Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi League
Encyclopedia
The Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi League to Champion Human Rights, (originally American League for the Defense of Jewish Rights) was founded in 1933 to enact an economic boycott
against Nazi Germany
.
Generally, the organization was thought to represent Jewish people throughout the United States. The League corresponded with FBI
Headquarters and the New York Field Office. It was founded and headed by Samuel Untermyer
in the 1930s. Born in Lynchburg, Virginia
in 1858, he attended the College of the City of New York
and later graduated from Columbia University
in 1878, becoming a very successful lawyer. A champion for Jewish rights, Untermyer was among the most outspoken critics of the Hitler regime, advocating an international boycott of Germany though the League of Nations
. He was also the head of the World Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi Council and the World Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi League. He led the league until his retirement in 1938, remaining involved in its activities until his death in 1940. Throughout the 1930s, allied with groups such as the American Federation of Labor
, the league tried to persuade American businesses to stop purchasing merchandise from Germany, exposing the ones that continued selling Nazi-made goods in their bulletin. They also tried to stop Americans from visiting Germany thus stopping any money from coming in. Among its many boycotts were ones against the 1936 Olympics
in Berlin
and the Schmeling
– Louis
boxing match in 1938. They also lobbied government, asking them to investigate various things, including pro-Nazi propaganda
activities in the U.S. by organizations such as Welt-Dienst/World Service founded by Ulrich Fleichhauer. They tried to educate the public through talks on radio, distributing printed material. They also provided information to Martin Dies
and his House Un-American Activities Committee
.
In the early 1940s as sentiment turned strongly against Nazi Germany,
the League under the new leadership of James H. Sheldon, a former professor at Boston University
changed its mission, beginning to directly investigate right wing propaganda groups. Among them were the Christian Front
of Father Coughlin, the Christian Mobilizers of Joseph McWilliams
and the American First
of Gerald L. K. Smith
. They had also begun to support the civil rights movement voicing their approval for the Fair Employment Practice Commission (FEPC) and various other anti-discrimination laws. In 1945 they filed a lawsuit against Columbia University
to have its tax except status revoked for discrimination against Jews. With the end of the war they also unsuccessfully tried to get the Nuremberg court
to prosecute the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem
for having aided Hitler during the war, sparking an investigation into Arab propaganda in the U.S, mainly the Arab office.
They were able to successfully combat the resurgence of hate groups in the U.S. by infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan
and being instrumental in shutting down the Columbians, an Atlanta, Georgia based group. The league continued its investigation and exposure activities through the 1950s eventually forced to substantially cut down. All though the 1960s and the first half of the 1970s, the league continued to maintain an office on 46th street in New York however serving mostly as a repository, information still continued to come in but minimal action being taken. The league terminated in 1975 with the death of its head, James Sheldon.
Shortly after Mr. Sheldon's death, the Archives of the League were entrusted to the Columbia University Libraries Rare Books and Manuscripts Division. Some of these materials, especially correspondence between the League's leadership and high level political leaders were collected and added to the Manuscripts' collections. The remainder of the Archives, however, was deemed of "little historic significance." According to former Columbia University Librarian and Pratt Institute Provost George Lowy, they were then transferred to Lehman Library. There, they were stored until 1979 in an unused sub-basement of the International Affairs Building. The Lehman Librarian, Matthew James Simon, concerned that a significant resource collection was at risk, effected the physical transfer of the Archives to Yale University, where they are, today, accessible to scholars and researchers.
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
against Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
.
Generally, the organization was thought to represent Jewish people throughout the United States. The League corresponded with FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
Headquarters and the New York Field Office. It was founded and headed by Samuel Untermyer
Samuel Untermyer
Samuel Untermyer Samuel Untermyer Samuel Untermyer (March 6, 1858 – March 16, 1940, although some sources cite March 2, 1858, and even others, June 6, 1858 also known as Samuel Untermeyer was a Jewish-American lawyer and civic leader as well as a self-made millionaire. He was born in...
in the 1930s. Born in Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
in 1858, he attended the College of the City of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
and later graduated from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1878, becoming a very successful lawyer. A champion for Jewish rights, Untermyer was among the most outspoken critics of the Hitler regime, advocating an international boycott of Germany though the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. He was also the head of the World Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi Council and the World Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi League. He led the league until his retirement in 1938, remaining involved in its activities until his death in 1940. Throughout the 1930s, allied with groups such as the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
, the league tried to persuade American businesses to stop purchasing merchandise from Germany, exposing the ones that continued selling Nazi-made goods in their bulletin. They also tried to stop Americans from visiting Germany thus stopping any money from coming in. Among its many boycotts were ones against 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...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and the Schmeling
Max Schmeling
Maximillian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling was a German boxer who was heavyweight champion of the world between 1930 and 1932. His two fights with Joe Louis in the late 1930s transcended boxing, and became worldwide social events because of their national associations...
