Nazis of Copley Square

The Forgotten Story of the Christian Front

By: Charles R. Gallagher

Narrated by: Rick Adamson

On January 13, 1940, FBI agents burst into the homes and offices of seventeen members of the Christian Front, seizing guns, ammunition, and homemade bombs. J. Edgar Hoover's charges were incendiary: the group, he alleged, was planning to incite a revolution and install a "temporary dictatorship" in order to stamp out Jewish and Communist influence in the United States.

In Nazis of Copley Square, Charles Gallagher provides a crucial missing chapter in the history of the American far right. The men of the Christian Front imagined themselves as crusaders fighting for the spiritual purification of the nation, and they were hardly alone in their beliefs. The front traced its origins to vibrant global Catholic theological movements of the early twentieth century, such as the Mystical Body of Christ and Catholic Action. The front's anti-Semitism was inspired by Sunday sermons and by lay leaders openly espousing fascist and Nazi beliefs.

Gallagher chronicles the evolution of the front, the transatlantic cloak-and-dagger intelligence operations that subverted it, and the mainstream political and religious leaders who shielded the front's activities from scrutiny. Nazis of Copley Square is a grim tale of faith perverted to violent ends, and a warning for those who hope to curb the spread of far-right ideologies today.

©2021 the President and Fellows of Harvard College (P)2023 Tantor

Overall pretty good, but some glaring flaws

I was totally enjoying the read about a time I knew a bit about, and it filled in a lot of gaps but there were some areas I felt the author bent over backwards to either protect the Roman Catholic Church or to avoid litigation.

When he claimed there hadn't been historic antisemitism in the Church was the first howler. Jews were expelled from large parts of Europe if not by direct order of the Church, with its total approval.

In the book's conclusion, the author's claim the fascist tendencies that continue today are limited to militia groups but they have no religious overtones was the final nail. "Jews will not replace us" wasn't a hint? Attacks on reproductive health centers & synagogs are approved and planned by these militias, and one major party uses religious tests for legislation and judicial appointments. Not sure why the punches were pulled, but they were and credibility waned.

important information about Fr Coughlin

The book exposes the secret traitorous behavior of respected community leaders such as Fr Charle E. Coughlin at the outset of WWII.