German-American Bund by Scott Freeland

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Marcus
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German-American Bund by Scott Freeland

#1

Post by Marcus » 30 Mar 2011, 18:22

This new title sounds very interesting:
Image
"They too were AMERICANS - The German-American Bund in Words, Photos and Artifacts."
By Scott Freeland
320 pages • 562 photos, many in color • Deluxe binding • $66.95

“They too were AMERICANS” is an inside view of the German-American Bund from interviews, personal diaries, hundreds of photos and artifacts compiled by the author. The Bund was a truly independent form of American National Socialism which sought understanding as well as friendship between the United States and Germany. Domestically, the Bund believed portions of the Capitalist as well as National Socialist world view could be of benefit to their fellow citizens in America.

What were the origins of the Bund? They were a mixture of many things, to include the post-WWI abortive Communist Revolution in Germany and response by the Freikorps movement, the early Hitler activities of 1922-1924, the world-wide economic boycott of German products starting in 1933, anti-German propaganda in the USA during the 1930s tied with fresh memories of US involvement in the Great War, and of course the Great Depression.

"They too were AMERICANS" answers many questions for you. For example:
- Was the Bund a German or American organization?
- How many members and units of the “Bund” existed?
- What was the “Bund” vision for America?
- Was there an American SS?
- Was worldwide genocide contemplated for people of Germanic origin?
- What U.S. official and arch enemy of the “Bund” turned out to be a Soviet agent?
- What became of “Bund” members during and after WWII?
- What do authentic “Bund” relics and memorabilia look like?
- Are “Bund” items faked like many Third Reich items, and how does one tell the difference?

These and the answers to 100’s of other questions can be found in this new title.
Some example pages at http://www.bender-publishing.com/GABund.html

/Marcus

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Vance Pollock
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Re: German-American Bund

#2

Post by Vance Pollock » 03 Apr 2011, 22:54

I have corresponded with Scott Freeland, author of the new Bund illustrated history, for many years and this work is bound to be a painstaking and well researched document. The photos from his collection alone would make this the most comprehensive visual account available. I dropped by to post the link and found that it had already been discovered :)


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coburg22
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Re: German-American Bund

#3

Post by coburg22 » 14 Apr 2011, 21:43

Hello

Any Bender book is a good book since he is very particular with what and who he goes with and the quality shows. I am looking forward to reading this since I have never read anything before on the American Bund.

Best,

James

J. Duncan
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*New From Bender Publishing

#4

Post by J. Duncan » 16 Apr 2011, 13:27

Bender is publishing one of the most comprehensive studies of the German American Bund ever put into print. I have seen the sample pages and I am much impressed. This looks to be a promising work which will become more expensive to obtain in the coming years. Scott Freeland spent years tracking down rare artifacts from this obscure organization. The Bund had it's most famous moment on February 22, 1939 in Madison Square garden in New York City. The man who attacked the Bund who the book claims to have been a Soviet agent was none other than Walter Winchell. The Bund was also portrayed by 1930's Hollywood films such as "Confessions of a Nazi Spy" starring Edward G. Robinson and "Don't Be A Sucker".

I have provided the link below for those who are interested.

http://www.bender-publishing.com/New.html

Other scholarly books on Bund history are "The Nazi Movement in the United States" by Sander Diamond , "American Nazis: A Democratic Dilemna" by Susan Canedy, and "Roosevelt and Hitler" by Robert Edwin Herzstein.

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Re: *New From Bender Publishing

#5

Post by Michael Miller » 17 Apr 2011, 04:59

It'll be the standard work. I got to proofread the manuscript for Roger [no name dropping there :) ] in September.

~ Mike

Mark Costa
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Re: *New From Bender Publishing

#6

Post by Mark Costa » 21 Apr 2011, 16:31

I have already received my copy and it is of the usual high Bender Publishing quality standards. Mr Freeland is to be highly commended for the first real indepth study of a forgotten segment of American history. I recommend this book to all interested in the bund or its relationship with the NSDAP in Germany.

