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

The first full-length biography of William Dudley Pelley, an important figure in the development of right-wing extremism in the United States called by detractors the Star-Spangled Fascist. 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 headline-grabbing sedition trial thanks to his unwavering support for Nazi Germany.