Elizabeth Dilling
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Dilling Stokes (April 19, 1894 – May 26, 1966) was an American
anti-communist and later antisemitic social activist, as well as an anti-war
campaigner and writer in the 1930s and '40s. She stood trial for sedition
in what is now called the Great Sedition Trial of 1944.
The author of four political books, Dilling claimed that Marxism
and "Jewry" were synonymous. She believed that Francisco Franco
was a brave Christian. She claimed many prominent figures were Communist sympathizers, including Eleanor Roosevelt
, Mahatma Gandhi
, Franz Boas
and Sigmund Freud
.
n, Scots-Irish, Presbyterian ancestry; her mother, Elizabeth Harding, descended from a long line of Anglican bishops. While she was raised Episcopalian, Dilling attended a Catholic
girls' school. She then attended the University of Chicago
, where she studied music and languages, but did not graduate.
Dilling became a concert harpist after having been a pupil of renowned harp
virtuoso, Alberto Salvi. In 1918, she married Albert Dilling, an engineer and lawyer of Norwegian
ancestry. In her early life, money was not a problem for Dilling because of the wealth she inherited from her mother and aunts. Albert also had a good job as the chief engineer of the Chicago Sewage District. The marriage to Albert produced a son, Kirkpatrick (1920–2003), a lawyer, and a daughter, Elizabeth Jane.
When Dilling returned home to Illinois
, she went on tour showing her movies and describing the Soviet "workers' paradise" as anything but. From 1932 to 1934 she was associated with Edwin Marshall Hadley of Chicago, serving as secretary of his anti-Communist organization, the Paul Reveres. She broke with him in 1934 over Hadley's anti-Jewish stance, and the organization was dissolved later that year (Ironically, Dilling's own views about Jews were soon to become much more extreme than Hadley's).
After leaving Hadley, Dilling threw herself into collecting facts on Communism full time. The result was published as The Red Network—A Who's Who of Radicalism for Patriots (1934), a self-declared exposé of Communist front activity in the U.S., which was widely circulated (100,000 copies are claimed). As an example of her technique, in the entry for Albert Einstein
, which links him to various Communist organizations, Dilling notes: "married to Russian; his much press-agented relativity theory
is supposedly beyond the intelligence of almost everyone except himself." She offers an apologia for the Nazi confiscation of Einstein's property in Germany
, saying it was because he was a Communist. The entry for Eleanor Roosevelt
reads "Socialist sympathizer and associate, pacifist
". A Protestant minister, Harry Emerson Fosdick
, was listed because his books were "highly recommended by socialists
and other radical
s"
She then wrote The Roosevelt Red Record and Its Background (1936), condemning the New Deal
, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
and officials in his administration, claiming they had strong links to Communists. In The Octopus (1940), which she wrote under the pseudonym Rev. Frank Woodruff Johnson, she attacked the Jewish Anti-Defamation League
and linked Jews to communism. It was then that she shifted her emphasis to Jews as being responsible for all the world's problems, partly based on her readings of the Talmud
.
As debate raged about whether the U.S. should get involved in World War II
, Dilling became an activist in two organizations inspired by the antisemitic Detroit-based radio priest Father Charles Coughlin: Mothers' Peace Movement, which she co-founded with Lyrl Clark Van Hyning, and We the Mothers Mobilize for America
, based in Chicago
. She was also involved with the America First Committee
, famously associated with Charles Lindbergh
, Norman Thomas
, Frank Lloyd Wright
, and other prominent isolationists and opponents of the war.
After the Pearl Harbor attack, Dilling was indicted
, along with 28 others, which led to the Great Sedition Trial of 1944. The case finally ended in a mistrial after the death of the presiding judge, Edward C. Eicher
. The Chicago Tribune
editorialized on the trial as "one of the blackest marks on the record of American jurisprudence". The Smith Act
under which the prosecution took place was later found to be unconstitutional in several rulings by the Supreme Court
.
