Elizabeth Dilling
Elizabeth Dilling | |
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Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| Died | April 30, 1966 (aged 72) , U.S. |
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| Children | 2 |
Elizabeth Eloise Kirkpatrick Dilling (April 19, 1894 – April 30, 1966) was an American writer and political activist.
Dilling was the best-known leader of the World War II women's
Early life and family
Dilling was born Elizabeth Eloise Kirkpatrick on April 19, 1894, in
In 1912, she enrolled at the
The family traveled abroad at least ten times between 1923 and 1939, experiences that focused Dilling's political outlook and served to convince her of American superiority.
Dilling visited Germany in 1931 and, when she returned in 1938, noted a "great improvement of conditions".
Dilling wrote of her praise of Nazi Germany in 1936:
"Nazism has directed its attacks more against conspiring, revolutionary Communist Jews, than against nationalist German Jews who aided Germany during the war; if it has discriminated against the innocent also, it has been with no such ferocity and loss of life as the planned and imminent Communist revolution would have wreaked upon the German population, had it been successful as in Russia."[19]
Anti-communism
Our family trip to Red Russia in 1931 started my dedication to anti-Communism. We were taken behind the scenes by friends working for the Soviet Government and saw deplorable conditions, first hand. We were appalled, not only at the forced labor, the squalid crowded living quarters, the breadline ration card workers’ stores, the mothers pushing wheelbarrows and begging children of the State nurseries besieging us. The open virulent anti-Christ campaign, every-where, was a shock. In public places were the tirades by loud speaker, in Russian, (our friends translated). Atheist cartoons representing Christ as a villain, a drunk, and the object of a cannibalistic orgy (
Dilling's political activism was spurred by the "bitter opposition" she encountered upon her return to Illinois in 1931, "against my telling the truth about Russia ... from suburbanite 'intellectual' friends and from my own Episcopal minister."[22] She began public speaking as a hobby, following her doctor's advice. Iris McCord, a Chicago radio broadcaster who taught at the Moody Bible Institute, arranged for her to address local church groups. Within a year Dilling was touring the Midwest, the Northeast and occasionally the West Coast, accompanied by her husband. She showed her home movies of the Soviet Union and made the same speech several times a week to audiences sometimes as large as several hundred, hosted by organizations such as the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and the American Legion.[23][24]
In 1932, Dilling co-founded the Paul Reveres, an anti-communist organization with headquarters in Chicago which eventually had 200 local chapters.[25] She left in 1934, after a dispute with the co-founder Col. Edwin Marshall Hadley, and it folded soon after due to lack of interest. With McCord's encouragement, her lectures were published in a local Wilmette newspaper in 1932, and then collected in a pamphlet entitled Red Revolution: Do We Want It Here? Dilling claimed that the DAR printed and distributed thousands of copies.[23][24]
Beginning in early 1933, Dilling spent twelve to eighteen hours a day for eighteen months researching and cataloging suspected subversives. Her sources included the 1920 four-volume report of the
Far more than the
Spider-Web chart of the 1920s – a chart composed by a member of the DAR that plotted suspected red-affiliated organisations with progressive individuals – The Red Network revealed the power of "guilt by association," a tactic that would be used all too often by future Red baiters with devastating effectiveness.— Christine K. Erickson, Journal of American Studies, 2002[28]
The book was reprinted eight times and sold more than 16,000 copies by 1941. Thousands more were given away. It was sold in Chicago book stores and by mail order from Dilling's house. It was distributed by the
In 1935, Dilling returned to her alma mater to accuse such people as university president
