest against President Dwight D . Eisenhower ' s decision to send ' peace - keeping ' troops to the Middle East . One day he received a large package from a supporter ; it contained an 18 - foot - long Swastika flag . He placed the flag on the wall of his home and made a shrine with Hitler ' s photo in the center , three lighted candles in front . In his autobiography , Rockwell claimed to have had a religious experience and swore allegiance to his leader , saluting " Heil Hitler ! " Rockwell and a few supporters had uniforms . They armed themselves with rifle s and revolvers , and paraded about his home in Arlington , Virginia . The window to his home was left open , so that others could see the huge Swastika flag . Drew Pearson wrote a news column about Rockwell , giving him his first publicity . In the presidential election of 1964 , Rockwell ran as a write - in candidate , receiving 212 votes . He ran unsuccessfully for governor of Virginia in 1965 as an independent , this time polling 5 , 730 votes , or 1 . 02 percent of the total , finishing last among the four candidates . American Nazi Party . In March 1959 , Rockwell founded the World Union of Free Enterprise National Socialists ( WUFENS ) , a name selected to denote opposition to state ownership of property . In December , the name was changed to the American Nazi Party , and the headquarters relocated to 928 North Randolph Street in Arlington , Virginia . In order to attract media attention , Rockwell held a rally April 3 , 1960 , on the National Mall of Washington , D . C . , where Rockwell addressed the crowd with a two - hour long speech . The second rally was to be held at Union Square in New York City . Mayor Robert Wagner refused to grant him a permit to speak , and he appealed that decision to the New York Supreme Court . Jewish war veterans and Holocaust survivors gathered to oppose his appeal and , during a court recess , when Rockwell emerged into the court Rotunda he was surrounded by a crowd of television reporters . One of the reporters , Reese Schonfeld , asked Rockwell how he would treat Jews if he came to power in the United States . Rockwell replied he would treat Jews just as he treated any other American citizens . If they were loyal Americans , everything would be fine ; if they were traitors , they would be executed . When Schonfeld asked what percentage of Jews Rockwell perceived as traitors , Rockwell replied , " Ninety percent . " The Jewish war veterans and Holocaust survivors rioted and began beating Rockwell and the reporter with their umbrellas , and Rockwell was escorted out of the Courthouse Rotunda in the midst of a police convoy . Rockwell , with the aid of the ACLU , eventually won his permit , but it was long after the date of the planned event . The third rally was set for July 4 , 1960 , again held on the Mall . Rockwell and his men were confronted by a mob and a riot ensued . The police arrested Rockwell and eight party members . Rockwell demanded a trial , however was instead committed to a psychiatric hospital for thirty days . In less than two weeks , he was released and found capable of standing trial . He published a pamphlet on this experience titled " How to Get Out or Stay Out of the Insane Asylum " . In summer 1966 , Rockwell led a counter - demonstration to Martin Luther King ' s attempt to bring an end to de facto segregation in the white Chicago suburb of Cicero , Illinois . He believed King was a tool for Jewish Communists to integrate America . Rockwell led the American Nazi Party in assisting the Ku Klux Klan and similar groups during the Civil Rights Movement , in attempts to counter the Freedom Ride rs and the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom . But he soon came to believe the Klan was stuck in the past and ineffective for helping him wage a modern race struggle . After hearing the slogan " Black Power " during a debate in 1966 with Black Panther Stokely Carmichael , Rockwell altered the phrase and started a call for " White Power " . " White Power " later became the name of the party ' s newspaper and the title of a book authored by Rockwell . Rockwell ' s principal message was racial separation . He attempted to form friendly associations with the Nation of Islam . He praised Elijah Muhammad as the " Black people ' s Hitler , " and for doing the best job in promoting integrity and pride among his people . Rockwell also admired Malcolm X , seeing him as the next true leader for Black America . In 1965 Malcolm X sent Rockwell a telegram while Rockwell was on his " Hate Bus " tour of the South , threatening Rockwell with " maximum physical retaliation from those of us who are not hand - cuffed by the disarming philosophy of