In the 1950s, Dilling was a frequent contributor to Conde McGinley
's antisemitic broadsheet
Common Sense, and her name often joined his in joint letters to members of the United States Congress
.
On October 18, 1943, Elizabeth and Albert were divorced after 25 years of rocky marriage.
Her second husband, Jeremiah Stokes (1877–1954), was a lawyer and author. He published the antisemitic The Plot Against Christianity in 1964, which included over 200 pages of photocopies from the Soncino
edition of the Talmud
, with his wife's underlines added.
's 1930's novel It Can't Happen Here
. The book deals with a hypothetical fascist takeover of the United States in 1936.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
anti-communist and later antisemitic social activist, as well as an anti-war
Anti-war
An anti-war movement is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts. Many...
campaigner and writer in the 1930s and '40s. She stood trial for sedition
Sedition
In law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
in what is now called the Great Sedition Trial of 1944.
The author of four political books, Dilling claimed that Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
and "Jewry" were synonymous. She believed that Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
was a brave Christian. She claimed many prominent figures were Communist sympathizers, including Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
, Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
, Franz Boas
Franz Boas
Franz Boas was a German-American anthropologist and a pioneer of modern anthropology who has been called the "Father of American Anthropology" and "the Father of Modern Anthropology." Like many such pioneers, he trained in other disciplines; he received his doctorate in physics, and did...
and Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
.
Early life and family
Dilling was born Elizabeth Kirkpatrick in Chicago, Illinois. Her father, Dr. L. Kirkpatrick, was a physician of VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
n, Scots-Irish, Presbyterian ancestry; her mother, Elizabeth Harding, descended from a long line of Anglican bishops. While she was raised Episcopalian, Dilling attended a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
girls' school. She then attended the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, where she studied music and languages, but did not graduate.
Dilling became a concert harpist after having been a pupil of renowned harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
virtuoso, Alberto Salvi. In 1918, she married Albert Dilling, an engineer and lawyer of Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
ancestry. In her early life, money was not a problem for Dilling because of the wealth she inherited from her mother and aunts. Albert also had a good job as the chief engineer of the Chicago Sewage District. The marriage to Albert produced a son, Kirkpatrick (1920–2003), a lawyer, and a daughter, Elizabeth Jane.
Anticommunist and isolationist activities
The couple traveled widely, and in 1931 they visited the Soviet Union. They spent a month there, and filmed what they saw of the atrocious conditions. Especially alarming to Dilling was their Soviet guide's proclaiming, "Our world revolution will start with China and end with the United States!"When Dilling returned home to Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, she went on tour showing her movies and describing the Soviet "workers' paradise" as anything but. From 1932 to 1934 she was associated with Edwin Marshall Hadley of Chicago, serving as secretary of his anti-Communist organization, the Paul Reveres. She broke with him in 1934 over Hadley's anti-Jewish stance, and the organization was dissolved later that year (Ironically, Dilling's own views about Jews were soon to become much more extreme than Hadley's).
After leaving Hadley, Dilling threw herself into collecting facts on Communism full time. The result was published as The Red Network—A Who's Who of Radicalism for Patriots (1934), a self-declared exposé of Communist front activity in the U.S., which was widely circulated (100,000 copies are claimed). As an example of her technique, in the entry for Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
, which links him to various Communist organizations, Dilling notes: "married to Russian; his much press-agented relativity theory
Theory of relativity
The theory of relativity, or simply relativity, encompasses two theories of Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity. However, the word relativity is sometimes used in reference to Galilean invariance....
is supposedly beyond the intelligence of almost everyone except himself." She offers an apologia for the Nazi confiscation of Einstein's property in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, saying it was because he was a Communist. The entry for Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
reads "Socialist sympathizer and associate, pacifist
Pacificism
Pacificism is the general ethical opposition to war or violence, except in cases where force is deemed absolutely necessary to advance the cause of peace....
". A Protestant minister, Harry Emerson Fosdick
Harry Emerson Fosdick
Harry Emerson Fosdick was an American clergyman. He was born in Buffalo, New York. He graduated from Colgate University in 1900, and Union Theological Seminary in 1904. While attending Colgate University he joined the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. He was ordained a Baptist minister in 1903 at the...
