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The Agitator: William Bailey and the First American Uprising against Nazism
This story of an anti-fascist's dramatic and remarkable victory against Nazism in 1935 is an inspiration to anyone compelled to resist when signs of oppression are on the horizon
By 1935, Hitler had suppressed all internal opposition and established himself as Germany's unchallenged dictator. Yet many Americans remained largely indifferent as he turned his dangerous ambitions abroad. Not William Bailey.
Just days after violent anti-Semitic riots had broken out in Berlin, the SS Bremen , the flagship of Hitler's commercial armada, was welcomed into New York Harbor. Bailey led a small group that slipped past security and cut down the Nazi flag from the boat in the middle of a lavish party. A brawl ensued, followed by a media circus and a trial, in which Bailey and his team were stunningly acquitted. The political victory ultimately exposed Hitler's narcissism and violent aggression for all of America to see.
The Agitator is the captivating story of Bailey's courage and vision in the Bremen incident, the pinnacle of a life spent battling against fascism. Bailey's story is full of drama and heart--and it's an inspiration to anyone who seeks to resist tyranny.
By 1935, Hitler had suppressed all internal opposition and established himself as Germany's unchallenged dictator. Yet many Americans remained largely indifferent as he turned his dangerous ambitions abroad. Not William Bailey.
Just days after violent anti-Semitic riots had broken out in Berlin, the SS Bremen , the flagship of Hitler's commercial armada, was welcomed into New York Harbor. Bailey led a small group that slipped past security and cut down the Nazi flag from the boat in the middle of a lavish party. A brawl ensued, followed by a media circus and a trial, in which Bailey and his team were stunningly acquitted. The political victory ultimately exposed Hitler's narcissism and violent aggression for all of America to see.
The Agitator is the captivating story of Bailey's courage and vision in the Bremen incident, the pinnacle of a life spent battling against fascism. Bailey's story is full of drama and heart--and it's an inspiration to anyone who seeks to resist tyranny.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published March 19, 2019
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116 people want to read
About the author
Peter Duffy
22 books19 followersPeter Duffy is an author and journalist based in New York City. He has written three books of historical non-fiction - The Bielski Brothers (HarperCollins, 2003); The Killing of Major Denis Mahon (HarperCollins, 2007); and Double Agent (Scribner, 2014). His journalism has appeared in The New York Times, New York magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, the New Republic, and many other publications.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
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December 12, 2018DNF at 20%. Between the subject matter and my tiredness from my sleep apnea, this one has been a real struggle. Just a bit too dry for me, I can't keep awake. I'd rather read something I don't have to force.
July 17, 2019
This is an inspiring account of a July 1935 incident that was a media sensation in the pre-war years. At a time when the US government was deferential, even apologetic, to the new Nazi government, a group of New York City radicals made a public act of resistance: to crash a midnight pre-sailing party on the SS Bremen, tear the spotlit Nazi flag down and throw it into the Hudson River. The incident, the ensuing riot, and the trial were a major story at the time, and is well worth preserving as a book now.
The author places this event in context, both in the politics of the day and in the life of Bill (b. Michael) Bailey, the man who tore the flag down. This is his biography, and it's a rousing story: born to poverty, growing up in Hell's Kitchen and in and out of reformatories, making a career as a merchant seaman and knocking around the world at a young age -- and, after seeing enough economic and political injustice, becoming an aspiring member of the Communist Party.
It's also the story of the ship: the SS Bremen was the leading passenger liner of post-WWI Germany, a holder of the Blue Riband speed award, and as such, a national emblem. Its presence at the Hudson River pier with a load of rich-and-famous passengers would be a recurring event, drawing newspaper coverage and curious crowds. And, in later years, the swastika flag on its bow would be also an emblem, and a spotlit provocation.