nonviolence " should Martin Luther King , Jr . or " any other black Americans who are only attempting to enjoy their rights as free human beings " be harmed . Rockwell was a Holocaust denier . In an April 1966 interview with " Playboy " journalist Alex Haley , Rockwell stated , " I don ' t believe for one minute that any 6 , 000 , 000 Jews were exterminated by Hitler . It never happened . " Haley would later author the 1976 novel " " , which would eventually be made into a TV serial . The interview was dramatized in the TV miniseries " " , with Marlon Brando portraying Rockwell in an Emmy Award - winning performance and James Earl Jones portraying Haley . The two - story farm house Rockwell established as his " Stormtrooper Barracks " was located at 6150 Wilson Boulevard , in the Dominion Hills district of Arlington . It was there that the interview with Alex Haley occurred . Situated on the tallest hill in Arlington County , the house has long since been razed and the property incorporated into the Upton Hill Regional Park . A small picnic table pavilion marks the house ' s former location . The site of the party headquarters , 928 North Randolph Street in the Ballston area of Arlington , is now a massive hotel and office building complex . Rockwell ' s successor , Matt Koehl , relocated the headquarters after Rockwell ' s death to 2507 North Franklin Road in the Clarendon area . It would become the last physical address of the party before Koehl moved it to New Berlin , Wisconsin in the mid - 1980s . The small red brick building , often misidentified today as Rockwell ' s former headquarters , is now a coffee shop called " The Java Shack . " World Union of National Socialists . In August 1962 Rockwell travelled secretly to Britain through Ireland . In the Cotswolds , he co - founded the World Union of National Socialists with Colin Jordan ' s British organization the National Socialist Movement , before being deported back to the States . In 1966 , the international group published " National Socialist World " , edited by former physics professor William Luther Pierce . National Socialist White People ' s Party . From June 9 to 11 , 1963 , the party held its national conference in Arlington , aimed at reorganizing its leadership and " charting a new course of professionalism " . In July 1963 , the party ' s publication " The Stormtrooper " magazine was replaced with the newspaper " White Power " bearing the swastika in the center of the paper . Some within the NSWPP opposed this new ideological direction . On January 1 , 1967 , Rockwell announced the party ' s next stage of development . He officially changed the name of the American Nazi Party to the National Socialist White People ' s Party ( NSWPP ) . Its new slogan would be " White Power " , replacing the inflammatory " Sieg Heil " . The new strategy would be to capitalize on growing support in the wake of the Chicago rallies and to focus the organization ' s commitment to a universal white nationalism . An internal party newsletter , the " National Socialist Bulletin " , was started to help direct these new efforts . Hatenanny Records and the Hate Bus . In the 1960s , Rockwell attempted to draw attention to his cause by starting a small record label , named Hatenanny Records ( the name was based on the word " hootenanny " , a term given to folk music performances ) . The label released several 45 RPM singles , including recordings by a group credited as Odis Cochran and the Three Bigots , and were sold mostly through mail order and at party rallies . A truncated version of one of the band ' s recordings , " Ship Those Nigger s Back , " appears in the documentary " The California Reich " . When the Freedom Riders drove their campaign to desegregate bus stations in the Deep South , Rockwell secured a Volkswagen van and decorated it with swastikas and white supremacist slogans , dubbing it the " Hate Bus " and personally driving it to speaking engagements and party rallies . According to an FBI report on the American Nazi Party , the van was repossessed after a loan default . Assassination . On June 28 , 1967 , the first attempt was made on Rockwell ’ s life . Returning from shopping , he drove into the party barracks ’ driveway on Wilson Boulevard and found it blocked by a felled tree and brush . Rockwell assumed that it was another prank by local teens . As a young boy cleared the obstruction , two shots were fired at Rockwell from behind one of the swastika - embossed brick driveway pillars . One of the shots ricocheted off the car , right next to his head . Leaping from the car , Rockwell pursued the would - be assassin . On June 30 , Rockwell petitioned the Arlington County Circuit Court for a gun permit . No