– Louis
Joe Louis
Joseph Louis Barrow , better known as Joe Louis, was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. He is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time...
boxing match in 1938. They also lobbied government, asking them to investigate various things, including pro-Nazi propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
activities in the U.S. by organizations such as Welt-Dienst/World Service founded by Ulrich Fleichhauer. They tried to educate the public through talks on radio, distributing printed material. They also provided information to Martin Dies
Martin Dies
Martin Dies was a Texas politician and a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives. His son, Martin Dies, Jr. was also a member of the United States House of Representatives....
and his House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
.
In the early 1940s as sentiment turned strongly against Nazi Germany,
the League under the new leadership of James H. Sheldon, a former professor at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
changed its mission, beginning to directly investigate right wing propaganda groups. Among them were the Christian Front
Christian Front
The Christian Front is a Conservative Christian political party in South Africa. It is a breakaway from the Christian Democratic Party, and has a seat in the Johannesburg Meropolitan Council, and in the Tshwane Meropolitan Council....
of Father Coughlin, the Christian Mobilizers of Joseph McWilliams
Joe McWilliams
Joseph Elsberry "Joe" McWilliams was born to a poor pioneer family in the small town of Hitchcock, Oklahoma.In his earlier days McWilliams was well known for using an American-flag-draped covered Conestoga wagon for publicizing his rallies and speeches, as well as for drawing attention to his cause...
and the American First
America First Party (1944)
The America First Party was an isolationist political party which was founded on January 10, 1943. Its leader, Gerald L. K. Smith, was the party's presidential candidate in the 1944 U.S...
of Gerald L. K. Smith
Gerald L. K. Smith
Gerald Lyman Kenneth Smith was an American clergyman and political organizer, who became a leader of the Share Our Wealth movement during the Great Depression and later the Christian Nationalist Crusade...
. They had also begun to support the civil rights movement voicing their approval for the Fair Employment Practice Commission (FEPC) and various other anti-discrimination laws. In 1945 they filed a lawsuit against Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
to have its tax except status revoked for discrimination against Jews. With the end of the war they also unsuccessfully tried to get the Nuremberg court
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
to prosecute the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem
Grand Mufti of Jerusalem
The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem is the Sunni Muslim cleric in charge of Jerusalem's Islamic holy places, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque.-Ottoman era:...
for having aided Hitler during the war, sparking an investigation into Arab propaganda in the U.S, mainly the Arab office.
They were able to successfully combat the resurgence of hate groups in the U.S. by infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
and being instrumental in shutting down the Columbians, an Atlanta, Georgia based group. The league continued its investigation and exposure activities through the 1950s eventually forced to substantially cut down. All though the 1960s and the first half of the 1970s, the league continued to maintain an office on 46th street in New York however serving mostly as a repository, information still continued to come in but minimal action being taken. The league terminated in 1975 with the death of its head, James Sheldon.
Shortly after Mr. Sheldon's death, the Archives of the League were entrusted to the Columbia University Libraries Rare Books and Manuscripts Division. Some of these materials, especially correspondence between the League's leadership and high level political leaders were collected and added to the Manuscripts' collections. The remainder of the Archives, however, was deemed of "little historic significance." According to former Columbia University Librarian and Pratt Institute Provost George Lowy, they were then transferred to Lehman Library. There, they were stored until 1979 in an unused sub-basement of the International Affairs Building. The Lehman Librarian, Matthew James Simon, concerned that a significant resource collection was at risk, effected the physical transfer of the Archives to Yale University, where they are, today, accessible to scholars and researchers.
See also
- "Judea Declares War on Germany", the front-page headline of the March 24, 1933 edition of the Daily ExpressDaily ExpressThe Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
.