James H. Madole | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Madole at a rally in 1953 | |
| Leader of theNational Renaissance Party | |
| In office 1949 – May 6, 1979 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Hartung Madole (1927-07-07)July 7, 1927 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | May 6, 1979(1979-05-06) (aged 51) New York City, U.S. |
James Hartung Madole (July 7, 1927 – May 6, 1979) was an Americanneo-Nazi activist and leader of theNational Renaissance Party. He is regarded as a pivotal figure in the development ofesoteric neo-Nazism.
James Hartung Madole was born July 7, 1927 inNew York City. His parents divorced when he was two and he was raised by his mother, who was deeply antisemitic.[1] In his youth he developed an interest in science and built a laboratory at home; he was fascinated byscience fiction, which shaped the way he viewed his beliefs. Through science fiction he discovered fascism, particularly fascist science fiction writerCharles B. Hudson. After meeting Hudson he was supported by several America First groups, and came into contact withKurt Mertig of theCitizens Protective League.[2] In 1945, Madole founded the Animist Party, which was right-wing and largely made up of fans of sci-fi.[3]
Madole was known for his eccentric personality.[4][5] In 1949, Mertig founded theNational Renaissance Party inYorkville.[3][4] The name was inspired by Adolf Hitler's "Last Political Testament" before his suicide, which hoped for a "radiant renaissance" for Nazism.[3] Mertig was by then elderly and found in Madole, then 22, a successor.[3] The NRP went on marches in Nazi uniform with his stormtroopers. The NRP gained much publicity as a result, frequently making the headlines but only garnered a small following.[4][5] The group wore Nazi storm-trooper uniforms and drew hecklers, leading to fistfights.[6] 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.[7][8]
From 1974 on, Madole wrote a series of articles in the NRP's bulletin, "The New Atlantis: A blueprint for an Aryan Garden of Eden in North America", which scholarNicholas Goodrick-Clarke described as "his major occult-political treatise".[9] Madole died on May 6, 1979, and the party followed.[10]
Madole interpreted Nazism through an occult andTheosophic lens, with influence fromHinduism. Among his contacts were occultists, satanists, esotericists and witches, includingAnton LaVey. He and LaVey formed an alliance between the NRP and theChurch of Satan.[11][12][13] Many of his ideas were fantastical and heavily influenced by science fiction.[5][14] He rejected Christianity, seeing it as Jewish.[15]
Madole also wrote that the Aryans originated in theGarden of Eden located inNorth America.[9] He also believed that America was the "newAtlantis" and "the cradle of a new God like race".[4] He argued for the reorganization of American race among Hindu lines, but simultaneously made the NRP ally with the Greenshirts, who were pro-Islam.[10]
Madole was one of the few to acceptFrancis P. Yockey's argument that SovietBolshevism had preserved traditional values more than western liberalism, and that communism was not supported byJudaism. This issue brought him into conflict with his former ally and now rivalGeorge Lincoln Rockwell, who used the label "communist" to discredit Madole and his followers.[16] His writings continue to influence some neo-Nazis,[10] andJohn Michael Greer noted him as a pivotal figure in the development ofesoteric neo-Nazism.[17]
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