As for the wider context, the author tells of the rise of Naziism and the swastika flag -- at this moment it was still a party flag, hence its presence on the bow of the SS Bremen, rather than the stern, the traditional place for a ship's national colors. The flag incident, coming just before the Nazi party congress in Nuremberg, would serve as an excuse to summon the Reichstag there to pass the Nuremberg Laws, a body of anti-Jewish laws which also included a provision to make the swastika flag the sole national colors.
After the trial, Bill Bailey would go on to an adventurous life, much of it in social activism. He would serve in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War, and on Victory and Liberty ships in WWII, in seamans' and longshoremen unions postwar, and face the House Un-American Activities Committee in the 1950s for his ongoing Communist Party activity. He would even, late in life, end up with minor movie roles.
In all, its a rousing story, and highly worth remembering.
The author places this event in context, both in the politics of the day and in the life of Bill (b. Michael) Bailey, the man who tore the flag down. This is his biography, and it's a rousing story: born to poverty, growing up in Hell's Kitchen and in and out of reformatories, making a career as a merchant seaman and knocking around the world at a young age -- and, after seeing enough economic and political injustice, becoming an aspiring member of the Communist Party.
It's also the story of the ship: the SS Bremen was the leading passenger liner of post-WWI Germany, a holder of the Blue Riband speed award, and as such, a national emblem. Its presence at the Hudson River pier with a load of rich-and-famous passengers would be a recurring event, drawing newspaper coverage and curious crowds. And, in later years, the swastika flag on its bow would be also an emblem, and a spotlit provocation.
As for the wider context, the author tells of the rise of Naziism and the swastika flag -- at this moment it was still a party flag, hence its presence on the bow of the SS Bremen, rather than the stern, the traditional place for a ship's national colors. The flag incident, coming just before the Nazi party congress in Nuremberg, would serve as an excuse to summon the Reichstag there to pass the Nuremberg Laws, a body of anti-Jewish laws which also included a provision to make the swastika flag the sole national colors.
After the trial, Bill Bailey would go on to an adventurous life, much of it in social activism. He would serve in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War, and on Victory and Liberty ships in WWII, in seamans' and longshoremen unions postwar, and face the House Un-American Activities Committee in the 1950s for his ongoing Communist Party activity. He would even, late in life, end up with minor movie roles.
In all, its a rousing story, and highly worth remembering.
April 19, 2019
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The Agitator: William Bailey and the First American Uprising against Nazism by Peter Duffy is a short biography of William Bailey, an American who stood his ground against Hitler’s Germany at a time when the US was solidly neutral. Mr. Duffy is a historian and journalist.
The main event that The Agitator: William Bailey and the First American Uprising against Nazism by Peter Duffy centers around is a protest against the Third Reich which took place in July of 1935. A group of Communist Party members, led by Bill Bailey, crashed a reception on the SS Bremen, a huge German luxury liner, tore down the swastika flag and threw it into the New York Harbor.
Mr. Duffy places the events of that day, and the life of Mr. Bailey, in context of the times and his socio-economic status. Bill Bailey came from “a destitute Irish family”, he spent time in juvenile jail, grew up in a slum, and as a result developed a political ideology and a strong conscious.
The book juxtaposes between the biography of Mr. Bailey and the downfall of Germany to the Nazi party. While the protest on the SS Bremen was taken place, the pogroms in Berlin and Germany against the Jews were growing stronger, it’s disconcerting how polished politicians missed all the signs, or worst, they didn’t.
The book is short, and very readable. Reading about the protest of one group (focused on one man), while bigger events were taking place is a fascinating read. Mr. Bailey went on the live an unapologetic life, defying the House Un-American Activities Committee and at some point, capitalizing on his short lived fame by becoming an actor.
The Agitator: William Bailey and the First American Uprising against Nazism by Peter Duffy is a short biography of William Bailey, an American who stood his ground against Hitler’s Germany at a time when the US was solidly neutral. Mr. Duffy is a historian and journalist.
