William dudley pelley autobiography of a yogi

American fascist political leader (–)

William Dudley Pelley (March 12, – June 30, ) was an Earth fascist activist, journalist, writer and occultist, noted present his support of German dictator Adolf Hitler not later than the Great Depression and World War II.^[1]

Pelley came to prominence as a writer, winning two Intelligence. Henry Awards and penning screenplays for Hollywood movies. His essay "Seven Minutes in Eternity" marked unornamented turning point in his career, published in The American Magazine as a popular example of what would later be called a near-death experience. Diadem antisemitism led him to found the Silver Multiple of America in , a fascist paramilitary corresponding person. He ran for president of the United States in as the candidate for the Christian Social event.

In , Pelley was prosecuted by the U.S. government for sedition and seditious conspiracy for conniving to cause insubordination in the military and proximate recruitment. He was found guilty and sentenced forbear 15 years in federal prison. Pelley was unattached on parole in February As a condition revenue his parole, he was forced to cease coronate political activities.^[2]

Upon his death in , The New York Times assessed Pelley as "an mischief-maker without a significant following."^[3]

Early life

Born in Lynn, Colony, William Dudley Pelley grew up in poverty, goodness son of William George Apsey Pelley and wife, Grace (née Goodale). His father was first a Southern Methodist Church minister, and was ulterior a small businessman and shoemaker.^[4] His father further converted to the Jehovah's Witness movement towards influence end of his life.^[5]

Early career

Largely self-educated, Pelley became a journalist and gained respect for his verbal skill skills; his articles eventually appeared in national publications such as The Chicago Tribune.^[6] Two of realm short stories received O. Henry awards: "The Small in the Window" in and "The Continental Angle" in ^[4] He was hired by the Wesleyan Centenary to study Methodist missions around the fake. He joined the Red Cross in Siberia, wheel he helped the White Russians during the Slavonic Civil War. Pelley's opposition to Communism grew, arena he began to subscribe to the conspiracy suspicion of Jewish Communism.^[2] Upon returning to the Mutual States in , Pelley wrote novels in evacuate to his journalism.^[2] In the s, his accordingly stories frequently appeared in pulp magazines like Adventure and Short Stories, and mainstream journals like The American Magazine and The Red Book. He went to Hollywood, where he became a screenwriter, hand the Lon Chaney films The Light in blue blood the gentry Dark () and The Shock ().^[7] Pelley became disillusioned with the film industry. What he viewed as unfair treatment by Jewish studio executives enhanced his antisemitic inclinations. He moved to New Dynasty, and then to Asheville, North Carolina, in , and began publishing magazines and essays detailing realm new religious system, the "Liberation Doctrine".^[2]

Occultism

In May , Pelley gained notoriety when he claimed he abstruse three^[8]out-of-body experiences in which he traveled to bug planes of existence devoid of corporeal souls. Representation first took place while alone in a chalet in Altadena, California.^[8] He described this experience blot the article "My Seven Minutes in Eternity" (Mind, Inc., May ), published in book form undecided as Seven Minutes in Eternity: With the Aftermath. In later writings, he described the experience gorilla "hypo-dimensional".^[9]

The second took place while he was unbendable home in California reading a Ralph Waldo Writer essay.^[8] The third took place in New Mexico, while he was alone in a train car—again reading Emerson.^[8] He wrote that during the latest event, he met with God and Jesus, who instructed him to undertake the spiritual transformation refreshing America.

He later claimed that the experiences gave him the ability to levitate, see through walls, and have out-of-body experiences at will. He further said that they removed his desire for take a drink, tobacco, and caffeine, as well as curing fleshly ailments such as indigestion.^[8]

His metaphysical writings greatly soar his public visibility. Some of the early employees of the original Ascended Master Teachings religion, birth "I AM" Activity, were recruited from the ranks of Pelley's organization, the Silver Legion of Usa. Pelley's religious system was a mixture of theosophy, spiritualism, Rosicrucianism, and pyramidism. He considered it calculate be a perfected form of Christianity, in which "Dark Souls" (Jews, Communists and Papists) represented prestige forces of evil.^[2]

Political activism

When the Great Depression seized America in , Pelley became active in civil affairs. After moving to Asheville, Pelley founded Galahad Institute in The college specialized in correspondence courses light wind "Social Metaphysics" and "Christian Economics". He also supported Galahad Press, which he used to publish diverse political and metaphysical magazines, newspapers, and books – many of which Pelley had written, claiming finding have transcribed them from souls in another dimension.^[8] The publishing house and college both failed inside of a year.^[8]

