Even as Hitler and his Nazi regime ran roughshod over Germany and Europe in the 1930s, there were those in America who championed their rise. And nowhere so much as on Long Island.
Camp Siegfried in Yaphank (a community in the south part of the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County) became a focal point for certain German Americans to gather and espouse the Nazi cause.
Building on racial and ethnic biases, lack of trust in government and a dose of conspiracies, the German American Bund was able to contribute to a growing American fascist movement promoting antisemitism, isolationism, and even the overthrow of the United States government.
Fueled partially by Nazi Germany’s financing of propaganda, thousands of New Yorkers embraced the ideals of an American Reich through retreats such as Camp Siegfried, which groomed Nazi sympathizers to be ready for the fascist overthrow of the American republic.
In opposition to Nazism, multiple local citizen groups fought to combat the Bund’s organized efforts to undermine America.
In Nazis of Long Island: Sedition, Espionage & the Plot Against America (History Press, 2025) author Christopher Verga brings to life this often-overlooked history of New York’s World War II era.
Author Podcast Interview
On the latest episode of the Long Island History Project podcast, Christopher Verga untangles the history of the German American Bund, Father Coughlin, the America First movement, and more.
His book documents a time of unrest in the country when militias, foreign agents, and even elected officials actively opposed the American government.
You can hear the episode here.
The Long Island History Project is an independent podcast featuring stories and interviews with people passionate about Long Island history. It is hosted by academic librarian Chris Kretz.
Book Purchases made through this Amazon link support the New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State.
Read more about the fascism in New York.
Recent Comments