The main event that The Agitator: William Bailey and the First American Uprising against Nazism by Peter Duffy centers around is a protest against the Third Reich which took place in July of 1935. A group of Communist Party members, led by Bill Bailey, crashed a reception on the SS Bremen, a huge German luxury liner, tore down the swastika flag and threw it into the New York Harbor.
Mr. Duffy places the events of that day, and the life of Mr. Bailey, in context of the times and his socio-economic status. Bill Bailey came from “a destitute Irish family”, he spent time in juvenile jail, grew up in a slum, and as a result developed a political ideology and a strong conscious.
The book juxtaposes between the biography of Mr. Bailey and the downfall of Germany to the Nazi party. While the protest on the SS Bremen was taken place, the pogroms in Berlin and Germany against the Jews were growing stronger, it’s disconcerting how polished politicians missed all the signs, or worst, they didn’t.
The book is short, and very readable. Reading about the protest of one group (focused on one man), while bigger events were taking place is a fascinating read. Mr. Bailey went on the live an unapologetic life, defying the House Un-American Activities Committee and at some point, capitalizing on his short lived fame by becoming an actor.
December 10, 2020
This was really a fascinating book. I did not know about this small incident in the U.S. prior to World War II. William Bailey is truly an interesting character and one that perhaps deserves a bit more recognition in U.S. history. But that is unlikely to happen since he was a member of the Communist party for so many years. Equally interesting was Judge Brodsky, the magistrate who dismissed the charges against Bailey and his accomplices. Brodsky's actions angered the Nazi regime, which was still working to hide it's nefarious plans from the world at this time. One of the biggest surprises in the book was the extent that FDR's administration bent over backwards to accommodate the Nazi regime. We generally think of FDR as the president who led us through World War II and the fight against the Nazis. But in 1935, he was clearly not ready to do that, perhaps because of the isolationist attitudes pervasive across the country at that time. I highly recommend this book. It is a very easy to read and gives a fascinating window into a different time in U.S. history.
May 18, 2022
I enjoyed this, though it could have been a lot better. The author never spares an opportunity to give full context which comes at the detriment of his storytelling. Very interesting central character and story otherwise.
August 3, 2019
The Agitator seeks to tell the story of William Bailey who is often remembered as an avowed communist outed by McCarthy but this book seeks to take the reader to a time before that where his sympathy with the party started and his actions to stand up against Fascism and removing the Swastika from a German ship. With a life growing up around the docs and at sea, Bailey was a longshoreman trying to organize a union around the people who worked the docs on both sides of the oceans. He would work with a group of communists to remove the flag from the SS Bremen. He would cut the flag down during a staged riot that would lead to a court case for the Bremen 6 where he would be acquitted. It is a well written and fast paced book that leaves the reader wanting more. The book does come off as a love letter to Bailey and there is little done to analyzed the methods of the communists and the disruption caused to the United States outside of the heroic Bremen incident. Given our current political climate and the rise of right wing fascism around the globe it is a valuable book in remembering what one man can do to be a symbol against oppression.
April 26, 2022
I have never even heard a hint of this story and it sounds like it was a pretty big deal at the time.
Long story short, William Bailey and his fellow communists boarded a popular German luxury liner in New York City. They caused a commotion and tore down the swastika flag and threw it into the (very dirty) Hudson River. It caused an international incident before World War II. It is an interesting time in history because this was when most people put their heads in the sand and pretended, “oh, the Nazis don’t seem all that bad.” This is what we would call a rather large miscalculation.
There was a trial with a twist and the rest of Bill Bailey’s life took some interesting turns. The problem is that much of Bailey’s life seemed more exciting than the event the book is tackling. I would much rather have had a full accounting of Bailey’s life then this specific event taking up so much real estate.
That said, it is well written and will hold your attention.
Long story short, William Bailey and his fellow communists boarded a popular German luxury liner in New York City. They caused a commotion and tore down the swastika flag and threw it into the (very dirty) Hudson River. It caused an international incident before World War II. It is an interesting time in history because this was when most people put their heads in the sand and pretended, “oh, the Nazis don’t seem all that bad.” This is what we would call a rather large miscalculation.
