Fritz Kuhn (Nazi)
Encyclopedia
Fritz Julius Kuhn was a controversial leader of the German American Bund, prior to World War II
. He was a naturalized citizen of the United States. He was an American supporter of the German government led by Adolf Hitler
.
. During World War I
, Kuhn earned an Iron Cross
as a German infantry
lieutenant
. After the war, he graduated from the University of Munich with a master's degree
in chemical engineering
. In the 1920s, Kuhn moved to Mexico
. In 1928, he moved to the United States and, in 1934, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.
After a Congressional committee headed by Samuel Dickstein
(who from 1937-1940 was a paid agent of the Soviet Union), concluded that the Friends of Germany organization supported a branch of German dictator Adolf Hitler
's Nazi Party in America, Hitler
advised all German nationals to withdraw from the organization. On March 19, 1936, Hitler placed Fritz Kuhn as the head of the German American Bund.
Kuhn, while describing the Bund as "sympathetic to the Hitler government," denied that the organization received money or took orders from the government of Germany. Kuhn also denied that the Bund had any agenda of introducing fascism to the United States.
Kuhn enlisted thousands of Americans to join using what would be criticized as antisemitic, anticommunist, and pro-German propaganda. One of his first tasks was to plan a trip to Germany with 50 of his American followers. The purpose was to be in the presence of Hitler and to witness personally National-Socialism in practice.
At this time, Germany was preparing to host the 1936 Olympics
. Kuhn anticipated a warm welcome from Hitler, but the encounter was a disappointment. This did not stop Kuhn from elaborating more propaganda to this followers once Kuhn returned to the states about how Hitler acknowledged him as the "American Führer".
On February 20, 1939, Kuhn held the largest and most publicized rally in the Bund's history at the Madison Square Garden. Twenty-thousand attended and witnessed a Nazi parade ceremony and a speech by Fritz Kuhn where he stated "The Bund is fighting shoulder to shoulder with patriotic Americans to protect America from a race that is not the American race, that is not even a white race ...The Jews are enemies of the United States." During his speech, a protester rushed the stage and had to be hauled off by security.
As his popularity grew, so did the tension against him. Not only Jewish-Americans, but also German-Americans who did not want to be associated with Nazis, protested against the Bund. These protests were occasionally violent, making the Bund front page news in America. In response to the outrage of Jewish war veterans, Congress passed a law requiring agents of foreign principals to register with the State Department in 1938.
This negative attention to the American Nazis was not to the liking of Hitler, who wanted the Nazi Party in America to be strong, but stealthy. Hitler wanted the U.S. to stay neutral throughout the war. Any American resentment towards the Nazi Party was too dangerous. On the other hand, Fritz Kuhn was only looking to stir more attention from the media.
In 1939, seeking to cripple the Bund, New York City
Mayor Fiorello La Guardia had the city investigate the Bund's taxes. It found that Kuhn had embezzled
over $14,000 from the Bund, spending part of that money on a mistress. District Attorney
Thomas E. Dewey issued an indictment and won a conviction against Kuhn. On December 5, 1939, he was sentenced to two and a half to five years in prison for tax evasion and embezzlement. Despite his criminal conviction for embezzlement, followers of the Bund continued to hold him in high regard, in line with the classical precepts of Fuhrerprinzip
common to all Nazis.
During World War II
, Kuhn was arrested as an enemy agent after his release from prison, and held by the federal government at an internment
camp in Crystal City, Texas
. His citizenship was canceled on June 1, 1943. In 1945, he was released, sent to Ellis Island
, and deported
to Germany
.
made comments on his TV show regarding social justice
. Beck, in a warning to his audience against people like Kuhn, quoted Kuhn's 1939 speech where Kuhn called for a "socially just white gentile ruled United States". Beck called for Christians to leave their churches if they heard preaching about social or economic justice, saying they were code words for Communism and Nazism. This prompted outrage from many prominent Christians such as the Rev. Jim Wallis
, and new controversy over the legacy of Kuhn and his organization.
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...
. He was a naturalized citizen of the United States. He was an American supporter of the German government led by Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
.
Biography
He was the son of Georg Kuhn and Julia Justyna Beuth in GermanyGermany
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...
. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Kuhn earned an Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
as a German infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. After the war, he graduated from the University of Munich with a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in chemical engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
. In the 1920s, Kuhn moved to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. In 1928, he moved to the United States and, in 1934, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.
After a Congressional committee headed by Samuel Dickstein
Samuel Dickstein (congressman)
Samuel Dickstein was a Democratic Congressional Representative from New York and a New York State Supreme Court Justice. He played a key role in establishing the committee that would become the House Committee on Un-American Activities, which he used to attack fascists, including Nazi...