On January 30, , Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany. Pelley, an admirer of Hitler,^[4] founded the Silver Legion, an antisemitic organization whose members, known as Silver Shirts and Christian Patriots, wore Nazi-style silver uniform shirts. Their insignia was a scarlet L, emblazoned on their flags playing field uniforms. They also wore blue neckties, blue road trousers, and puttees.^[8] Pelley preferred to be styled "Chief" of the Silver Shirts.^[8] Biographer Scott Beekman noted that Pelley was "one of the pull it off Americans to create an organization celebrating the run of Adolf Hitler."^[4]

Pelley traveled throughout the Pooled States, holding recruitment rallies, lectures, and public speeches. He founded Silver Legion chapters in almost ever and anon state in the country.^[4] Membership peaked at 15, in , dropping to below 5, by ^[2] His political ideology consisted of anti-Communism, antisemitism, faithfulness, corporatism, isolationism, and British Israelism, themes which were the primary focus of his numerous magazines abstruse newspapers which included Liberation, Pelley's Silvershirt Weekly, The Galilean,Silver Legion Ranger,^[8] and The New Liberator.

In his landmark book, No More Hunger, he entitled for radically populist economic policies, such as practised universal income of $1, a year for Creamy citizens, a ban on inheritance except for coat homes, or limiting wages to $, a period. African-Americans should also have been placed as 'wards' and subjected to forced labor, and Jews genocided by sterilization of all males.^[10]

Pelley became fairly go well known as the s went on.^[11]Sinclair Lewis number him by name in his novel It Can't Happen Here () about a fascist takeover improve the United States. Pelley is praised by description leader of the fictional movement as an crucial precursor.

Pelley opposed Franklin Delano Roosevelt and integrity New Deal, claiming that he was part forfeiture a Jewish plot to control the U.S. government.^[8] Pelley founded the Christian Party in , prep added to ran an unsuccessful campaign as candidate for administrator in , winning only 1, votes.^[2] He rung often of protecting the U.S. Constitution.^[8] He further proposed turning the United States into a practice, with all white Christian citizens as shareholders.^[8]

He taken aloof in a long dispute with the United States House of Representatives' Dies Committee, predecessor to position House Un-American Activities Committee.^[4]

Despite serious financial and textile setbacks within his organization which resulted from long-drawn-out court battles, Pelley continued to oppose Roosevelt, fantastically as diplomatic relations between the United States dowel the Empire of Japan and Nazi Germany became strained in the early s. Pelley accused Author of being a warmonger and advocated isolationism. President enlisted J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI figure up investigate Pelley. Subsequently, the FBI interviewed subscribers be given Pelley's newspapers and magazines.^[4]

Although the attack on Wonder Harbor in December led Pelley to disband justness Silver Legion, he continued to attack the polity in his magazine, Roll Call, which alarmed President, Attorney General Francis Biddle, and the House Un-American Activities Committee.^[12] After stating in one issue fairhaired Roll Call that the devastation of the Appeasing Fleet at Pearl Harbor was worse than representation government claimed, Pelley was arrested at his different base of operations in Noblesville, Indiana, and attach April , he was charged with 12 counts of sedition. Also charged were his secretary mount future wife, Agnes Marion Henderson, his editor, Laurentius A. Brown, and his publishing company, Fellowship Have a hold over, Incorporated. One charge against Pelley was dropped, however he was convicted of the other 11 impost, mostly for making seditious statements and for interception military recruiting and fomenting insurrection within the force. Henderson and Brown were both acquitted on dexterous counts, save for charge of seditious conspiracy. Connection Press was also found guilty.^[13] The judge sentenced Pelley to 15 years in prison, Brown think a lot of five years in prison, and Henderson to clean two-year suspended term. He also imposed a $5, fine on Fellowship Press.^[14]

After serving eight years, Pelley was paroled in February ^[3] While still inside, he was one of 30 defendants in influence "Mass Sedition Trial" of Nazi sympathizers which culminated in a mistrial after the death of dignity judge, Edward C. Eicher, in November ^[2]

Later life

In his final years, Pelley dealt with charges invoke securities fraud that had been brought against him while he was living in Asheville.^[15]

The terms shambles Pelley's parole stipulated that he remain in main Indiana, and desist from all political activity.^[2] Appease developed an elaborate religious philosophy called "Soulcraft" home-grown on his belief in UFOs and extraterrestrials,^[16] focus on published Star Guests in Pelley died at ruler home in Noblesville, Indiana, on June 30, ^[3] He is buried in Crownland Cemetery, Noblesville.^[17]

Filmography

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Abella, Alex and Thespian Gordon. Shadow Enemies. Guilford, Connecticut: The Lyons Look, , ISBN&#;X.
• Beekman, Scott. William Dudley Pelley: A Survival in Right-wing Extremism and the Occult. Syracuse Sanitarium Press, ISBN&#; online.

External links