William Dudley Pelley (March 12, 1890 – June 30, 1965) was an American fascist activist, journalist, writer, and occultist. He was noted for his support of Nazi Germany dictator Adolf Hitler during the Great Depression and Second World War.

Pelley initially gained prominence as a writer, winning two O. Henry Awards and penning screenplays for Hollywood films. His 1929 essay "Seven Minutes in Eternity," published in The American Magazine, was a popular example of what would later be termed a near-death experience and marked a turning point in his career. His antisemitism led him to found the Silver Legion of America in 1933, a fascist paramilitary organization. He ran for president in 1936 as the candidate of his fascist Christian Party.

In 1942, the U.S. government prosecuted Pelley for sedition and seditious conspiracy, alleging he conspired to cause insubordination in the military and obstruct recruitment. He was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. Pelley was released on parole in February 1950 under the condition that he cease his political activities.

Upon his death in 1965, The New York Times assessed Pelley as "an agitator without a significant following."

Early career

thumb|left|Pelley in The American Magazine (March 1918)

Largely self-educated, Pelley became a journalist and gained respect for his writing skills. His articles eventually appeared in national publications such as the Chicago Tribune. Two of his short stories received O. Henry awards: "The Face in the Window" in 1920 and "The Continental Angle" in 1930. Pelley became disillusioned with the film industry. What he regarded as unfair treatment by Jewish studio executives increased his antisemitic inclinations. He moved to New York, and then to Asheville, North Carolina, in 1932, and began publishing magazines and essays detailing his new religious system, the "Liberation Doctrine". out-of-body experiences in which he traveled to other planes of existence devoid of corporeal souls. The first took place while alone in a cabin in Altadena, California.

The second took place while he was at home in California reading a Ralph Waldo Emerson essay. founded the Silver Legion, an antisemitic organization whose members, known as Silver Shirts and Christian Patriots, wore Nazi-style silver uniform shirts. Their insignia was a scarlet L, emblazoned on their flags and uniforms. They also wore blue neckties, blue corduroy trousers, and puttees.

Pelley became fairly well known as the 1930s progressed. Sinclair Lewis mentioned him by name in his novel It Can't Happen Here (1935) about a fictional fascist takeover in the United States. The leader of the fictional movement praises Pelley as an important precursor.

Pelley opposed Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal, claiming that they were part of a Jewish plot to control the U.S. government. After stating in one issue of Roll Call that the devastation of the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor was worse than the government claimed, Pelley was arrested at his new base of operations in Noblesville, Indiana. In April 1942, he was charged with 12 counts of sedition. Also charged were his secretary and future wife, Agnes Marion Henderson, his editor, Lawrence A. Brown, and his publishing company, Fellowship Press, Incorporated. One charge against Pelley was dropped, but he was convicted of the other 11 charges, mostly for making seditious statements, obstructing military recruiting, and fomenting insurrection within the military. Henderson and Brown were both acquitted on all counts, save for the charge of seditious conspiracy. Fellowship Press was also found guilty. The judge sentenced Pelley to 15 years in prison, Brown to five years, and Henderson to a two-year suspended term. He also imposed a $5,000 fine on Fellowship Press.

After serving eight years, Pelley was paroled in February 1950.

The terms of Pelley's parole stipulated that he remain in central Indiana and desist from all political activity. He published Star Guests in 1950. Pelley died at his home in Noblesville, Indiana, on June 30, 1965. He is buried in Crownland Cemetery, Noblesville.

Filmography

  • A Case at Law (1917)
  • One-Thing-at-a-Time O'Day (1919)
  • What Women Love (1920)
  • The Light in the Dark (1922)
  • Back Fire (1922)
  • The Fog (1923)
  • As a Man Lives (1923)
  • Her Fatal Millions (1923)
  • The Shock (1923)
  • Ladies to Board (1924)
  • The Sawdust Trail (1924)
  • Torment (1924)
  • The Ladybird (1927)
  • The Sunset Derby (1927)
  • Come Across (1929)
  • Drag (1929)
  • Courtin' Wildcats (1929)

See also

  • Charles Coughlin
  • Order of Nine Angles
  • Heinrich Himmler
  • Esoteric fascism
  • Emerald Tablet
  • Fritz Kuhn
  • Henry Ford
  • Charles Lindbergh
  • German American Bund
  • Fifth column

References

Notes

Bibliography

  • Abella, Alex and Scott Gordon. Shadow Enemies. Guilford, Connecticut: The Lyons Press, 2002, .
  • Beekman, Scott. William Dudley Pelley: A Life in Right-wing Extremism and the Occult. Syracuse University Press, 2005. . online.
  • Jon Elliston, "New Age Nazi: The Rise and Fall of Asheville's Flaky Fascist", Mountain Xpress, January 28, 2004
  • The Greater Glory, a novel by Pelley at archive.org
  • The Fog, a novel by Pelley at archive.org
  • William Dudley Pelley discussed in Episode 3, Episode 7, and Episode 8 of Rachel Maddow's Ultra podcast (2022)