Mark Costa

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Re: *New From Bender Publishing

#7

Post by J. Duncan » 21 Apr 2011, 23:07

Thankyou gentlemen for the feedback. I have my copy on order with amazon. I can't wait to see what the author has put together. I just finished reading John Roy Carlson's book "Under Cover" which has a lot of information about the Bund and the various Fascist organizations working in the USA during the 1930's and early 1940's. It's very sensationalistic but it's still an interesting book so will help make this new Bund photo book more meaningful. Hard to believe such an organization fourished in America (what more, in NYC!) but it did...even billling the famous Madison Square Garden in their rally of Feb. 22, 1939.
You can listen to a segmented recording of Bundesfuhrer Fritz Kuhn's speech from that rally in link below. I believe he is listed in "segment 3" as you scroll down.

http://www.albany.edu/talkinghistory/ar ... -june.html

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gustav109
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Re: German-American Bund

#8

Post by gustav109 » 03 May 2011, 00:15

Good morning,

Just a quick note. I purchased "They too were Americans" as my knowledge of the Bund is sketchy to say the least. I have received and staretd to read the book and found it fascinating not only for the photographs and memorabilia displayed, but the text is concise and raises a number of interesting anecdotes to highlight the origins of the Bund in an (at the time) world context.

I also appreciated he covered other nationalist organisation and movements in the US, such as American First.

I intend to contact Scott to thank him for his works. Now, if Bender can find an author with similar knowledge and resources of the British Union of Fascists my library will be (almost) complete.

Highly recommended reading.

Michael

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Re: German-American Bund

#9

Post by Le Page » 03 May 2011, 19:07

I received my copy of Freeland's book last week and am pleased with it. It also corrects some of the errors about the Bund, such as the (false) allegation that it was directed from Germany, receiving funds from them, etc. I also was surprised that the Los Angeles-area Bund had rallies at a park which is about two miles from me.

Here's an interesting clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMTnXM0LwB0

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Re: German-American Bund

#10

Post by J. Duncan » 03 May 2011, 22:00

Got my copy yesterday and have viewed all of the photos. I have not read Freeland's text apart from the chapter of the post-WWII years and how everyone's lives turned out - the "aftermath", so to speak (which was well written and an awesome way to end his book). He has a most interesting bibliography of works he consulted during his research. Scott Freeland has done a phenomenal job in putting this book together and it will be the definitive book on the Bund for years to come...perhaps the "final say" on the subject.
There are a few minor errors of identification in the photos (I think I only counted three...subject was in the photo but was said to be "third from right" when it should have been "fourth from right"...simple errors like these, nothing to get too worked up about). These were probably not his fault.
I had no idea that the Bund was close to Amer-Indian groups or Mexican far- right groups! Several rare photos of the Mexican "Synarchist" groups are most fascinating. There was even a "Mexican Nazi Party"! The book has early chapters on WWI veterans and experiences as well as the importance of the Freikorps in the beginnings of Bundist activity. Freeland even discusses the Communists who were active during those early years. There are chapters highlighting the anti-Bundist literature as well as still photos of the famous anti-Bund film "Confessions of a Nazi Spy". Yes, other groups are spotlighted, such as the William Dudley Pelley "Silver Shirt Legion" and the Christian Mobilizers of fellow New Yorker Joe "McNazi" McWilliams.. Freeland has collected some remarkable materials such as Bund regalia, crockery and china-ware, postcards, posters, flyers, pamphlets, and books (all presented in beautiful color photos). He must have spent a fortune on some of this stuff. Freeland also loves his subject - his tremendous effort was truly a labor of love. There are sections on the Bund camps, leadership, ideology, youth corps, OD (security detachments) , "SS" (yes, they even had a small SS battalion!!), veterans groups, folk festivals, crafts and Bund crockery, the Bund trip to germany where they met with Adolf Hitler, the 1936 Olympics, the madison Square Garden rally of 1939, the FBI frame-up and sedition trial. I cannot hail enough praise upon this gem of a book, and I really like the way he tied it all together at the end. The selection of photographs, like all Bender books, are of a very rare and gripping nature, and they hold a person for awhile, taking it all in, imagining what it would be like if we could go back in time. The quality is the usual Bender - high gloss paper and extremely tight binding, pictorial color HB cover - the book will survive for hundreds of years. I am very looking forward to reading his text. I think it's the best Bender book put out since the "Deutchland Erwache" standards book that came out a few years ago. 66.00 is a small price for what you get. Scott Freeland, if you are reading this: Thankyou! **Run, don't walk to purchase this book!!!