Dilling's next book, The Roosevelt Red Record and Its Background, published two weeks before the 1936 presidential election, was less successful. Like much of her later writing, it was largely a disjointed series of quotations. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Jew Deal" (as Dilling was calling the New Deal) was already a central theme of The Red Network, and it was already being debated elsewhere. Dilling later claimed that the House Un-American Activities Committee was founded largely thanks to her two books. She wrote a pamphlet attacking Borah, entitled Borah: "Borer from Within" the G.O.P., fearing that if he won the presidential nomination voters would be forced to choose between two communists. She distributed 5,000 copies at the Republican National Convention, and claimed credit for his defeat.[iii][34][35][36]
In 1938, Dilling founded the Patriotic Research Bureau, a vast archive in Chicago with a staff of "Christian women and girls" from the Moody Bible Institute. She began regular publication of the Patriotic Research Bulletin, a newsletter outlining her political and personal views, which she mailed free of charge to her supporters. Editions were often 25 to 30 pages long, with a youthful photograph of the author on the cover conveying a personal touch.[34] The masthead of early issues reads: "Patriotic Research Bureau. For the defense of Christianity and Americanism".[37]
Dilling was paid $5,000 in 1939 by industrialist
In 1940, hoping to influence the
Isolationism
Besides relying on a gendered appeal to patriotic duty, Dilling enjoyed portraying herself as a helpless victim confronted by diabolical evil. One telling example was when a federal subpoena in 1941, issued by the Justice Department, ordered her to Washington DC to explain her alleged affiliations with Nazi sympathizers. She described her experiences at the "New Deal O.G.P.U.," an unsubtle reference to Stalin's secret police, in the format of a play, in which she acted the part of the victim interrogated by an agent of the New Deal. The dramatic scene overflowed with "sinister glower[s]," "sarcastic questions" and "long harangue[s]." The victim, "a bit weary with the endless hectoring," answered unfair questions with righteous indignation. Throughout this little skit, Dilling downplayed her public role and denied the accusation that she was "an important woman" and that her "name carr[ied] weight." A sincere act of humility this was not, but it did reveal Dilling's inclination for martyrdom and self-importance, as well as a talent for propaganda.
Dilling was a central figure in a mass movement of
The movement was strongest in the
In early 1941, when the movement was at its height, Dilling spoke at rallies in Chicago and other cities in the Midwest, and recruited a group to coordinate her efforts to oppose Lend-Lease, the "Mothers' Crusade to Defeat H. R. 1776". Hundreds of these activists picketed the Capitol for two weeks in February 1941. Dilling was arrested when she led a sit-down strike with at least 25 other protesters in the corridor outside the office of 84-year-old Senator Carter Glass. After a sensational trial lasting six days, she wept as she was found guilty of disorderly conduct and fined $25.[47][51] Glass called for the FBI to investigate the women's groups, and stated in The New York Times on March 7 that the women had caused "a noisy disorder of which any self-respecting fishwife would be ashamed. I likewise believe that it would be pertinent to inquire whether they are mothers. For the sake of the race, I devoutly hope not." Isolationist leader Cathrine Curtis believed that the image of the Mothers' movement had been wrecked, and privately criticised Dilling's "hoodlum" tactics as "communistic" and "un-womanly".[52][53]
Many of the women's groups continued to oppose the war after the
A
Post-war publications
Following the 1946 trial dismissal, Dilling continued to publish the Patriotic Research Bulletin, and in 1964, she published The Plot Against Christianity. Dilling died on April 30, 1966, in Lincoln, Nebraska.[64]
Media references
Works
According to the Library of Congress records, Dilling self-published the original printings of her books in Kenilworth, Illinois, then some 20 miles north of downtown Chicago. They were later republished by printing houses throughout the country, such as the Elizabeth Dilling Foundation in the 1960s, Arno Press in the 1970s and Sons of Liberty in the 1980s.
Books
- The Red Network, A "Who's Who" and Handbook of Radicalism for Patriots (1934, 1935, 1936, 1977)
- "Lady Patriot" Replies (1936)
- The Roosevelt Red Record and Its Background (1936)
- Dare We Oppose Red Treason? (1937). OCLC 11099317.
- OCLC 8211409.
