The Nazi Spider Attempts to Grasp Our Nation in Its Tentacles
- Title:
- The Nazi Spider Attempts to Grasp Our Nation in Its Tentacles
- Alternate Title:
- The Nazi Spider Attempts to Grasp Our Nation
- Collection:
- Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection
- Creator:
- Illegible
- Date:
- 1940
- Date 2:
- 2024-04-25
- ID Number:
- 2355.01
- File Name:
- PJM_2355_01.jpg
- Style/Period:
- 1940 - 1959
- Subject:
- Allegorical
Pictorial
Satirical
World War II - Measurement:
- 28 x 43 sheet (centimeters, height x width)
- Notes:
- This image of “The Nazi Spider” that “Attempts to Grasp Our Nation in Its Tentacles” was published in 1940 and “Shows Origins of Fifth Column in the United States.” It occupies pages 2 and 3 of a four-page pamphlet published by the “Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi League to Champion Human Rights, Inc.” The first page is a poem entitled “The ‘Fifth Column’ Worker,” and the final page sets out the Goal and Appeal of the organization. See ID #2355.02.
This image first appeared on pages 8-9 the May 1940 “Anti-Nazi Bulletin” (published by the same organization), which noted that “The chart . . . shows graphically the ‘interlocking directorate’ of the Fifth Column in the United States” and “details the foreign-directed operations of Fascist groups here, most of them working directly under the orders or influence of Nazi Germany or Nazi agents in our midst.” (P.5).
The spider and its web overlays the entire U.S., and the text filling the country is divided into four sections. Section A, at the top left, details foreign fascist operations. German efforts are of course featured, with particular attention to Goebbels and Himmler, but English and Italian activities are detailed as well. Section B, at the top right, describes “Foreign Aided Pro Nazi Organizations” in the U.S. Again, German organizations such as the German-American Bunds are highlighted, but Italian, Japanese, Mexican and other fascist and nationalist groups are identified. Section C, at the lower left is devoted to “Native Fascist Groups,” “Pro-Nazi Ideologies” such as the Silver Shirts and the Ku Klux Klan. Finally, Section D details “Pro-Nazi Groups Inspired by Father Charles E. Coughlin,” including the “Christian Front.”
For a 1941 large map poster sounding a similar alarm, particularly focused on Communist activities, see “The Fifth Column Menaces America on a Thousand Fronts,” ID #2294.
The Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi League to Champion Human Rights was founded in 1933 by Samuel Untermyer. It was active in promoting boycotts of Nazi-era German products and activities, as well as efforts to investigate and counteract Nazi propaganda. Under new leadership beginning in 1938, it expanded its focus to include domestic right-wing and anti-semitic activity by Father Coughlin, Gerald L.K. Smith and others. It continued to work in these and broader civil rights areas through the 1950s.
The artist's signature is illegible, but the first four letters, or the first name, appears to be SAHL.
The spider and its web have been widely used in political maps, for example, by Germany to describe the British and Soviets; by the U.S. to describe the Nazis; and by the Dutch to describe the Japanese . Search > "spider."
For further information on the Collector’s Notes and a Feedback/Contact Link, see https://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/content/about-collection-personal-statement and https://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/content/feedback-and-contact - Source:
- Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi League to Champion Human Rights, Inc. 1940. The "Fifth Column" Worker. New York: Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi League to Champion Human Rights, Inc.
- Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- For important information about copyright and use, see http://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/copyright.