action was ever taken on his request . On August 25 , 1967 , Rockwell was killed by gunshots while leaving the Econowash laundromat at the Dominion Hills Shopping Center in the 6000 block of Wilson Boulevard in Arlington , Virginia . Two bullets , from what would later be found to be a model 1896 " Broomhandle " Mauser pistol , passed through his 1958 Chevrolet ' s windshield , and it slowly rolled backwards to a stop . Rockwell staggered out of the front passenger side door of the car , pointed towards the shopping center roof , and then collapsed face up on the pavement . The gunman ran along the shopping center roof and jumped to the ground in the rear . A shop owner and a customer briefly gave chase , but were unable to get a clear look at the fleeing figure . Other customers called the Arlington County police and checked Rockwell for a pulse . He had none ; the one bullet that struck him had ripped through several major arteries just above his heart . The internal bleeding was so heavy that Rockwell died in two minutes . A half hour later , at a bus stop about a half - mile ( 800 m ) away , John Patler , a former member of Rockwell ' s group , was arrested as the suspected murderer by a passing patrolman familiar with the Arlington Nazis . Later that day , after hearing of his son ’ s death , Rockwell ' s 78 - year - old father was curt : " I am not surprised at all . I ' ve expected it for quite some time . " Matt Koehl , the number two man in the NSWPP , moved to establish legal control over Rockwell ’ s body and all NSWPP assets . At the time of his death , the NSWPP had approximately 300 active members nationwide , and perhaps 3 , 000 financial supporters . Although Rockwell ’ s parents wanted a private burial in Maine , they did not feel up to a public fight with the Nazis for his body . On August 27 , an NSWPP spokesman reported that Federal officials had given verbal approval to a planned military burial of Rockwell at Culpeper National Cemetery , as an honorably discharged veteran of the U . S . Armed Forces . On August 29 , several dozen NSWPP troopers and about 100 party supporters formed a procession and drove the from Arlington to Culpeper . At the cemetery gates they were met by General Carl C . Turner and 60 MPs who had been rushed in from Vint Hill to enforce the U . S . Army ’ s burial protocol . They were backed by dozens of police from various jurisdictions . No mourners bearing Nazi insignia would be allowed into the cemetery . The NSWPP troopers refused to remove their uniforms , which led to a day - long standoff . They unsuccessfully tried to force their way into the cemetery three separate times . Several arrests resulted . With daylight fading , General Turner declared that Rockwell could not be buried until the NSWPP made a new request to the Pentagon and agreed to follow protocol . The Nazis returned to Arlington with Rockwell ’ s body . Plans were made to bury Rockwell in Spotsylvania County , but they fell apart when local Jewish organizations protested . Fearing that Arlington County officials might seize the body , the ANP had Rockwell cremated the next morning , and a memorial service was held that afternoon at party headquarters . On February 8 , 1968 , the NSWPP filed suit to obtain a Nazi burial for Rockwell ’ s remains at any National Cemetery . On March 15 , 1969 , a Federal district judge upheld the Army Secretary ’ s ruling that Rockwell was ineligible for a burial with full military honors in a national cemetery . Today Rockwell ' s ashes reside next to those of Savitri Devi in the memorial room of New Order headquarters in New Berlin , Wisconsin . Following psychiatric evaluation , John Patler was judged competent to stand trial . He pleaded not guilty at his preliminary hearing to the charge of first degree homicide . His trial began on November 27 amid tight security at the Arlington County Courthouse . On December 15 , Patler was found guilty and released on bond to await sentencing . On February 23 , 1968 , Patler was sentenced to 20 years in prison , at that time the least amount possible for a first degree murder conviction . The Virginia Circuit Court postponed imprisonment pending his appeal . On November 30 , 1970 , the Virginia Supreme Court upheld Patler ’ s conviction and 20 - year sentence for slaying Rockwell , and ordered him to begin serving his sentence . On May 16 , 1972 , the U . S . Supreme Court unanimously rejected Patler ’ s appeal based on claims of witness contamination . In August 1975 , Patler was paroled from the Pulaski correctional unit after serving less than four years of his sentence . Judge Charles S . Russell , who had presided over Patler ’ s murder trial , wrote a lengthy letter