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James H. Madole

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James H. Madole
Madole at a rally in 1953
Leader of the National Renaissance Party
In office
1949 – May 6, 1979
Personal details
Born(1927-07-07)July 7, 1927
New York, United States
DiedMay 6, 1979(1979-05-06) (aged 51)
New York, United States

James Hartung Madole (July 7, 1927 – May 6, 1979) was an American neo-Nazi and leader of the National Renaissance Party in the United States. He is now recognized as a pivotal figure in the development of esoteric neo-Nazism.[1]

Biography

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James Hartung Madole was born July 7, 1927 in New York City. His parents divorced when he was two and he was raised by his mother, who was deeply antisemitic.[2] In his youth he developed an interest in science and built a laboratory at home; he was fascinated by science fiction, which shaped the way he viewed his beliefs. Through science fiction he discovered fascism, particularly fascist science fiction writer Charles B. Hudson. After meeting Hudson he was supported by several America First groups,. and came into contact with Kurt Mertig of the Citizens Protective League.[3] In 1945, Madole founded the Animist Party, which was right-wing and largely made up of sci-fi fans.[4]

In 1949 Mertig founded the National Renaissance Party in Yorkville.[5][4] The name was inspired by Adolf Hitler's "Last Political Testament" before his suicide, which hoped for a "radiant renaissance" for Nazism.[4] Mertig was by then elderly and found in Madole, then 22, a successor.[4] The NRP went on marches in Nazi uniform with his stormtroopers. The NRP gained much publicity as a result, frequently making the headlines but only garnered a small following.[6][5]

He was known for his eccentric personality.[5][6] Madole at the time was "a balding shipping clerk in his mid-forties who lived with his mother, a raving anti-Semite", according to Martin A. Lee, and Madole "could be seen haranguing some two dozen followers in the Yorkville section of Manhattan, where many German immigrants lived". The group wore Nazi storm-trooper uniforms and drew hecklers, leading to fistfights.[7] In 1964, Madole and seven other neo-Nazis were convicted of trying to incite a riot at a civil rights demonstration. Each of them, including Madole, were sentenced to one to two years in prison.[8][9]

Another description of Madole is provided by Peter Levenda: "Madole was a relatively congenial human being in polite company. Completely bald, he bore a scar that he claimed was the result of a brick thrown at him by a demonstrator… He possessed a thorough knowledge of the war and was fascinated by stories of the heroism shown by German troops in combat, particularly against the Russian Army."[10]

From 1974 on, Madole wrote a series of articles in the NRP's bulletin, "The New Atlantis: A blueprint for an Aryan Garden of Eden in North America", which scholar Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke described as "his major occult-political treatise".[11] Madole died in 1979, and the party followed.[12]

Beliefs

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Madole interpreted Nazism through an occult and Theosophic lens, with influence from Hinduism. Among his contacts were occultists, satanists, esotericists and witches, including Anton LaVey. He and LaVey formed an alliance between the NRP and the Church of Satan.[13][14][15] Many of his ideas were fantastical and heavily influenced by science fiction.[16][6] He rejected Christianity, seeing it as Jewish.[17]

Madole also wrote that the Aryans originated in the Garden of Eden located in North America.[11] He also believed that America was the "new Atlantis" and "the cradle of a new God like race".[5] He argued for the reorganization of American race among Hindu lines, but simultaneously made the NRP ally with the Greenshirts, who were pro-Islam.[12]

A central tenet of Madole's ideology was space travel, believing that "the future of Man lies in the stars". Madole was one of the few to accept Francis P. Yockey's argument that Soviet Bolshevism had preserved traditional values more than western liberalism, and that communism was not supported by Judaism. This issue brought him into conflict with his former ally and now rival George Lincoln Rockwell, who used the label "communist" to discredit Madole and his followers.[18] His writings continue to influence some neo-Nazis.[12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Greer, John Michael (2006). The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Societies. London: Harper element. pp. 312–313. ISBN 978-0-00-793145-3.
  2. ^ Goodrick-Clarke 2002, p. 73.
  3. ^ Goodrick-Clarke 2002, pp. 73–74.
  4. ^ a b c d Goodrick-Clarke 2002, p. 74.
  5. ^ a b c d Gardell 2003, p. 84.
  6. ^ a b c Goodrick-Clarke 2002, p. 72.
  7. ^ Lee 1997, p. 89.
  8. ^ "Neo-nazis Given Stiff Prison Terms, Denounced As 'hatemongers'". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. March 20, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  9. ^ "SIX GET JAIL TERMS IN BRONX DINER CASE". The New York Times. July 17, 1964. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  10. ^ Levenda, Peter (2019). Unholy Alliance : a History of Nazi Involvement with the Occult (New and Expanded Edition). Norman Mailer. Newburyport: Nicolas Hays, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89254-680-0. OCLC 1127193909.
  11. ^ a b Goodrick-Clarke 2002, p. 81.
  12. ^ a b c Newton 2014, p. 157.
  13. ^ Goodrick-Clarke 2002, pp. 72, 79.
  14. ^ Gardell 2003, pp. 84, 396.
  15. ^ Newton 2014, pp. 156–157.
  16. ^ Newton 2014, p. 156.
  17. ^ Goodrick-Clarke 2002, p. 82.
  18. ^ Atkins, Stephen E. (2009). Holocaust Denial as an International Movement. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9798216098560.

Works cited

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Further reading

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