-Written by Anubhawananda
(Lanka-e-News -31.Oct.2024, 11.00 pm) It was February 20, 1939 a unique day in American history. A massive rally was held at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, organized by the German American Bund, a Nazi fascist group. Founded before World War II, the organization’s goal was to make America a Nazi fascist state. Filled with hatred and hostility toward Jews and leftists, the group blended American nationalism with Nazi fascism. Fritz Kuhn, the leader of the German American Bund, was known as the “American Führer.”
Over 20,000 American Nazi supporters gathered that day, with banners including “Make America Great Again.” The event started with a Nazi parade, featuring brown-shirted Nazi security forces. The crowd frequently saluted Hitler with cries of “Heil Hitler!” Kuhn and other Nazi leaders preached the destruction of Jews and leftists to transform America into a fascist state aligned with Hitler’s Germany.
Before World War II, Hitler’s Nazi ideology found significant support in the U.S., with the German American Bund and the America First Committee leading the charge. Many leaders of the America First Committee were Republican senators and congressmen. They argued that America should not join the war against Hitler and instead strengthen political and economic ties with him.
The political strategy of these groups was isolationism, branded as “America First.” Following World War II, investigations revealed that more than 30 American senators and congressmen had accepted money from Hitler’s government to act as Nazi agents within the U.S.
In post-war investigations, more than 30,000 documents were discovered detailing Nazi ties to American officials. Led by government attorney O. John Rogge, an investigative team went to Berlin and interrogated top Nazi officials, including Hermann Göring and Joachim von Ribbentrop, about their American connections. Rogge later published The Official German Report, and for further insight, Bradley W. Hart’s 2018 book Hitler’s American Friends: The Third Reich’s Supporters in the United States offers extensive research on America’s Nazi past.
On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, killing over 2,400 American sailors. America, until then neutral, declared war on Japan, Germany, and other fascist states. The America First Committee was disbanded, and during the war, over 400,000 American soldiers sacrificed their lives. This was the high price America paid for its brief embrace of isolationism.
Eighty-five years after the Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden, Donald Trump held an event there on Sunday, attended by thousands of white nationalist supporters. Echoing themes of white supremacy, anti-immigrant sentiment, and threats, Trump’s rally revived fascist overtones. Hitler’s “Germany only for Germans” slogan was mirrored by Trump’s “America only for Americans.” For Trump and his followers, the “real American” is white and Christian.
In 2016, we identified Trump as a fascist figure. Although some criticized this view, Trump’s own former officials now validate it. General John Kelly, Trump’s former Chief of Staff, recently described Trump as a fascist in an interview with The New York Times. Kelly, who also served as Secretary of Homeland Security, noted Trump’s authoritarian tendencies and admiration for dictatorial control.
Several former officials who served under Trump have endorsed General Kelly’s assessment. These individuals, having served the nation their entire lives, emphasize that Trump should not be given a second term. Bob Woodward’s latest book The War also reports that General Mark Milley, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described Trump as a direct threat to America.
Mike Pence and most of Trump’s former cabinet members are withholding their support, signaling a significant shift within the Republican Party. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, who served under Trump, has urged the American public not to return him to the presidency due to his authoritarian leanings.
In summary, Trump’s influence resembles past fascist ideologies, and concerns over a second Trump term have sparked resistance among even his former close allies
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by (2024-10-31 17:46:50)
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