- The Octopus, by Rev. Frank Woodruff Johnson [pseud.] (Oct. 1940; Sons of Liberty, 1985, 1986)
- The Plot Against Christianity (1964)
- Republished as The Jewish Religion: Its Influence Today.
See also
Notes
- ^ The ("unverified") Library of Congress caption reads: "Assailing all liberals, including the Roosevelt family, before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee today, Mrs. Elizabeth Dilling, author of the Anti-Communist Volume 'The Red Network,' gave a regular show to a crowded hearing room in opposing the nomination of Felix Frankfurter to the Supreme Court. She challenged the committee collectively and individually to disprove anything she writes or says".[1]
- ^ Dilling's perception of Hitler shifted after the war. In the June 1954 Patriotic Research Bulletin, she states: "Evidence piles up and up that Hitler himself was not only of Jewish ancestry, but had Jewish financing from the very beginning ... At no time did Hitler disturb the great Jewish bankers who own and run German industry."[15]
- ^ Historian Glen Jeansonne notes: "Of all the ultraright women leaders, Dilling was the most critical of Eleanor Roosevelt. In The Roosevelt Red Record and Its Background (Chicago: self-published, 1936), Dilling devoted more space to criticizing Eleanor Roosevelt than she devoted to denouncing Franklin Roosevelt. Among her charges were that Eleanor entertained prostitutes, fraternized with Blacks, joined communist organisations, neglected her children, dominated her weak husband, and associated with Jews. Perhaps there was no better litmus test of a woman's political ideology than a woman's opinion of Eleanor Roosevelt."[33]
- ^ Quoting Patriotic Research Bulletin, October 1941[44]
- ^ According to historian Glen Jeansonne: "Although the committee repudiated the support of fascist sympathizers, its membership included partisans of far-right organizations such as Coughlin's, Smith's, and the mothers' groups. The mothers' movement and the committee recruited members from each other. In January 1941, for example, ten thousand members of the Roll Call of American Women, based in Chicago, voted to merge with the committee because their aims were similar."[48]
- ^ Albert filed a countersuit, making allegations including alcoholism and drug addiction, and accusing her of being a fanatic who incited "class and religious hatred". She sued for libel when radio broadcaster Walter Winchell reported the claims. Albert fired his counsel, Maurice Weinshenk, for demanding that his wife produce a list of Bureau contributors, including any Axis or foreign government agents. Weinshenk stated that Albert was concerned he could be implicated in such an investigation. In May, an uncontested divorce was agreed. Albert blamed Weinshenk and B'nai B'rith for his allegations and Dilling dropped her libel suit. In June however they decided not to divorce. Albert acted as her lawyer at her sedition trial. They finally divorced in October 1943. She re-married in 1948 to Salt Lake City lawyer, Jeremiah Stokes, who died in 1954 six years later.[56]
References
- Harris, Ewing photographic studio (January 11, 1939). "Assails all liberals as she opposes Frankfurter before Senate Committee. Washington, D.C., Jan. 11". Library of Congress: Prints & photographs online catalog. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
- ^ a b Dye, 6
- ^ Jeansonne 1996, p. 13.
- ^ Erickson 473, 489
- ^ Smith 82
- ^ a b c d e f g Jeansonne, 9
- ^ Frederickson, 833
- ^ Jenkins, 499
- ^ Jeansonne 2, 12, 80
- ^ a b Frederickson 825–826
- ^ Hananoki, Eric (June 4, 2010). "Glenn Beck's new book club pick: Nazi sympathizer who praised Hitler and denounced the Allies". Media Matters for America. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- ^ a b c Jeansonne, 8
- ^ Dye, 8
- ^ a b Erickson, 474–475
- ^ Jeansonne 67
- ^ Jeansonne, 9, 32
- ^ Jeansonne, 67
- ^ Erickson, 483
- ^ "Fox News Personalities Reaching for New Lows". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
- ^ Dye, 10
- ^ Elizabeth Dilling (1964), Foreword to the 1964 edition The Jewish Religion: Its Influence Today, Come and Hear
- ^ Erickson 475
- ^ a b Jeansonne, 10
- ^ a b Erickson 478
- ^ Goldstein 113
- ^ a b Jeansonne, 12
- ^ Erickson, 478
- ^ Erickson 488
- ^ Erickson, 480
- ^ Boyer 272–273
- ^ Jeansonne 11
- ^ Boyer 273
- ^ Jeansonne 80
- ^ a b Erickson, 480–482
- ^ Jeansonne, 13–14, 68
- ^ a b Frederickson 833
- .
