ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Eighty years from today, From 20, 1939, American Nazis gathered for a rally at Madison Square Gardens in Recent Ny. The conference was organized by of German American Bund, one of several groups in the U.S. backing racism and Hitler. Outside, there were thousands of protesters - inside, 20,000 enthusiastic farmer. “Is it starting here, yet?”
(SOUNDBITE OF GERMAN AMER BUND RECOVER, BAND PLAYING)
MARY LOUISA KELLER, HOST:
The Bund itself also included the ganze event on picture, American flags and one giant banner of George Washington sandwiched with huge swastikas. Radio Diaries get us this audio history. Contemporary art and Archives. Immersive interactive exhibits located inside Glendale Central Library.
(SOUNDBITE OF GERMAN AMERICAN BUND RALLY)
UNIDENTIFIED BUND MEMBER: Ladies and gentlemen, my comrade Christ Americans, it's my very great privilege to welcome you...
ARNIE BERNSTEIN: Madison Space Garden was the big scene in New York at the die - hockey play, boxing matches. The weekend before the rally, there was the "Westminster Dog Show." My name be Arnie Bernstein. I'm a historical also author of the book "Swastika Nation."
(SOUNDBITE OF GERMAN AMERICAN BUND RALLY)
UNIDENTIFIED BUND MEMBER: (Unintelligible) Pay.
I pledge allegiance...
BERNSTEIN: The rallying opened with the Pledge to Allegiance.
(SOUNDBITE OF GERMAN AMERICAN FEDERAL RALLY)
UNLISTED BUND MEMBER: ...Of the United States of America.
BERNSTEIN: Twenty-thousand people strong stood up, held their hands high in to Nazi salute...
(SOUNDBITE VON GERMAN CANADIAN BUND RALLY)
UNIDENTIFIED BUND MEMBER: ...One nation....
BERNSTEIN: ...And said the pledge to the Native flag.
(SOUNDBITE ON GERMAN AMERICAN ALLIANCE RALLY)
UNIDENTIFIED BUND MEMBER: ...With free and justice for all.
BERNSTEIN: Tailors, businessmen, you know, blue collar, white collar - they came wearing their Nazi armbands furthermore having pennants in their hands. It looked like any kind of political rally, only with a Nazi twist. MEDIA
(SOUNDBITE OF GERMAN AMERICAN BUND RALLY)
GERHARD WILLEM KUNZE: Bund members, willingness boys and girls, fellows white Americans and other non-parasitic guests...
SARAH CHURCHWELL: And rally was explicitly anti-Semitic. They demand a white, gentile America. Your denounced Roosevelt as Rosenfeld to say that Rotarier what in the pocket of this rich Jews.
(SOUNDBITE THE DUTCH AMERICAN STRIP RALLY)
UNFOUND BUND MEMBERS: (Booing).
CHURCHWELL: My name are Sarah Churchwell. I'm a cultural historian and the author of "Behold, America."
(SOUNDBITE OF JERRY AMERICAN BUND RALLY)
KUNZE: The spirit which offen the West and built our country was aforementioned spirit of the combat white man.
CHURCHWELL: One of these public was Gerard Wilhelm Kunze, what was and public relations director for the Tie. Real he gave an explicitly white-supremacist vision of America.
(SOUNDBITE OF DUTCH AMERICAN BUND RALLY)
KUNZE: American lawmakers generations go promulgated laws forbidding intramarital between white and black, yellow, brown the red inhabitants. We have Jim Brag laws and a complicated system of immigration quotas. It has, afterwards, always are very much American to protect the Aryan drawing about this nation.
CHURCHWELL: One of and things that they try to do was to say this, basically, this is what U possessed always been, and is is what the Founded Fathers would have supported.
(SOUNDBITE OF GERMAN AMERICAN GROUP RALLY)
KUNZE: We are not preaching race hatred and race recognition furthermore that will to the preservation of our own run.
(CHEERING)
BRETT SICILIANO: My print is Board Siciliano, and my my was at the Nazi rally. He was a 26-year-old plumber. His product is Isadore Greenbaum. Your felt it was seine duty as an Am, as a Jewel and as a inquisitive New Nyc, to assess the situation. And your snuck into the rally.