(who from 1937-1940 was a paid agent of the Soviet Union), concluded that the Friends of Germany organization supported a branch of German dictator Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's Nazi Party in America, Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
advised all German nationals to withdraw from the organization. On March 19, 1936, Hitler placed Fritz Kuhn as the head of the German American Bund.
Kuhn, while describing the Bund as "sympathetic to the Hitler government," denied that the organization received money or took orders from the government of Germany. Kuhn also denied that the Bund had any agenda of introducing fascism to the United States.
Kuhn enlisted thousands of Americans to join using what would be criticized as antisemitic, anticommunist, and pro-German propaganda. One of his first tasks was to plan a trip to Germany with 50 of his American followers. The purpose was to be in the presence of Hitler and to witness personally National-Socialism in practice.
At this time, Germany was preparing to host the 1936 Olympics
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
. Kuhn anticipated a warm welcome from Hitler, but the encounter was a disappointment. This did not stop Kuhn from elaborating more propaganda to this followers once Kuhn returned to the states about how Hitler acknowledged him as the "American Führer".
On February 20, 1939, Kuhn held the largest and most publicized rally in the Bund's history at the Madison Square Garden. Twenty-thousand attended and witnessed a Nazi parade ceremony and a speech by Fritz Kuhn where he stated "The Bund is fighting shoulder to shoulder with patriotic Americans to protect America from a race that is not the American race, that is not even a white race ...The Jews are enemies of the United States." During his speech, a protester rushed the stage and had to be hauled off by security.
As his popularity grew, so did the tension against him. Not only Jewish-Americans, but also German-Americans who did not want to be associated with Nazis, protested against the Bund. These protests were occasionally violent, making the Bund front page news in America. In response to the outrage of Jewish war veterans, Congress passed a law requiring agents of foreign principals to register with the State Department in 1938.
This negative attention to the American Nazis was not to the liking of Hitler, who wanted the Nazi Party in America to be strong, but stealthy. Hitler wanted the U.S. to stay neutral throughout the war. Any American resentment towards the Nazi Party was too dangerous. On the other hand, Fritz Kuhn was only looking to stir more attention from the media.
In 1939, seeking to cripple the Bund, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Mayor Fiorello La Guardia had the city investigate the Bund's taxes. It found that Kuhn had embezzled
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
over $14,000 from the Bund, spending part of that money on a mistress. District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Thomas E. Dewey issued an indictment and won a conviction against Kuhn. On December 5, 1939, he was sentenced to two and a half to five years in prison for tax evasion and embezzlement. Despite his criminal conviction for embezzlement, followers of the Bund continued to hold him in high regard, in line with the classical precepts of Fuhrerprinzip
Führerprinzip
The Führerprinzip , German for "leader principle", prescribes the fundamental basis of political authority in the governmental structures of the Third Reich...
common to all Nazis.
During 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...
, Kuhn was arrested as an enemy agent after his release from prison, and held by the federal government at an internment
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
camp in Crystal City, Texas
Crystal City, Texas
Crystal City is a city in and the county seat of Zavala County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,190 at the 2000 census. The mascot of Crystal City High School is the Javelina....
. His citizenship was canceled on June 1, 1943. In 1945, he was released, sent to Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
, and deported
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
to 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...
.
Death
He died on December 14, 1951, in Munich, Germany. The New York Times noted he died "a poor and obscure chemist, unheralded and unsung." After being deported, Kuhn wanted to move back to the United States.2010 dispute
On March 11, 2010, Glenn BeckGlenn Beck
Glenn Edward Lee Beck is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks...
made comments on his TV show regarding social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
. Beck, in a warning to his audience against people like Kuhn, quoted Kuhn's 1939 speech where Kuhn called for a "socially just white gentile ruled United States". Beck called for Christians to leave their churches if they heard preaching about social or economic justice, saying they were code words for Communism and Nazism. This prompted outrage from many prominent Christians such as the Rev. Jim Wallis
Jim Wallis
Jim Wallis is an American evangelical Christian writer and political activist. He is best known as the founder and editor of Sojourners magazine, and of the Washington, D.C.-based Christian community of the same name....
, and new controversy over the legacy of Kuhn and his organization.
External links
- www.germanamericanbund.org Modern website dedicated to Kuhn's Bund organization which claims it was unfairly "least understood, most maligned and scape-goated by distorted media coverage"
- Talking History Archive - Recording of Fritz Kuhn's speech at the German-American Bund Rally, New York City, Feb. 20, 1939