John Patsalos
Born (1938-01-06) January 6, 1938 (age 86)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Other namesJohn Patler (formerly)
Political partyAmerican Nazi Party (formerly)
Criminal statusReleased
MotiveRevenge
Conviction(s)First degree murder
Criminal penalty20 years imprisonment
Details
CountryUnited States
State(s)Virginia
Location(s)Arlington County
KilledGeorge Lincoln Rockwell, 49
WeaponMauser C96
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceUnited States Marine Corps
Years of service1958–1960

John Patsalos (Greek: Γιάννης Πάτσαλος, born January 6, 1938), formerly known as John Patler, is an American former neo-Nazi who was convicted of the August 25, 1967, murder of American Nazi Party leader George Lincoln Rockwell.

Early life

Patsalos was born in New York City to Greek parents.[1] When John was five, his mother took him and his younger brother, George, and moved to his grandmother's house. Shortly after, his father shot and killed his mother. John's father was convicted of manslaughter and sent to Sing Sing Prison. He was released on parole in 1953. After John's grandmother died, he and his brother were sent to the Bronx to live with their father. Both brothers spent two weeks at the Youth House while their father faced child abuse charges, but were released back into his custody.

Career

Patsalos served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1958 to 1960, when he was honorably discharged on grounds of "unsuitability" after being arrested at an American Nazi Party rally.[2][3] He joined the American Nazi Party in 1960 and changed his surname to "Patler" to make it sound more like "Hitler".

On May 24, 1961, Patler, Rockwell, and eight others were arrested on charges of disturbing the peace in New Orleans after trying to picket the movie Exodus. They went on a hunger strike in jail. Rockwell was only able to raise enough bond money for himself so he could be released five days later. In June 1961, all ten men were found guilty. Patler was sentenced to 45 days in jail and fined $150.[4] Once more, Rockwell paid his bond, but left his followers in jail. In 1962, the convictions were overturned on appeal. Several years later, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana's statute on "breach of the peace" was unconstitutional. Ironically, the ruling mainly benefited black civil rights activists. In 1963, Patler was arrested and convicted of disorderly conduct for picketing an integration rally in New Jersey. He spent 10 days in jail.[3][5]

Patler became a captain in the American Nazi Party and the editor and cartoonist for the party's magazine, Stormtrooper. Patler drew racist and segregationist cartoons. However, he was expelled from the Party in March 1967 for "Bolshevik leanings" after disagreeing with party leader George Lincoln Rockwell about some of the party's policies,[6] as well as due to his "unstable character"[7] and for "spreading dissent between light- and dark-skinned Nazis" within the party.[8]

Patler described his relationship with Rockwell in endearing terms, stating "I loved him like a father and he loved me like a son".[9] In his last letter to Rockwell, Patler wrote: "I don't think there are two people on earth who think and feel the same as we do. ... You are a very important part of my life. I need you as much as you need me. Without you there is no future".[9]

Shooting and sentencing

On August 25, 1967, Patler shot and killed Rockwell while Rockwell was in his car, parked in front of a laundromat at an Arlington, Virginia, shopping center.[10] Rockwell was shot with a 7.63 mm broomhandle Mauser pistol. Patler was arrested half an hour later, about a mile (1.5 km) from the scene of the shooting.[11] Despite maintaining his innocence,[12] he was convicted of first degree murder on December 16, 1967. The prosecutor requested a death sentence due to the highly premeditated nature of the slaying, but the jury recommended the most lenient sentence possible, 20 years. Patler was sentenced to 20 years in prison by Arlington Circuit Court Judge Charles Russell.[11]

Patler was free on bail while appealing his murder conviction. In 1969, he won a $15,000 libel ruling against an American Nazi Party official who had told the FBI that Patler had stolen the gun used to kill Rockwell. After losing his appeal to the Supreme Court of Virginia for murdering Rockwell, he was sent to prison in 1970.[13] In June 1972, the Supreme Court of the United States unanimously turned down an appeal.[14]

Patler was paroled in August 1975, having served less than eight years of his sentence. In 1976, he was charged with trespassing and possession of marijuana;[15] his trespassing charge was later dismissed.[16][17] After violating his parole, he received an additional six-year sentence.[18][13]

Legacy

In 1970, Patsalos was reported as using his old name again, and as contributing to a Spanish language newspaper called El Pueblo, with him condemning racism in an editorial. He also described his former racism as being due to his thoughts "that [he] was inferior" and that he was "dark and ugly".[12][19][20][21] Hank Burchard comments that he was "olive-skinned and beautiful".[12] In a 1970 article, Patsalos said, "I think [members of the National Socialist White People's Party are] always watching me ... so I never go any place without looking behind me", along with claiming "I think one of them may be the guy who really killed Rockwell".[22]