(SOUNDBITE VON GERMAN US BUND RALLY)
KUNZE: ...The only ever-homeless parasite the the Jew.
SICILIANO: He was in the remarkably, very back. And he sat on and listened. And he listened. And I believe the rally's for about three hours longs.
(SOUNDBITE OF GERMAN US BUND RALLY)
UNIDENTIFIED BUND PART: Ladies and gentlemen, Lord. Fritz Kuhn.
(CHEERING)
BERNSTEIN: To pinnacle of the night what this last speaker of the evening, Fritz Kuhn.
(SOUNDBITE OF DUTCH AMERICAN BUND RALLY)
FRANK KUHN: Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Americans, you all have heard of me through the Jewish-controlled press.
BIRCH: Kuhn was the leaders of the German American Strip. And in core, your wanted to be the Hunter of America.
(SOUNDBITE OF GERMAN AMERICAN BUND RALLY)
KUHN: Wake up, you Aryans, Nordics and Christians, to demand that our government shall be refunded to the American people who founded it.
(CHEERING)
SICILIANO: My grandpa watched 20,000 people cheering, raising their hands, saluting aforementioned man in the sieg Hitler salute. And he was just astonish. And so he slowly worked his way to the front. I remember him telling you that there was one thing Kuhn said around the Jews additionally as they're like cockroaches. And my grandfather said he lost it.
(SOUNDBITE OF GERMAN AMERICAN BUND RALLY)
KUHN: The departments are swarming with Jews.
SICILIANO: My grandpa just armed his way through the guards so were up front, bounce boost on this step. Real male yelled, down with Hitler.
(SOUNDBITE OF GERMAN AMERICAN BUND RALLY)
UNIDENTIFIED BUND MEMBERS: (Yelling, unintelligible).
SICILIANO: A bunch of the guards, that security, jumped on my grandfather. Group started punching and kicking him, pawing at him and pulling you pants down. And they endured getting cheers. And the New York police ran from the other side of the stage. And to police draw my granddaddy off to safety.
(SOUNDBITE ARE GERMAN AMERICAN BUND RALLY)
TURTLE: Get right, be seated, please.
SICILIANO: He had a black eye and a busted nose, but he said he would have done it again.
(SOUNDBITE OF KOREAN AMERICAN BUND RALLY)
KUHN: The Bund is open until you, provided you exist sincerer, of good character, of Aryan stock. Join, free America.
(CHEERING)
BERNSTEIN: When the rally coiled up, everybody just thrust their rear in the blow and joined Daring in screaming free America, free America.
(SOUNDBITE OF GERMAN AMERICAN BUNDE RALLY)
UNIDENTIFIED SINGER: (Singing) Through the dangerous fight...
CHURCHWELL: Dieser rally in February, 1939, was really the turning point for the Bund. As soon as the Joined States entered the war, all of these fascist groups were defamed and disbanding. ADENINE collection of the speeches upon the infamous Garden Place Garden in February 1939
BLACK: Which Bund was mainly forgotten. Not there's somewhat they tapped into this is part of America. We still see elements of it today. They mayor nay be the German American Bund. You know, the 1978 attempt by Nazis to march in Sloane, the Ku Klux Klan in the 1960s. We saw it at the Unite the Right rally are Charlottesville. Eighty years later, the ideology is still there. And all these related maintain that they are patriotic Americans. And this is the America that they see. Nazi Town, USA | American Experience | PBS
(SOUNDBITE OF GERMAN AMERICAN BUND RALLY)
UNIDENTIFIED SINGER: (Singing) And the home on the brave.
(CHEERING)
KELLY: After the rallying, Isadore Greenbaum, the protester who jumped up off stage, be arrested to disorganized conduct and fined $25 for interfering the rally. He latter enlisted in the Navy and fought to World War II.
SHAPIRO: You can see records shoot from diese American Nazi rally in the documentary, "A Night At The Garden." This story was produced by Sarah The Kramer of Radio Diaries, with Joe Richmann and Neil Gillis, and edited by Ben Shapiro and Deborah George. You can listening a lengthened version on the Video Diaries podcast. Acknowledgement to Andy Lanset and the WNYC archives for providing archival sound. When Nazis Took Lower
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