William Dudley Pelley: A Life in Right-Wing Extremism and the Occult

Religion and Politics

by Scott Beekman

William Dudley Pelley was one of the most important figures of the anti-Semitic radical right in the twentieth century. Best remembered as the leader of the paramilitary "Silver Shirts," Pelley was also an award-winning short story writer, Hollywood screenwriter, and religious leader. During the Depression Pelley was a notorious presence in American politics; he ran for president on a platform calling for the ghettoization of American Jews and was a defendant in a headlinegrabbing sedition trial thanks to his unwavering support for Nazi Germany. Scott Beekman offers not only a political but also an intellectual and literary biography of Pelley, greatly advancing our understanding of a figure often dismissed as a madman or charlatan. His belief system, composed of anti-Semitism, economic nostrums, racialism, neo-Theosophical channeling, and millenarian Christianity, anticipates the eclecticism of later cult personalities such as Shoko Asahara, leader of Aum Shinrikyo, and the British conspiracy theorist David Icke. By charting the course of Pelley's career, Beekman does an admirable job of placing Pelley within the history of both the anti-Semitic right and American occult movements. This exhaustively researched book is a welcome addition to the growing body of scholarship on American extremism and esoteric religions.

Genres: History, American History, Nonfiction, Conspiracy Theories, Biography

269 pages, Hardcover

First published November 8, 2005

Reviews

[Da1tonthegreat · Rating 3 out of 5]

William Dudley Pelley was probably the most significant homegrown American fascist in the 1930s and early 40s (as opposed to the transplanted Nazism of the more notable German-American Bund). The fact that he's fairly obscure testifies to the dismal failure of any aspiring fuhrer to unite the right in Depression era America. This book effectively captures the highly fragmented nature of the far right, at a time when communists and New Dealers were forming popular fronts and achieving great success pushing their agenda. The Silver Legion was based in North Carolina but was most prominent on the West Coast. It combined European-style fascism with Christian nationalism.

The outline of Pelley's life looks more like L. Ron Hubbard than Adolf Hitler. He spent years as a Hollywood screenwriter and became deeply interested in spirituality. More of his life was devoted to Soulcraft (an eclectic blend of Theosophy, UFOlogy, prophecy, and other occult mysticism) than to his political pursuits. His most notable impact on the historical record was his role as one of many defendants in the 'Sedition Trial' of 1944, a politically-motivated lawfare attempt by the FDR administration to silence their far right critics. If you're looking for information on Pelley, this book is a competently-crafted biography and seems to be the most thorough source available.

[P · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for my own research. It was well-researched...but the style of writing is a little off-putting as he constantly uses parentheses, as asides one would assume. However, they seem totally out of place in what comes across as an otherwise scholarly work. And the word "posit" is overused to the point of distraction. The author is a college professor, but still, the book had the ring of something written as a dissertation. ??
Worth the read if you are someone interested in the subject matter.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered this book after reading Mitch Horowitz's excellent and highly recommended books on American occultism and the history of new thought. In particular, William Dudley Pelley, founder of the Silver Shirts, Hollywood pulp fiction writer and presidential nominee, ended up living and publishing in Noblesville, IN following his release from the Terre Haute Federal Prison for sedition. It was too intriguing not to understand the spiritual godfather of right-wing extremism and the occult that bolstered many neo-Nazis movements as well as conservative political figures who went on to serve in conservative groups such as the John Birch Society and the American Legion. I believe Aquila Press Inc. was once at 1350 S. 9th St. in Noblesville, IN; which was taken over by Melford Pearson (Pelley's son-in-law). The address is still related to children's Christian publishing. Soulcraftteachings.org is still active selling Pelley's Books including The Golden Scripts, a 900+ page book of his clairaudient channeling of higher masters. Pelley also said that Nostradamus began speaking to him in 1929 and introduced numerous famous people at the seances held at the Soulcraft headquarters, with Bertie Lily Candler serving as the medium. He died in Noblesville on July 1, 1965 and an eight foot cross was burned into the yard of the funeral home ("Birthday," 16; Noblesville Ledger, July 3, 1965). Someone should really make this story into a movie.