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Re: German-American Bund

#11

Post by J. Duncan » 04 May 2011, 00:51

The section on the Hindenburg Park is very interesting. The Germans erected a large bust of Paul von Hindenburg. Freeland has several photos of it and the park, including either a then/now or what it looks like today. The bust was very imposing (Hindenburg was nick-named "The Wooden Titan", and the bust looks just that). The Bund held many gatherings in the park like picnics, get-togethers, book and literature sales, and platformed speeches featuring Bund leaders and guests. The park was later re-named and the bust removed (I do not think Scott knows what became of it). I had no idea of this park's existence which is another little gem from the book. The only Axis "hang-over" still left standing in America is the Italo Balbo monument (which is slowly crumbling) in the Chicago area.

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Re: German-American Bund

#12

Post by J. Duncan » 05 May 2011, 01:48

Above post mentioned wanting Bender to produce a book on Mosley's Fascist organization "The British Union". This is a "want" on my part as well. Since the book will be years in the making I suggest a good substitute book : John Millican's "Mosley's Men". This book has plenty of photographs galore, a decent but not exhaustive text (only circa 150 pages, in total). Glossy hardcover. Photographs are well selected and include color photos of artifacts such as crockery and chinaware. Nowhere near as good as what Bender can produce, but something to hold one over until such a work is planned and completed.

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Re: German-American Bund

#13

Post by gustav109 » 05 May 2011, 07:45

J. Duncan wrote: Since the book will be years in the making I suggest a good substitute book : John Millican's "Mosley's Men". This book has plenty of photographs galore, a decent but not exhaustive text (only circa 150 pages, in total). Glossy hardcover. Photographs are well selected and include color photos of artifacts such as crockery and chinaware. Nowhere near as good as what Bender can produce, but something to hold one over until such a work is planned and completed.
Thank you for that recommendation, I'll track down a copy.. I recently read "Hurrah for the Blackshirts" by Martin Pugh. Mostly text; 317 pages; and very interesting and comprehensive on the history and activities of the BUF but more history than intersting illustrations.

Cheers

Michael

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Re: German-American Bund

#14

Post by J. Duncan » 05 May 2011, 10:15

Michael
Several drawbacks to the Millican book : It's hard to get (most copies out of UK) and quite pricey. It's only 136 pages and actually leaves you with the deflated feeling of wanting more so I guess it's somewhat disappointing. Especially when one compares with what a Freeland and Bender book can do with a more obscure subject. Sorry, but I took a look at my copy last night and I suddenly remembered these feelings as I thumbed through the pages. What's more, I have read so much now on BUF (more in-depth works) that the Millican book now seems rather amateurish, although the photos and color snapshots of artifacts are quite good. Upon another inspection, I would say "save your money" for a more comprehensive work, which is certain to eventually come. I have not read the Martin Pugh book, which looks interesting. Thanks for the reference.
I have begun reading the text of Freeland's opus (from the beginning), and I am quite pleased thus far. I'm really glad I got a hold of this book. It's giving me much enjoyment, waddling as I am through these "Greater Depression" years.
Last edited by J. Duncan on 05 May 2011, 22:11, edited 2 times in total.

Mark Costa
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Re: German-American Bund

#15

Post by Mark Costa » 05 May 2011, 21:48

Duncan:

The author's name is Scott Freeland not Leland.

Mark

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