James H. Madole | |
|---|---|
| Leader of the National Renaissance Party | |
| In office 1949 – May 6, 1979 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 7, 1927 New York, United States |
| Died | May 6, 1979 (aged 51) New York, United States |
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James Harting Madole (July 7, 1927 – May 6, 1979) was a prominent fascist and leader of the National Renaissance Party in the United States. He is now recognized as a pivotal figure in the development of post-war occult-fascism.[1]
In 1945, Madole founded the Animist Party.[2] By 1947, it had dissolved.[third-party source needed]
Madole founded the National Renaissance Party in New York City in 1948. The name was inspired by Adolf Hitler's "Last Political Testament" before his suicide, which hoped for a "radiant renaissance" for Nazism.[3]
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.[3] 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.[4][5]
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. He had a serious junk food habit, downing enormous quantities of ice cream and milk shakes, and grinned (or grimaced?) at inappropriate times…"[6]
Madole was influenced by Aryanism and Hinduism. He wrote that the Aryan race was of great antiquity and had been worshipped worldwide by lower races as "White Gods". Madole also wrote that the Aryans originated in the Garden of Eden located in North America.[7] He also believed that America was the "new Atlantis" and "the cradle of a new God like race".[8]
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.[citation needed]