, was listed because his books were "highly recommended by socialists
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
and other radical
Political radicalism
The term political radicalism denotes political principles focused on altering social structures through revolutionary means and changing value systems in fundamental ways...
s"
She then wrote The Roosevelt Red Record and Its Background (1936), condemning the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
and officials in his administration, claiming they had strong links to Communists. In The Octopus (1940), which she wrote under the pseudonym Rev. Frank Woodruff Johnson, she attacked the Jewish Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
and linked Jews to communism. It was then that she shifted her emphasis to Jews as being responsible for all the world's problems, partly based on her readings of the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
.
As debate raged about whether the U.S. should get involved in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Dilling became an activist in two organizations inspired by the antisemitic Detroit-based radio priest Father Charles Coughlin: Mothers' Peace Movement, which she co-founded with Lyrl Clark Van Hyning, and We the Mothers Mobilize for America
Mothers' Movement
Mothers' Movement was an American confederation of anti-World War II, anti-Roosevelt, far right groups. Mothers' Movement consisted of: National Legion of Mothers of America formed by Father Charles Coughlin in 1939; National Blue Star Mothers; Crusading Mothers of America; We, the Mothers; and We,...
, based in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. She was also involved with the America First Committee
America First Committee
The America First Committee was the foremost non-interventionist pressure group against the American entry into World War II. Peaking at 800,000 members, it was likely the largest anti-war organization in American history. Started in 1940, it became defunct after the attack on Pearl Harbor in...
, famously associated with Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
, Norman Thomas
Norman Thomas
Norman Mattoon Thomas was a leading American socialist, pacifist, and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America.-Early years:...
, Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
, and other prominent isolationists and opponents of the war.
After the Pearl Harbor attack, Dilling was indicted
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
, along with 28 others, which led to the Great Sedition Trial of 1944. The case finally ended in a mistrial after the death of the presiding judge, Edward C. Eicher
Edward C. Eicher
Edward C. Eicher was a three-term congressman, federal securities regulator, and federal district court judge during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was considered a consummate "New Deal" liberal....
. The Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
editorialized on the trial as "one of the blackest marks on the record of American jurisprudence". The Smith Act
Smith Act
The Alien Registration Act or Smith Act of 1940 is a United States federal statute that set criminal penalties for advocating the overthrow of the U.S...
under which the prosecution took place was later found to be unconstitutional in several rulings by the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
.
In the 1950s, Dilling was a frequent contributor to Conde McGinley
Conde McGinley
Michael Conde McGinley editor of a semi-monthly paper called Common Sense, brought briefly to the nation's attention by his involvement against the nomination of Anna M...
's antisemitic broadsheet
Broadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
Common Sense, and her name often joined his in joint letters to members of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
.
On October 18, 1943, Elizabeth and Albert were divorced after 25 years of rocky marriage.
Her second husband, Jeremiah Stokes (1877–1954), was a lawyer and author. He published the antisemitic The Plot Against Christianity in 1964, which included over 200 pages of photocopies from the Soncino
Soncino Books of the Bible
The Soncino Books of the Bible is a set of Hebrew Bible commentaries, covering the whole Tanakh in fourteen volumes, published by the Soncino Press. The first volume to appear was Psalms in 1945, and the last was Chronicles in 1952. The series was edited by Rev. Dr...
edition of the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
, with his wife's underlines added.
Media References
A thinly-disguised version of Dilling named 'Adelaide Tarr Gimmitch' appears in Sinclair LewisSinclair Lewis
Harry Sinclair Lewis was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, "for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of...
's 1930's novel It Can't Happen Here
It Can't Happen Here
It Can't Happen Here is a semi-satirical American political novel by Sinclair Lewis published in 1935 by Doubleday, Doran. It describes the rise of a populist politician who calls his movement "patriotic" and creates his own militia and takes unconstitutional power after winning election —...
. The book deals with a hypothetical fascist takeover of the United States in 1936.