- ^ Jeansonne 12
- ^ Jeansonne 16
- ^ Erickson 482
- ^ Goldstein 114
- ^ Jeansonne, 13–14
- ^ Jeansonne 35
- ^ a b Erickson 484
- ^ Mcenaney 48
- ^ Jeansonne 5, 72
- ^ a b Erickson 485
- ^ Jeansonne 20
- ^ Mcenany 47–48
- ^ Jeansonne 20, 37, 49, 63
- ^ Jeansonne 33–34
- ^ Mcenaney 52
- ^ Frederickson 836-7
- ^ Jeansonne 2, 5
- ^ a b Jeansonne 89
- ^ Jeansonne 35, 67, 69
- ^ Jeansonne 34–35
- ^ Erickson 481–486
- ^ Jeansonne 62–67
- ^ Erickson 486–487
- ^ Walker 117
- ^ Elizabeth Dilling (1964), Foreword from The Jewish Religion: Its Influence Today, Come and Hear
- ^ Jeansonne 68
- ^ "Mrs. Elizabeth Dilling Stokes, Foe of Communism, Dies at 72; Author of 'Red Network' Was Accused in '43 of a Plot to Set Up Nazi Regime". The New York Times. May 1, 1966. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- ^ Jeansonne 1996, p. 8.
- ^ a b Erickson, 273
- ^ Jeansonne 37
- ^ Johnson, 1044
Bibliography
- Boyer, John (2013). The University of Chicago. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226242651.
- Cypkin, Diane (1998). "Review". Rhetoric & Public Affairs. 1 (1): 137–139. S2CID 153555321.
- Dye, Amy (2009). "The Powers of Perception: An Intimate Connection with Elizabeth Dilling", East Tennessee State University.
- Erickson, Christine K. (2002). ""I have not had One Fact Disproven": Elizabeth Dilling's Crusade Against Communism in the 1930s". Journal of American Studies. 36 (3): 473–489. S2CID 145511537.
- Frederickson, Kari (1996). "Cathrine Curtis and Conservative Isolationist Women, 1939–1941". The Historian. 58 (4): 825–839. ISSN 0018-2370.
- Goldstein, Robert Justin (2014). Little 'Red Scares': Anti-Communism and Political Repression in the United States, 1921–1946. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-1-4094-1091-1.
- Jeansonne, Glen (1996). Women of the Far Right: The Mothers' Movement and World War II (PDF). University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-39589-0..
- Jenkins, Philip (1996). "Review". Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies. 63 (3): 499–501. JSTOR 27773926.
- Johnson, Claudius O. (1945). "Public Journal; Marginal Notes on Wartime America". The American Political Science Review. 39 (5): 1044–1045. S2CID 143816780.
- Mcenaney, Laura (1994). "He-Men and Christian Mothers: The America First Movement and the Gendered Meanings of Patriotism and Isolationism". Diplomatic History. 18 (1): 47–57. ISSN 0145-2096.
- Smith, Jason Scott (2014). A Concise History of the New Deal. 1st ed. New York: Cambridge University Press. Cambridge Books Online. Web. April 7, 2016.
- Walker, Samuel (2012). Presidents and Civil Liberties from Wilson to Obama. 1st ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Cambridge Books Online. Web. April 6, 2016.
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