to the parole board supporting Patler ’ s release , the only time he did so in his career . The following year Patler violated the terms of his parole and was returned to prison for an additional six years . On December 30 , 1977 , Patler petitioned the Henry County Circuit Court to change his surname back to its original form , Patsalos . After serving out the remainder of his sentence , John Patsalos returned to the New York City area . The exact reason for Rockwell ' s murder is still a matter of debate . Patler ' s nasty feud with Rockwell and a family history of violence weighed against him at the trial . Despite being convicted of the crime , Patler has always maintained his innocence . The case against him was largely circumstantial and key evidence against him ( e . g . , whether he possessed the murder weapon at the time of the killing ) was disputed by defense witnesses . The small strip mall where Rockwell was killed is still called the Dominion Hills Shopping Center , although it has since been refurbished and the laundromat replaced by a dry cleaners . After his death , admirers of Rockwell painted a white swastika on the blacktop surface of the parking lot , marking the exact spot where he died . Several attempts by the property owners were made to obliterate the emblem with a square patch of black paint , but the white swastika would always surreptitiously reappear , usually on or near the anniversary of Rockwell ' s death . It remained visible , off and on , well into the 1980s , until the NSWPP renamed itself the New Order and moved their headquarters to Wisconsin . Since then the parking lot has been resurfaced and a handicapped parking space symbol painted on the same spot . The site can be located today by using a crime scene photograph that appears on page 323 of William H . Schmaltz ' s biography of Rockwell . On August 27 , 2007 , the 40th anniversary of the assassination , a group of unidentified , non - uniformed Rockwell admirers appeared at the Dominion Hills Shopping Center to conduct a brief ceremony and lay a wreath . They carried a plain white banner with black and red lettering that bore the symbolic slogan : " Lincoln Rockwell Lives ! " Legacy . Rockwell was a source of inspiration for White Nationalist politician David Duke . As a student in high school , when Duke learned of Rockwell ' s assassination , he reportedly said " The greatest American who ever lived has been shot down and killed " . In the mid - 1960s , Rockwell had a strategy to develop his Nazi political philosophy within the Christian Identity religious movement . Previously , Christian Identity had antisemitic and racist views , but not a Third Reich orientation . The Christian Identity group Aryan Nations started to use various Nazi flags in its services , and its security personnel started wearing uniforms similar to those worn by Rockwell ' s stormtrooper s . Two of Rockwell ' s associates , Matt Koehl and William Luther Pierce , formed their own organizations . Koehl , who was Rockwell ' s successor , renamed the NSWPP to New Order in 1983 and relocated it to Wisconsin shortly thereafter . Pierce founded the National Alliance . George Lincoln Rockwell was also mentioned in the lyrics to the Bob Dylan song " Talkin ' John Birch Paranoid Blues " . In the lyrics to the song , the narrator parodies Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson as being Communists , and claims that the only " true American " is George Lincoln Rockwell . Quoting the lyrics , " I know for a fact that he hates Commies , ' cause he picketed the movie " Exodus " . " In an episode of " The Twilight Zone " entitled " He ' s Alive " , Dennis Hopper portrays the leader of a small Neo - Nazi group ; a character apparently inspired by Rockwell . In the television miniseries " " , Marlon Brando portrayed Rockwell and won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his performance . Summary of military career . Rockwell had a successful Naval career , both on active duty and in the Naval Reserve . A veteran of World War II , he was a naval aviator and served a follow - on tour during the Korean War . He would transfer to the naval reserve . In his nineteen years of service , he had obtained the rank of Commander and was commanding officer of several aviation reserve units . In 1960 , as a result of his political and racist activities , the United States Navy discharged Rockwell one year short of retirement , since he was regarded as " not deployable " due to his political views . The proceedings to dismiss him were an extremely public affair , and Rockwell widely advertised the results , saying he " had basically been thrown out of the Navy " Service dates Dates of rank Awards