UC Santa Cruz UC Santa Cruz Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Hollywood's Spies: Jewish Infiltration of Nazi and Pro-Nazi Groups in Los Angeles, 1933-1941 Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2sm4c6gn Author Rosenzweig, Laura Publication Date 2013 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ HOLLYWOOD’S SPIES: JEWISH INFILTRATION OF NAZI AND PRO-NAZI GROUPS IN LOS ANGELES, 1933-1941 A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in HISTORY by Laura Rosenzweig June 2013 The Dissertation of Laura Rosenzweig is approved: _______________________________________ Professor Alice Yang, chair _______________________________________ Professor Barbara Epstein _______________________________________ Professor Marc Dollinger ____________________________________________ Tyrus Miller Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies Copyright © by Laura Rosenzweig 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract iv Dedication vi Acknowledgements vii Introduction 1 1 “White Spot of the Nation:” Los Angeles at 1933 31 2 Nazis in Los Angeles: Not Just a Jewish Problem 70 3 Becoming Hollywood’s Spies 113 4 The LAJCC and the McCormack-Dickstein Committee, 1934 150 5 The Proclamation, 1935 186 6 Exposing the Berlin Connection, 1936-1941 231 7 Exposing the Nazi Fifth Column, 1936-1941 269 8 The Politics of Resistance: The LAJCC and the Dies Committee, 1938-1940 318 Conclusion 356 Appendices 369 Bibliography 387 i ii ABSTRACT Hollywood’s Spies: Jewish Infiltration of Nazi and Pro-Nazi Groups in Los Angeles, 1933-1941 by Laura Rosenzweig In the 1930s, Los Angeles was a hotbed of Nazi-influenced political activity. Between 1933-1941, hundreds of far right-wing political groups led by the local chapter of the German-American Bund, emerged in the city. Intent on launching a Nazi-style political movement, these groups fomented a hostile political climate that threatened the city’s Jews. In response to the threat, the Jewish executives of the motion picture industry joined with other Jewish leaders in the city to form the Los Angeles Jewish Community Committee (LAJCC.) Publicly, the LAJCC combatted prejudice and religious intolerance by joining in civic group coalitions. Privately, however, the LAJCC paid private investigators to infiltrate these Nazi-influenced groups to monitor their political activities. The information collected by Hollywood’s spies was passed onto local, federal and military officials during the decade, informing both the McCormack-Dickstein Committee investigation of Nazi propaganda activity in 1934, and the Dies Committee investigation on un-American activity between 1938-1940. The role that American Jews played in these congressional investigations, let alone the Jews of Hollywood, was not understood by the public at the time, nor by historians since. Drawing on archival collections in Los Angeles, New York, Cincinnati and Washington, this dissertation recovers the story of the LAJCC and Hollywood’s spies to revise the consensus on American Jewish political agency and influence in the i v 1930s. It demonstrates that American Jews were not quite as paralyzed by antisemitism in the 1930s as the consensus contends. The political relationships the LAJCC established and the defense strategies it adopted to combat domestic Nazism reveal a new dimension of American Jewish political influence in the United States in the 1930s. This dissertation also marks the emergence of Los Angeles as a new site of American Jewish political power. As a result of the financial and political backing of the Jews of Hollywood, the LAJCC distinguished itself from other American Jewish defense organizations of the era, rising to political influence in Washington at a time when Jewish leaders in New York and Chicago faltered in the fight against domestic Nazism in the United States. v DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to the memory of Leon Lewis, the Jewish leaders of the motion picture industry, and the men and women who worked with them to fight the rise of Nazism in Los Angeles between 1933-1941. Their willingness to step outside the boundaries of their personal lives to combat a political problem far greater than themselves is an inspiration. They remind all of us that democracy is not a spectator sport. v i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The completion of this dissertation marks a personal life goal. History has always been my passion, and since graduating from college I have wanted to pursue a doctoral degree. Thirty years later, that goal has been realized. What a rare privilege it has been to return to school at mid-life. I loved every minute of the journey, and in particular, the writing of this dissertation; but, I could not have realized this personal milestone were it not for the encouragement of my family and friends, the counsel of my teachers, and the generous support of the library professionals and philanthropic organizations who helped me along the way. I must begin by thanking my husband, Cary, whose selfless support of my aspiration made this endeavor possible. For twelve years he shared in the thrill of new ideas and discoveries, and he buoyed my confidence during periods of self-doubt and fatigue. For twelve years, his wife was preoccupied with academic theories, historiographic analyses and stories of Hollywood’s spies. Through it all, Cary was my study-buddy, sounding board and cheerleader. My name occupies the space below the title of this dissertation, but this was a shared accomplishment. Without his clarity, wisdom and devotion, this dissertation would never have been completed. If my husband enabled my graduate career, it was the faculty at UCSC that showed me the way. While other area graduate schools balked at the idea of a part- time doctoral student, the faculty at UC Santa Cruz could not have been more welcoming and encouraging. UCSC’s culture of acceptance proved to be precisely the right place for me to realize my academic aspirations. Lynn Westerkamp was v ii particularly understanding of the contingencies confronting an older graduate student. I am indebted to her for her support. During my years of coursework, Lynn, along with Alice Yang, Beth Haas, Pedro Castillo, Shelley Stamp, Murray Baumgarten and Bruce Thompson all supported my progress, challenged my thinking, and helped me to develop the skills needed to succeed. It was a privilege to have the opportunity to learn from each of them. This dissertation is the product of eight years of research guided by my dissertation committee. Each of my advisors brought unique expertise and perspective to this project. I wish to thank my wonderful advisor, Alice Yang, for her commitment to my graduate studies. When I entered this program, I was often unsure of my ability and direction, but Alice’s encouragement gave me the confidence to persevere. Twelve years later (a little longer than we expected!) I am no longer that tentative graduate student. Ever flexible and patient, Alice gave me the time I needed to complete this journey. The journey taken with Alice was, for me, the greatest reward. This dissertation owes much to the scholarship of Barbara Epstein, who gave so generously of her time and thought to this project. Barbara poured over unwieldy rough drafts and provided me with lengthy, thoughtful written comments. Her knowledge of Jewish social movements elevated my work to a level of scholarship that I could not have realized without her. Our discussions on Jewish history and the American Jewish experience and her critical perspective helped to streamline the content of this dissertation. I was so fortunate to be among the last of her doctoral v iii students before she retired. Her reputation for excellence as a mentor and advisor is well known at UCSC, and she leaves behind a space that will be tough to fill. Widely respected in the Bay Area Jewish community as a scholar, teacher and a mensch, Marc Dollinger has been a valued advisor. Marc graciously, and without hesitation, agreed to serve on my committee. Marc’s thoughtful comments helped make this a more compelling scholarly work by helping to shape the argument of this dissertation. More than that, however, was the mentoring he provided as a dynamic lecturer and teacher. I am indebted to both Marc and Fred Astren for extending the opportunity to me to teach at San Francisco State University over the years. This dissertation is the product of eight years of extensive research in several archives and libraries across the country. That research was made possible by the philanthropic organizations that sponsor and support doctoral research. This dissertation was made possible by a generous three-year grant from the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture and a dissertation fellowship grant from the Institute for Humanities Research at UCSC. Research and travel grants were also provided by the American Jewish Archives, Center for American Jewish History, the Historical Society of Southern California, the History department of the University of California at Santa Cruz, and by the Annenberg Foundation. The substantial financial support that I received over the years allowed me to conduct research from southern California to Washington, D.C. I am thankful to the professional librarians and archivists who assisted me during the years. In particular, I am forever indebted to the staff of the Urban Archives and Special Collections of i x