Secret armies

In Short

This work is a sharp, investigative exposé of the clandestine mechanisms used by Nazi Germany and its allies to infiltrate and undermine sovereign nations in the late 1930s. Through detailed documentation and personal reconnaissance, the author maps the "Fifth Column"—the invisible army of saboteurs, propagandists, and sympathetic industrialists operating across Europe, Mexico, and the United States. It stands as a vital historical record of the methods used to erode democratic institutions, demonstrating how foreign powers exploited internal social divisions to prepare the ground for total political control.

The Story

The narrative arc begins in the shadow of impending war, specifically focusing on the sophisticated intelligence apparatus of Nazi Germany. The author meticulously details how Gestapo agents, equipped with coded passports and diplomatic pouches, moved through Europe to monitor dissidents and sow discord. The focus then shifts to the internal rot within democratic nations, most notably England’s "Cliveden Set," where elite circles sought to appease fascist aggression in exchange for stability, effectively silencing independent press and political opposition.

The investigation moves across the Atlantic to France, where the author uncovers a chilling plot by the Rome-Berlin axis to weaken the French Republic through internal rebellion. By partnering with wealthy industrialists who feared the rise of the Popular Front, Nazi agents provided money and arms to secret militant groups like the Cagoulards, aiming to paralyze the nation from within before a single shot was fired on a traditional battlefield.

The scope then widens to include the Americas, where the author describes a dual-pronged strategy of propaganda and sabotage. In Mexico, Nazi operatives broadcast pro-totalitarian radio programs while surreptitiously organizing local militias to sow anti-American sentiment. Simultaneously, in the Panama Canal Zone, the author documents the suspicious activities of Japanese nationals—nominally barbers and businessmen—who appear to be mapping strategic maritime routes for future military use.

The final, most urgent portion of the book focuses on the United States. The author pulls back the curtain on a web of "patriotic" organizations, such as the German-American Bund and the Silver Shirts, which provided a legal front for Nazi influence. He reveals how these groups recruited disaffected Americans, targeted university campuses, and even infiltrated defense industries. The book concludes with a stinging indictment of the Dies Congressional Committee, which the author argues was willfully blind—or complicit—in its refusal to investigate Nazi spies, instead choosing to focus on political theater. The narrative ends with an urgent call to action, insisting that the only way to preserve democracy is to expose these secret, foreign-directed machinations before they become too entrenched to dislodge.

How It Unfolds

The machinery of espionage The author explains the technical minutiae of Gestapo operations, showing how coded passport numbers and diplomatic pouches allowed agents to move globally with impunity. He uses the case of Rudolf Walter Voigt to illustrate how these agents were embedded in foreign cities to track anti-fascist resistance.

The compromise of the elite The narrative turns to the high-level political maneuvering in England, describing how influential figures, such as those in the Cliveden Set, prioritized appeasement over national security. This section reveals how Hitler successfully pressured the British government to enforce a "voluntary censorship" on its own press.

The plot against France The investigation details how fascist powers weaponized the economic anxieties of French industrialists to fund a clandestine civil war. By supporting internal groups like the Cagoulards, the axis powers hoped to render France indefensible before the outbreak of open hostilities.

The infiltration of the Americas The scope shifts to the Western Hemisphere, tracing propaganda networks in Mexico and the strategic monitoring of American interests in Panama. The author presents evidence of a coordinated effort to destabilize the region through cultural manipulation and physical surveillance.

The American home front The final chapters expose the "patriotic" front organizations in the U.S. that served as conduits for Nazi funding and ideology. The author provides a searing critique of government indifference, highlighting how officials shielded actual spies while performing performative investigations into political rivals.

The People

The book presents a cast of characters ranging from high-level state actors to street-level operatives. Hermann Schwinn stands as the primary architect of Nazi activities on the American West Coast, serving as a hub for propaganda distribution and coordination with German naval captains. His confrontation with the author illustrates the arrogance and secrecy that defined his mission. Colonel Edwin Emerson represents the "patriotic" propagandist, a man who leveraged past military credentials to cloak his pro-Hitler activities in a guise of American nationalism.

The author also highlights the roles of figures like Dr. Jean Marie Martin, the shadowy chief of the Cagoulards' espionage system, who bridged the gap between French militant nationalism and Italian-German arms dealers. In the American context, the Reverend Winrod emerges as a central figure in the domestic propaganda machine, using religious and social outreach to facilitate meetings with German officials. Finally, Congressman Martin Dies serves as the book's primary antagonist within the American political system; the author portrays him not merely as an ineffective investigator, but as one who actively shielded Nazi agents from scrutiny, suggesting a deliberate attempt to redirect public attention away from the true threats to national security.

In Its Own Voice

The agent's photograph and a sample of his (or her) handwriting is sent via the diplomatic pouch to the Nazi Embassy, Legation, Consulate or German Bund in the country or city to which the agent is assigned.

This detail highlights the bureaucratic precision with which the Gestapo maintained its global network of informants.

More than average British citizen doesn't know even today how his government and "independent" press took orders from Hitler.

This quote underscores the author’s primary argument that the most dangerous elements of fascist influence were those occurring in plain sight, facilitated by domestic leaders.

The Congressmen sent them back to work in the Navy Yard after warning them not to say a word to anyone about having been called before the Committee.

The author provides this account to demonstrate the complicity of the Dies Committee in protecting suspected spies working in critical American military facilities.

What It's Really About

The central theme is the vulnerability of democracy to "internal" collapse. The author argues that fascism does not always arrive with an invading army; rather, it grows like a weed within the soil of a free society, fed by the greed of industrialists, the cowardice of politicians, and the exploitation of nationalist sentiment. The book asks a fundamental question: what happens when a nation's own institutions—its press, its legislatures, and its business leaders—become conduits for a foreign power’s propaganda? It serves as a warning that freedom is not a static state but a precarious condition that requires constant, vigilant defense against those who would use the machinery of liberty to dismantle it.

Why Read It Today

Readers with an interest in investigative journalism or the lead-up to the Second World War will find this a fascinating study of the "Fifth Column" phenomenon. It is written with a sense of urgency, capturing the anxiety of an era that felt the foundations of the world shifting beneath its feet. Because it was written in 1939, it lacks the benefit of hindsight, which gives the prose a visceral, "in-the-moment" quality.

The book is not without its challenges; the prose is sometimes breathless, and the author’s tone is consistently combative, reflecting the hard-hitting journalistic style of the 1930s. Some readers may find the sheer volume of names, organizations, and aliases difficult to track, and the period-specific political references require a baseline understanding of pre-war European and American history. However, the reward for the reader is a masterclass in source-based reporting. The author’s ability to weave together disparate threads of evidence—from bank records to secret handshakes—remains impressive. It stays with you not because of its polished prose, but because of its startling reminder that the most significant threats to a nation often emerge from within, hidden behind the mask of patriotism.