Trumpdom No. 10  The origins of fascism in America

“The reason for his total commitment to the test ban treaty, a critical first step toward peace, was apparent in what Kennedy repeated to friends about his dread of nuclear war: "I keep thinking of the children, not my kids or yours, but the children all over the world. Robert Kennedy said that in the Cuban Missile Crisis "the thought that disturbed him the most, and that made the prospect of war much more fearful than it would otherwise have been, was the specter of the death of the children of this country and all the world—the young people who had no role, who had no say, who knew nothing even of the confrontation, but whose lives would be snuffed out like everyone else's. Quoted from James Douglass’ JFK and the Unspeakable, p.278

Today in January 2026 concern about children is rare. An article condemning the peoples of the world for not stopping Israel for its massacring of the women and children of Gaza by indiscriminate bombing supplied by the USA rightly predicts that this period of human history will be recorded as when humanity became inhuman through inaction and deference to Israeli propaganda enhanced by American media and financed by American oligarchs who control American politicians. Despite a ceasefire Israel continues to kill Palestinians, including babies. Trump’s government continues to arrest anyone who speaks out on behalf of the Palestinians. The Palestinian film “All That”s Left of You’ was to open in theatres in North America today, JAN 9/26, after an enthusiastic showing in European theatres but Tribute.ca, which lists films presently in theatres, could not find it. It informed us of its content—“After a Palestinian teen confronts Israeli soldiers at a West Bank protest, his mother recounts the series of events that led him to that fateful moment, starting with his grandfather's forced displacement.” The world watched on TV the killing of Ms Good by an ICE agent (Trump’s gestapo). She waited in her car for her partner to photograph the scene. ICE agents drew up in a truck, jumped out and ran to Ms Good’s car to shoot her three times at close range while she was trying to drive away. To run up to a car and begin shooting at the driver would be irrational behaviour; the ICE officer would be classified as insane unless he was ordered to kill Ms. Good. Trump’s government insists that only it can investigate the incident, when it has already decided that the victim was at fault. Under Trump, the US is a police state, reminiscent of Hitler’s Germany in the 1930s.  Most Americans did not expect the Trump Administration of loyalists to Trump to be a dictatorship, although Trump boasted that such was his aim. A right-wing political movement had been planning and silently working toward overthrowing  democratic rule with the support of Republican politicians in the US Congress. Billionaires, technocrats and fascist-minded lawyers united in secret societies targeted the laws, the constitution, and those who upheld the rights of the citizens to the point where surprised Americans realized the country was controlled by American Zionists through intimidation, riches, and propaganda from right-wing media.

Signs of these threats menacing the public throughout the years were contained. Some novelists tried to warn the public of their danger. Sinclair Lewis wrote It Can’t Happen Here—“it juxtaposes sharp political satire with the chillingly realistic rise of a president who becomes a dictator to save the nation from welfare cheats, sex, crime, and a liberal press.” Philip Roth’s The Plot Against America relates how Charles Lindbergh, the famous aviator, is elected President and engages in an “understanding” with Hitler which leads to fascist threats to destroy his family. I read both novels two or three years ago but owing to the constant barrage of bad news, lawlessness, attacks on civil liberties I have forgotten the novels’ plots but not the fear and hopelessness felt by its characters, especially in Roth’s book, and their all-consuming  power over the minds of today’s citizens trying to give battle to this insidious evil encroaching upon their lives and livelihoods. About the same time I read Allan Chase’s Falange. The Axis Secret Army in the Americas and Charles Higham’s Trading with the Enemy, The Nazi-American Money Plot 1933-1949. They are important for depicting the growth of fascism in the United States throughout the 2nd World War period, which helps explain its rise under Donald Trump.

“Early in 1934, “Chase wrote, “Adolf Hitler summoned General Wilhelm von Faupel to the Chancellory in Berlin.” When he left he had a sheet of paper that was “to affect the destinies of scores of nations, millions of people.” He was a distinguished officer in the First World War, spoke French, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and other languages fluently, served in several areas of the world but most importantly as Inspector General of the Argentine Army, then in the Brazilian Army, then the Peruvian Army before serving in China. He maintained correspondence with enemies of democracy like Fritz Thysen, the banker Baron von Schroeder, Franz von Papen and I.G. Farben’s Georg von Schnitzler. The key to taking over all of Latin America was Spain which had  tungsten, mercury, iron, olive oil, citrus, copper, tin, lead, and potassium riches. It was the key to two continents. Von  Faupel, however, was disillusioned by the rank and file of the Spanish falange, a vast employment agency for the scum of the underworld in Spain’s larger cities. Hitler ordered Mussolini to pour thousands of troops into Spain. The non-intervention Agreement forbade shipping weapons to either side in the Spanish civil war. It was observed by England and France but the axis nations shipped to one side and the Americans while recognizing the legally constituted Republic of Spain refuse to send it arms and overlooked the invasion of Spain by German and Italian armies. “Bartered and betrayed” the Spanish government fell to fascism and Germay marched on Poland, the Low-countries and France. With Spain as the centre, the Falange quickly spread through Latin America. By October 1938 the Falange Exterior had spread over the world with Japan as an enthusiastic contributor. Chase describes the Falange’s operations in Latin America,Gestapo spies in the United States and the splinter groups such as the Sinarquistas in Mexico. Higham deals with a number of American financial and industrial figures of World War II and members of the government who pursued money before patriotism. The Bank for International Settlements in Switzlerland was declared by the bankers immune from seizure during international conflict and since many major bankers favoured fascism, Hitler soon gained sums of money from it throughout the war. American corporations cooperating with Germany undermined America intelligence operations and the secret movement of funds for German armaments such as ballbearings which were essential to the Nazis; the Luftwaffe could not fly without them, tanks and armoured cars could not move without them, Focke-Wulfs  used four thousand per plane as did Flying Fortress. Guns, bombsights, electrical generators and engines, ventilating systems, U-boats, railroads, mining machinery, ITT’s communications devices needed ballbearings. The Swedish Enskilda Bank was their chief financier, controlled 80% of bearings in Europe and dedicated 60% of its production to Germany. While its German factory produced 93% of capacity, the U.S. company produced less than 18% and the British less than that. These leaders of industry aided by Joh Foster Dulles and calling themselves the Fraternity made it possible for Germany to make war. As the war continued Germany became desperate for oil and made deals for the Standard Oil fields in Rumania. To avoid the British blockade Nazi sympathizers found roundabout routes to ship Standard Oil from America to Germany. In the first days of war Tetraethyl lead, an additive used in aviation gasoline, the rights to which were held by only by Standard, Du Pont and General Motors, indispensable to the German airforce, was sold by I.G Farben in London to Germany. Thus Hitler’s bombers were able to bomb London. The British Royal Air Force had to pay royalties to Nazi Germany through Ethyl Standard for the gasoline used to fuel the German bombers attacking London. After the war the members of the Fraternity were protected from prosecution while those who opposed its actions were destroyed by the  House Un-American Activities Committee hearings by false evidence that they were communists. “The surviving members of the Fraternity flourished again, helping to form the texture of post-war technology.”