Full Description
The incredible story of Nazi German exchange students in the United States during WWII.
In the 1930s, international exchange students in the United States celebrated their Christmas breaks in Florida, enthusiastically engaged in college-aged antics, rowdy parties, and the defiance of authorities. In between such mayhem, they admired the beauty of America; quietly discussed their impressions of their host country; and agonized over their future, which would now be reshaped by their study-abroad experiences. These were not typical international college students, however. These students were Nazis.
In Nazis in the New World, Aaron Gillette reveals the unknown history of Nazi German exchange students sent to America in the 1930s. After receiving the Gestapo's stamp of approval, they were instructed to use their charm and charisma to promote the Third Reich. Some also served Hitler as covert operatives against the United States. In many cases, the Nazi government came to regret sending its students across the ocean.
Gillette argues that Nazism was an abject failure in the United States, that antisemitism was on the decline, that German espionage in America was a disaster for the Reich, and that FDR and J. Edgar Hoover brilliantly manipulated Nazi blunders to propel America into the war against Hitler and to empower the FBI. Meanwhile, numerous German exchange students in the United States were transformed from Nazis into fiercely patriotic Americans.
Contents
Illustrations
Abbreviations
Note to Readers
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Nazi Infiltration of the Student Exchange
2. Recruitment and Training
3. Nazis in the New World
4. Disillusionment, Resistance, Refuge, and Opposition in Exile
5. The Exchange Students' Propaganda and Espionage Missions
6. Consequences of the Nazi-era German-American Exchange
Conclusion
Bibliography
Notes
Index
