The current threat from (or hysteria over) “domestic terrorists” is often compared to incidents in Nazi Germany. Arnold Schwarzenegger referenced Kristallnacht, while I pointed out how Hitler did not let the crisis of the 1933 attack on the Reichstag capitol go to waste, but instead exploited it to crack down on German liberties. Yet, a better analog might be the Wilson administration’s demonization of German-Americans in 1917...

The Teutonic Terrorist Panic of 1917

I didn't know much of this, remarkably timely today. Past and present Swamps couldn't exist without widespread and cynical manipulation of
The Court of Public Opinion. Not sure if Wilson is more notable for getting the leftist ball rolling in the USA or for weakening our country and Constitution.

The left has never seemed eager to point out Wilson’s assault on civil rights, but fear of German agent activity was based on much more than the Black Tom incident. The Germans had an active sabotage effort directed against US shipping before our entry into the war, and even attempted biological warfare involving the horse disease glanders. In fact, after learning the extent of Germany’s secret efforts against US, I am surprised we didn’t go to war against them sooner, but most historians have ignored all that.

A book that really opened my eyes was Dark Invasion: 1915: Germany's Secret War and the Hunt for the First Terrorist Cell in America by Howard Blum. For most of my life I could never understand why the US decided to go to war, but after reading that book I could only marvel that we hadn’t done so earlier. I can’t claim that it would have been a good idea earlier, but it certainly would have been justified.

My take away is the Wilson Administration and the swamp of its day ginned up animosity and distrust at a domestic level, to justify our involvement in the war. Despite the less refined tools back in the day, the techniques and goals were much the same as we see now.

660 Market St. San Francisco

Also, The income tax act and the Sedition act - Woodrow Wilson.

Federal withholding of taxes - FDR.

quote:

A book that really opened my eyes was Dark Invasion: 1915: Germany's Secret War and the Hunt for the First Terrorist Cell in America by Howard Blum.

For those interested, "Felix A. Sommerfeld and the Mexican Front In The Great War" by Heribert Von Feilitzsch may be worth looking at as well.