The Fastest Slow Guy You Know: Nazis in Oakland

In the 1930s the Nazi movement inspired and helped to bootstrap sympathetic organizations in the US, like the Friends of New Germany and the German-American Bund, among others. You can read about their attempt to bootstrap nazism in the US. I was curious whether this movement ever had a presence in the city I live in, Oakland, California. I was surprised and dismayed to find it did.
Below you will find newspaper research I've done into the Nazi movement in Oakland. I kept my searches to one newspaper, the Oakland Tribune, and only include clippings of articles about Oakland, or the surrounding area. I found some surprising things, like the story of Helene Mayer, a German jew, an athlete and teacher at Mills College who returned from exile in Oakland to represent Germany - and wear a swastika - in the 1936 Olympics. Nazi cadets marched up Broadway in swastikas, and shook the hand of our mayor. The Mary Smith Home for Friendless Girls, founded by Francis Marion "Borax" Smith became the German Pioneer House, at 32 Home Place East, behind Oakland High School. The building was demolished in 1958 to make way for further construction of Oakland High School buildings. Some articles of the time refer to the Nazi activity that took place there, before World War II. This building was the hub of pre-war Nazi activity in Oakland, a "cell" involving numerous German-American organizations. Many of the meetings were disguised as dances, choral performances, Christmas parties. The FBI investigated these Bundists. (In German, "bund" means "federation".) Organizers and actors in the pro-nazi movement were removed from the Pacific coast to the interior of the US by the US military, and many were prosecuted for draft dodging. Some lost their citizenship and were repatriated to Germany, and some were also imprisoned for sedition. Other movements, like the America First Committee and the Ku Klux Klan are mentioned in these clippings, often with overlap with the pro-nazi organizations and actors.

There were many German pioneers in California, and many German-Americans in Oakland, especially in the early half of the 20th century. My grandmother, on my father's side was from Germany. It is a wonderful culture full of interesting people. I'm sure most people who were part of German-American societies just wanted to be with people like them, sing songs they knew, eat food they knew. I don't think that the entirety of the social events, people and organizations mentioned below were guilty of fostering Nazism in Oakland. But there is evidence of a concerted, organized attempt to use that building and those organizations to affect that result. My mother's family is jewish, from Russia. As someone with both heritages, I feel the conflict that Helene Mayer might have felt. That the people of my city might have risen to support the Nazis is painful to think about. That's sometimes the point of history; to look at human behavior from the past, so that we can learn and do better, now.

As you can see in this screenshot below, showing a search for "German Pioneer House" in the Oakland Tribune, ordered by oldest article first, that the first mention is in 1930, and that there is a bell curve of activity related to that search term through to the early days of World War II. The results taper off sharply as the trial and conviction of many of the principal organizers occurs in 1943. The various German societies continued to have social events at the German Pioneer House until the building's destruction.

Sinclair Lewis wrote a book called "It Can't Happen Here." Based on what I've found below, and what I see happening in our country right now, it can happen here.

I've presented the articles in chronological order, however the ones you want to read are further down. This platform does not do footnotes, so I will leave the rest to your reading. The text below will be transcriptions from the articles. If I have something to say, I will highlight it in yellow.

'German Pioneer House' Proposed for Oakland Sat, Oct 18, 1930 – Page 7 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Director to Be Honored United German-American societies of the Eastbay Oakland Bund Sun, Apr 26, 1931 – Page 92 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

German Society May Buy Club Tue, Nov 10, 1931 – Page 29 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Mon, Nov 30, 1931 – Page 14 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Whist Party at Pioneer House Oakland Bund Sun, Dec 6, 1931 – Page 15 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Fri, Dec 18, 1931 – Page 5 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

German House to Give Entertainment German Pioneer House old F. M. Smith Oakland Bund Sun, Jan 10, 1932 – Page 7 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

GERMAN PIONEER HOUSE ASSOCIATION Sun, Apr 3, 1932 – Page 32 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Many more like this, above.

Search for more "German Pioneer House" Oakland Tribune 1925-1950 after this.

Sat, Dec 17, 1932 – Page 13 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Sun, Jan 15, 1933 – Page 6 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Mon, Aug 14, 1933 – Page 12 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Steuben Society To Hold Meeting Tue, Feb 20, 1934 – Page 25 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

NAZI UNITS IN OAKLAND, CLAIM Friends of New Germany Bund Fri, Mar 30, 1934 – Page 2 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Fri, May 11, 1934 – Page 10 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Nazi Use of Anti-Jewish Propaganda Under Probe Friends of New Germany San Francisco Wed, Jun 6, 1934 – Page 2 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Two Plays to Be Presented by German Group Mon, Nov 5, 1934 – Page 14 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

NEAR RIOT AT TALK ON HITLER Friends of New Germany San Francisco Thu, Dec 13, 1934 – Page 4 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

CADETS FROM GERMANY FETED Fri, Mar 8, 1935 – Page 39 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Sat, Mar 9, 1935 – Page 5 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Fri, Mar 29, 1935 – Page 24 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Tue, Apr 2, 1935 – Page 2 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Thu, Apr 4, 1935 – Page 11 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Sun, Jun 9, 1935 – Page 11 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Thu, Aug 1, 1935 – Page 4 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Germans Planning Sunday 'Volkafest' Fri, Sep 6, 1935 – Page 11 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Steuben Society Will Hold Whist Mon, Nov 4, 1935 – Page 13 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

OLYMPIC STAR IS HONORED AT FAREWELL FETE Mon, Dec 16, 1935 – Page 12 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

BID ADIEU TO CHAMPION FENCER

OLYMPIC STAR IS HONORED AT FAREWELL FETE

Helen Mayer, Storm Center t)f Dispute.. Leaves All Serene on Departure

Six days before she boards a boat for Germany to represent that country in the Olympic Games, a farewell reception was held for Miss Helene Mayer last night. Pictured at the affair are (left to right), Hazel Murray, Pacific Coast junior champion fencer; Miss Mayer and Eva M. Riegger, prep- tournament champion fencer. Prior to her acceptance of the Nazi bid, Miss Mayer, a German Jewess, was the storm center of heated controversy. -Tribune photo

On the eve of her departure for Germany where she will represent that country in the 1936 Olympic Games at Berlin, Miss Helen Mayer, champion fencer and Mills College teacher, was guest of honor at a farewell reception last night.

The affair was held at the German Pioneer House, 32 Home Place East under the auspices of the Steuben Society of America, Col. Theodore Gier unit, No. 106.

Mon, Dec 9, 1935 – Page 17 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

Miss Mayer, a German-Jew who was the storm center of a recent controversy over whether she would wear the Nazi swastika in the 1936 Olympic Games competition, leaves for Germany December 21. She will visit her parents at Offenbach, Germany, before going to the Berlin training quarters.

Attending the reception with Miss Mayer were Hazel Murray, Pacific Coast junior .champion fencer and Eva M Riegger, prep tournament champion, both of. Mills College also.