Edward Leo Delaney
Encyclopedia
Edward Leo Delaney was an American broadcaster of Nazi propaganda
during World War II. He was indicted on charges of treason in 1943, but after the war the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence.
and Harris' road companies' productions of Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford
. Delaney left the troupe in 1915 for Australia, where he played the part of The Killer in Seven Keys to Baldpate in Josephine Cohan's company.
In the early 1920s, Delaney returned to the United States as a theatrical tour manager and in 1934 he published his first book, The Lady By Degrees, followed in 1935 by The Charm Girl.
From 1935 to 1939, Delaney was employed by the Transoceanic Film Export Company of New York City, traveling to various European countries.
In 1937–1938 Delaney went to Germany to write, returning to the U.S. in early 1939. In December 1939 he left the U.S. for Italy. Then through his contacts from his involvement with the ultra-right and Coughlinite
politics, he was recruited by the Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft
(RRG) to present a series of pro-German broadcasts from an American perspective for its U.S.A. Zone.
Delaney claimed never to have formally promoted Nazi doctrine and he is not believed to have made any propaganda broadcasts after U.S. entry into the war on December 11, 1941. Those that were subsequently aired appear to have been recorded earlier. Constant friction with his supervisors at the RRG and interrogation by the Gestapo
as to his motives and commitment led to his departure from Berlin in 1943.
in June 1945 and taken into the custody of the Counter Intelligence Corps
at Freising
in Bavaria.
, Jane Anderson
, Constance Drexel
, Robert Henry Best, Max Otto Koischwitz
and Ezra Pound
was indicted in absentia
by a District of Columbia grand jury on charges of treason
.
Delaney was returned to the U.S. on August 8, 1947, but the charges against him were dropped by the Department of Justice
due to lack of evidence on October 27, 1947. A United States Government memorandum held by the Department of Justice
dated June 14, 1946, had stated the following:
He died in an automobile accident in 1972.
Nazi propaganda
Propaganda, the coordinated attempt to influence public opinion through the use of media, was skillfully used by the NSDAP in the years leading up to and during Adolf Hitler's leadership of Germany...
during World War II. He was indicted on charges of treason in 1943, but after the war the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence.
Early life
Delaney began an acting career about 1910, playing the part of Blackie Daw in one of CohanGeorge M. Cohan
George Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer....
and Harris' road companies' productions of Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford
Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford
Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford is a 1916 silent comedy film directed by Fred Niblo. It was Niblo's debut film as a director - he was touring Australia in the play for J.C. Williamson Ltd and was signed to repeat the role on film. Writer W.J. Lincoln was hired to direct but had to pull out because of...
. Delaney left the troupe in 1915 for Australia, where he played the part of The Killer in Seven Keys to Baldpate in Josephine Cohan's company.
In the early 1920s, Delaney returned to the United States as a theatrical tour manager and in 1934 he published his first book, The Lady By Degrees, followed in 1935 by The Charm Girl.
From 1935 to 1939, Delaney was employed by the Transoceanic Film Export Company of New York City, traveling to various European countries.
In 1937–1938 Delaney went to Germany to write, returning to the U.S. in early 1939. In December 1939 he left the U.S. for Italy. Then through his contacts from his involvement with the ultra-right and Coughlinite
Charles Coughlin
Father Charles Edward Coughlin was a controversial Roman Catholic priest at Royal Oak, Michigan's National Shrine of the Little Flower church. He was one of the first political leaders to use radio to reach a mass audience, as more than thirty million tuned to his weekly broadcasts during the...
politics, he was recruited by the Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft
Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft
The Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft , which can be loosely translated as the State Broadcasting Company, was a national network of German regional public broadcasting companies active from 1925 until 1945...
(RRG) to present a series of pro-German broadcasts from an American perspective for its U.S.A. Zone.
Propaganda for Nazi Germany
In January 1940, Delaney began as a commentator for the RRG, German State Radio in Berlin. Using the pseudonym "E. D. Ward", Delaney confined his broadcasts almost entirely to news that was favorable to Germany and the Axis. Described as a "roving reporter", he denounced not the Jews but the British class system.Delaney claimed never to have formally promoted Nazi doctrine and he is not believed to have made any propaganda broadcasts after U.S. entry into the war on December 11, 1941. Those that were subsequently aired appear to have been recorded earlier. Constant friction with his supervisors at the RRG and interrogation by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
as to his motives and commitment led to his departure from Berlin in 1943.
Arrest
After his dismissal from the RRG, Delaney appears to have avoided internment and to have drifted around Occupied Europe for two years. He was eventually arrested in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
in June 1945 and taken into the custody of the Counter Intelligence Corps
Counter Intelligence Corps
The Counter Intelligence Corps was a World War II and early Cold War intelligence agency within the United States Army. Its role was taken over by the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps in 1961 and, in 1967, by the U.S. Army Intelligence Agency...
at Freising
Freising
Freising is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district Freising. Total population 48,500.The city is located north of Munich at the Isar river, near the Munich International Airport...
in Bavaria.
Charges of treason
On July 26, 1943, Delaney, along with Fred W. Kaltenbach, Douglas ChandlerDouglas Chandler
Douglas Chandler was an American broadcaster of Nazi propaganda during World War II. He was convicted of treason in 1947 and sentenced to life imprisonment.-Biography:Chandler was an officer in the U.S...
, Jane Anderson
Jane Anderson – The Georgia Peach
Jane Anderson was an American broadcaster of Nazi propaganda during World War II. She was indicted on charges of treason in 1943 but after the war the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence.-Biography:...
, Constance Drexel
Constance Drexel
Constance Drexel , a naturalized United States citizen, and groundbreaking feature writer for U.S. newspapers, was indicted for treason in World War II for radio broadcasts from Berlin that extolled Nazi virtues...
, Robert Henry Best, Max Otto Koischwitz
Max Otto Koischwitz
Max Oscar Otto Koischwitz was a naturalized American of German origin who directed and broadcast Nazi propaganda during World War II.-Biography:...
and Ezra Pound
Ezra Pound
Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an American expatriate poet and critic and a major figure in the early modernist movement in poetry...
was indicted in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
by a District of Columbia grand jury on charges of treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
.
Delaney was returned to the U.S. on August 8, 1947, but the charges against him were dropped by the Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
due to lack of evidence on October 27, 1947. A United States Government memorandum held by the Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
dated June 14, 1946, had stated the following:
Although he may be classified as a political commentator and although he was indicted for treason in 1943, it does not appear worthwhile to continue our efforts to develop information as to his activities in view of the very few wartime recordings made by him.
Later life
Delaney spent a number of years touring the U.S. as an ultra-conservative lecturer and finally settled down in Southern California, where he spent the rest of his life as a political author and small-town newspaper columnist. His publications include False Freedom 1950, Freedom's Frontier 1964, and Harvest of Deceit 1971. He published his autobiography, Five Decades Before Dawn in 1969.He died in an automobile accident in 1972.