There was a trial with a twist and the rest of Bill Bailey’s life took some interesting turns. The problem is that much of Bailey’s life seemed more exciting than the event the book is tackling. I would much rather have had a full accounting of Bailey’s life then this specific event taking up so much real estate.
That said, it is well written and will hold your attention.
August 1, 2021
If you like labor history, this book is for you. Exciting page-turner, historic and thought-provoking. Makes the reader aware of what people went through as they fought for workers' rights. Focus of the book is Bailey's ripping down of the Nazi flag at a time when the U.S. government saw Germany as a state with which it wanted to do business. Bailey's support of the Communist Party is heart-felt in early years, then confused and later in life, shadowed with disappoint. Was Bailey short in his understanding or was the Party still in need of more feed-back from its working class members? That's up to the reader to decide.
August 14, 2019
This is an interesting and well written account of a man and his actions to stand against Hitler before the rest of the world acknowledged that Hitler was dangerous. This book is filled with facts and tells a story that is not often if ever talked about in history and yet it was an important event. Not only what happened at the SS Bremen and the removal of the Nazi flag but also the trial and acquittal. It reminds us that not everyone was asleep, some were paying attention and saw where Hitler and Germany was heading. A great read.
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July 3, 2019Selection for the Mulberry Street Library Book Discussion Group, Wednesday, May 29, 2019!
Meets at 6 PM in the Community Room.
The author presented the book and read from it.
We have copies available behind the downstairs reference desk -- just ask a librarian.
You can also ask to have the checkout time extended until the day of discussion.
Meets at 6 PM in the Community Room.
The author presented the book and read from it.
We have copies available behind the downstairs reference desk -- just ask a librarian.
You can also ask to have the checkout time extended until the day of discussion.
January 30, 2020
"In a proper world, the name Bill Bailey would call to mind an indelible figure in the confrontation against international Fascism-he was one of the vanishing few to ascend the public stage & exhort the unheeding masses to confront a criminal regime of world-historical scope."
February 24, 2023
An inspiring read that reminds us of the power of our small acts and decisions which impact many.
June 22, 2022
My mother's side of the family is Irish, and they were always interested in Irish history and in American Irish history. Also, my uncles fought in WWII and hated the Nazis. So, how is it that I never heard of William Bailey, the son of an Irish immigrant? This man struck the first physical blow against Nazism in the U.S., and fought his entire life for equality and justice for the 99%, and especially the poor.
"The Agitator" vividly recreates New York City of the early 20th century and the horrible conditions faced by immigrants. William Bailey came from the poorest of the poor, but with determination, perseverance, and the help of a few others, he managed to find a purpose in life that transcended his own personal desires. His travel around the world as a seaman was a seminal experience for him as he saw that extreme poverty and abuse by the rich were universal problems. Those experiences cemented his desire to work for equality for all people. Bailey briefly joined the communist party since it professed to be for the people. However, he soon realized that real-world communism was not all that different from Hitler's Germany.
Bailey's life is fascinating and "The Agitator" gives readers a chance to live it with him, and to learn about a period in American history that has been forgotten.
"The Agitator" vividly recreates New York City of the early 20th century and the horrible conditions faced by immigrants. William Bailey came from the poorest of the poor, but with determination, perseverance, and the help of a few others, he managed to find a purpose in life that transcended his own personal desires. His travel around the world as a seaman was a seminal experience for him as he saw that extreme poverty and abuse by the rich were universal problems. Those experiences cemented his desire to work for equality for all people. Bailey briefly joined the communist party since it professed to be for the people. However, he soon realized that real-world communism was not all that different from Hitler's Germany.
Bailey's life is fascinating and "The Agitator" gives readers a chance to live it with him, and to learn about a period in American history that has been forgotten.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews