Hollywood’s Spies: The Undercover Surveillance of Nazis in Los Angeles

Goldstein-Goren Series in American Jewish History

by Laura B. Rosenzweig

Finalist, Celebrate 350 Award in American Jewish Studies

Tells the remarkable story of the Jewish moguls in Hollywood who established the first anti-Nazi Jewish resistance organization in the country in the 1930s

In April 1939, Warner Brothers studios released the first Hollywood film to confront the Nazi threat in the United States. Confessions of a Nazi Spy, starring Edward G. Robinson, told the story of German agents in New York City working to overthrow the U.S. government. The film alerted Americans to the dangers of Nazism at home and encouraged them to defend against it.

Confessions of a Nazi Spy may have been the first cinematic shot fired by Hollywood against Nazis in America, but it by no means marked the political awakening of the film industry’s Jewish executives to the problem. Hollywood’s Spies tells the remarkable story of the Jewish moguls in Hollywood who paid private investigators to infiltrate Nazi groups operating in Los Angeles, establishing the first anti-Nazi Jewish resistance organization in the country―the Los Angeles Jewish Community Committee (LAJCC).

Drawing on more than 15,000 pages of archival documents, Laura B. Rosenzweig offers a compelling narrative illuminating the role that Jewish Americans played in combating insurgent Nazism in the United States in the 1930s. Forced undercover by the anti-Semitic climate of the decade, the LAJCC partnered with organizations whose Americanism was unimpeachable, such as the American Legion, to channel information regarding seditious Nazi plots to Congress, the Justice Department, the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department.

Hollywood’s Spies corrects the decades-long belief that American Jews lacked the political organization and leadership to assert their political interests during this period in our history and reveals that the LAJCC was one of many covert "fact finding" operations funded by Jewish Americans designed to root out Nazism in the United States.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Espionage, Politics, Film, World War II

320 pages, Hardcover

Published September 19, 2017

Reviews

[Susan Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Princess Fuzzypants here:
In the days leading up to WWII, the threat of the spread of Nazism was pervasive. America was anything but immune. There were many people who sought to swing opinion to the German cause and might have been far more successful had it not been for a handful of heroes in Hollywood. No one needed to tell the Jewish community leaders what the results would be if the German's were successful. So they banded together, sometimes at cross purposes it might seem, often only loosely allied. They did squelch the Nazi propaganda machine that was churning out lies and deceit.
This is a fascinating look at some of the lesser known characters who spearheaded the actions. Some were famous movie people while others were behind the scenes. They may not have swung opinion towards entering the war on the side of the British but they kept the Naxis from getting a strong toehold in the US.
I give it four purrs and two paws up.

[Nancie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating story of how Jews in Hollywood and Los Angeles squared off against an insidious foe in the years before World War II. I'm especially delighted to see more attention being paid to the contributions of both Jews and the residents of Los Angeles. It seems that too often the west coast is left out of consideration of historical movements.
And there are chilling parallels to today: an increase is antisemitism, the dissemination of fake news through otherwise benign sounding organizations and a tolerance by the federal government for extreme views.

[Terri Wangard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since World War II, questions have been raised as to why the American Jews didn’t do much to aid the beleaguered Jews of Europe. The absence of a strong national organization handicapped the American Jews. Their decentralized culture led to bickering. When solidarity was most needed, internal differences prevented them from finding common ground.

But they didn’t do nothing.

Antisemitism’s worst period in U.S. history coincided with the Nazi rise to power. Germany played an active role in fomenting political antisemitism in the U.S. For eleven years, from 1934 to 1945, the Los Angeles Jewish Community Committee maintained an active, if hidden, defense and counterpropaganda program against Nazi infiltration in the United States.

The LAJCC carried on covert fact-finding partnered with non-Jewish organizations and individuals. Working with groups like the American Legion kept their findings from being discarded because they came from Jewish sources. If Jews protested against the far right, the fascist would claim their protests were proof of their communist allegiances.

Informants found their way into the Friends of New Germany, forerunner of the German America Bund, and documented the relationship between Berlin and FNG. They provided warnings for new activity, such as the desire of FNG to acquire blueprints of National Guard armories.

From 1939 to 1941, the LAJCC, operating under the name News Research Service, published News Letter, a weekly, timely expose with information from their files, linking past and current events. Most of the major U.S. periodicals subscribed to News Letter—Life, Look, New Republic, Saturday Evening Post, Time—and used this research for their own articles and requested more information. The News Letter influenced national opinion makers with credibility to publicly confront Nazis in the U.S. in a way no Jewish defense group could.

While the Jewish community was divided in how to deal with Nazism and different groups appeared to compete for funds and status, this wasn’t a problem in Los Angeles. The LAJCC maintained its undercover operations because of the support of movie moguls of Hollywood. Dozens of Hollywood actors, directors, producers, and writers lent their money.

Los Angeles Jewish community fought its fight against Nazism with the financial support and skills and contacts of the motion picture industry to effectively enter the national political arena. The Hollywood moguls were not absent from the fight. They were merely hidden.

I had expected more about Hollywood personalities. They are briefly mentioned—contributing, meeting to plan, being targeted by Nazis. Because they worked behind the scenes, little else is revealed.

At times I got bogged down. As though the book was being prepared for court, every little instance is recorded, or so it seemed. However, it was an enlightening read. The Jews of Europe may not have received help, but the American Jews likely didn’t realize how much the movie men contributed to their, and the country’s, well-being.

I received a free copies in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Sharon Healy-Yang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lauren Rosenzweig's Hollywood Spies is a revelation. I was first aware of the insidious infiltration of Nazis into the U.S, through their affiliation with right-wing organizations, after reading Victory City, about NYC during the war. Hollywood's Spies provides an in-depth, thoroughly researched look at how powerful and dangerous the German infiltration was, cloaking and propagating their antisemitism through claiming to promote Americanism. What is so impressive is how lawyer Leon Lewis and other prominent Jewish business people were able to create their own organization to infiltrate these arcane groups and provide proof of their danger to our country, taking action when the local and federal governments wouldn't be bothered. Despite some inevitable infighting, by connecting with prominent folks in the film industry and hiring adept informants, Lewis, Joseph Roos, and their colleagues were able to get verifiable facts out to the public to ultimately aid the government in shutting down these traitors, especially when we went to war. I was also happy to see that some non-Jewish Americans were disgusted by the vile nature of these fascist groups and were determined to get involved in stopping this spread of cancerous bigotry. Sometimes the writing could be a tad, dry, but not enough to really detract from the reading.

[Ralph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Further review pending.

Very well researched study of the influence of Nazi Germany in the years leading up to World War II. Complements and amplifies Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and America.

[Mila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a book. This is a dissertation. And basically, this is why I give it 4 stars. Content-wise it's perfect. But the writing and composition of the book is so dry and dull. With such a title as "Hollywood's Spies", one expects to see an exciting story. And don't get me wrong, the story was exciting and interesting. But the way it was presented was really boring. Maybe that is why it took me so long to finish reading.

[Wes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear panorama of the wacky Nazi-infected pre-WWII Hollywood. I wish there was even more meat on the bone but it is still a feast. EXCELLENT. It is not pretentious and not needlessly erudite; it is a nice smooth read. Hard to put down despite the lack of tension; at times jaw-dropping. The author might take a stab at Hollywood and the Red Chinese now; it is about time. She has the skills.

[Frank Deming · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author obviously has deeply researched the material. The problem is the presentation of the material is like all the chapters are separate submissions of magazine article. Each successive chapter repeats a good amount of material that were in previous chapters. Timelines get mixed.

Important history is it's strength

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

See my review at http://www.thereportergroup.org/Artic...

[Gary Sankary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fascinating Account of history that I had no idea happened. Enjoyed it very much.

[Chris Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This app really needs half stars. I can’t give it 4, but it doesn’t deserve only 3.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scanned more than read.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of how a few people in Hollywood saw the threat of Nazism in their own town and countered it by infiltrating the groups growing in California. It's a story of bravery and the will to fight the growing evil that wasn't just affecting Europe. However it isn't the easiest read - it's more of an academic piece than a standard historical piece. That said it's important that these stories are told and the author certainly tells the story, into very minute details.Maybe sometimes there's almost too many details but it shows the level of research dedicated. This is definitely a work the author should be extremely proud of and is worth a read for anyone interested in the history of this period.

I received this from Netgalley for an honest review.

[Mills College Library]

791.43658 R816 2017