In the early 1970s, Patsalos attended art classes at Radford College under a study-release program, although in 1975 a temporary ban was imposed on enrollment of prisoners and parolees, after college officials learned who he was, along with claiming they did not have knowledge of the program.[23][24][25] The ACLU disputed the ban, although did not dispute the college's subsequent refusal to give Patsalos a dorm.[26][27]

In 1978, media outlets reported that Patsalos was attempting to get a name change back to his original name.[28]

In a 2012 book, Nicholas, the son of Patsalos, recalled his father expressing regret for his time in the ANP, with him saying "I should have been with Dr. King and the Civil Rights people back then. They were truly my people, not those Nazis."[29] In 2017, The Washington Post described Patsalos as a "staunch online defender of Donald Trump". Patsalos praised the marchers at the Unite the Right rally. He refused multiple interview requests from the newspaper.[30]

References

  1. ^ "Oct 1967 - American Nazi Party. Murder of Mr. Rockwell". Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  2. ^ "Nazi head slain". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. August 26, 1967. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Ex-aide is held for slaying of US Nazi Chief". Lawrence Journal-World. August 26, 1967. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  4. ^ "The Monroe News-Star from Monroe, Louisiana". Newspapers.com. June 14, 1961. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  5. ^ Kellman, George (1963). "Anti-Jewish Agitation". The American Jewish Year Book. 64: 135–144. ISSN 0065-8987.
  6. ^ "Killer of American Nazi Chief Paroled". St Joseph News-Press. August 23, 1975. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  7. ^ Goodrick-Clarke, Nicholas (2003). Black Sun: Aryan Cults, Esoteric Nazism, and the Politics of Identity. NYU Press. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-8147-3155-0.
  8. ^ Newton, Michael (2007). The Ku Klux Klan: History, Organization, Language, Influence and Activities of America's Most Notorious Secret Society. McFarland & Company. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-7864-2787-1.
  9. ^ a b Simonelli, Frederick James (1999). American Fuehrer: George Lincoln Rockwell and the American Nazi Party. University of Illinois Press. pp. 131–135. ISBN 0-252-02285-8.
  10. ^ "1967: 'American Hitler' shot dead". BBC News. August 25, 1967. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  11. ^ a b "Patler convicted, faces 20 years". Free Lance-Star. December 16, 1967. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  12. ^ a b c Hank Burchard: Ex-Nazi Takes a Different Role
  13. ^ a b "An American Nazi's Rise and Fall". HistoryNet. December 17, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  14. ^ "Rockwell Slayer Loses Pleal". The New York Times. June 13, 1972. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  15. ^ "Killer of U.S. Nazi chief arrested for trespassing". Arizona Republic. June 18, 1976. p. 18. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  16. ^ "Trespassing Charges Dismissed". The Times Dispatch. June 30, 1976. p. 4. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  17. ^ "Parole Status Doubtful For Slayer Of Nazi Head". Kingsport Times. July 1, 1976. p. 2. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  18. ^ Chris Teale (August 25, 2017). "American Nazi Party's George Rockwell Assassinated 50 Years Ago Today in Arlington". Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  19. ^ "Former Nazi Works Against Racism". The Palm Beach Post. May 28, 1970. p. 120. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  20. ^ "Spanish Newspaper Published". Lansing State Journal. June 11, 1970. p. 40. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  21. ^ "EDITS ETHNIC PAPER". The Greenville News. May 28, 1970. p. 2. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  22. ^ "Bad Old Days Haunt Ex-Nazi". The Mexia Daily News. October 25, 1970. p. 6. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  23. ^ "Ban Imposed". The Times. August 21, 1975. p. 3. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  24. ^ "People and Places". The Wichita Eagle. August 21, 1975. p. 29. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  25. ^ "Personalities in the Spotlight". The Times-Tribune. August 23, 1975. p. 2. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  26. ^ "ACLU won't pursue matter". The Daily News Leader. December 30, 1975. p. 5. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  27. ^ "'Like a Ride I Can't Get Off' - Patler". The Times Dispatch. August 31, 1975. p. 53. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  28. ^ "NEWSMAKERS#2". The Tampa Tribune. January 2, 1978. p. 8. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  29. ^ Schmaltz, William H. (May 2012). For Race and Nation: George Lincoln Rockwell and the American Nazi Party. River's Bend Press. p. Afterwords. ISBN 978-1935607144.
  30. ^ "The shadow of an assassinated American Nazi commander hangs over Charlottesville". Washington Post. August 21, 2017. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
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