Hollywood vs. Nazis

As a propagandist, Joseph Goebbels believed that the Nazis were being done a disservice by films emanating from Hollywood. Goebbels and fellow Nazis were outraged by the anti-war message of the movie “All Quiet on the Western Front”. Goebbels Hollywood propaganda needed to be combated. In Hollywood, the studio heads grew increasingly alarmed by the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany and its deep antipathy towards Jewish people. This fear was aggravated by the presence of Nazi sympathizer groups such as the Silver Shirts, who espoused similar rhetoric and were attempting to infiltrate Hollywood. However, there was a counterinsurgency already underway, being led by a courageous attorney named Leon Lewis. Lewis recruited agents to penetrate groups such as “Friends of New Germany” and equivalent Fifth Column cadres to subvert their agenda. A war for the hearts and minds of the masses had commenced.

Hollywood Vs Nazis is the newest release from the prolific and talented author Michael Benson. As cleverly shown by Benson, the resiliency of Americans would prove formidable against their enemies at home as well as abroad. While many stories about World War II and its run-up have been told, Benson has unearthed shocking history that reads like “Raymond Chandler/James Ellroy” noir.