Nazi Infiltration of America

June 9, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In June 1942, a German U-boat surfaced off the coast of Long Island under cover of darkness. Four men in German uniforms climbed into a rubber boat and paddled ashore. They buried their uniforms and explosives in the sand dunes, changed into civilian clothes, and walked straight into a United States Coast Guardsman on patrol. The men tried to bluff him as fishermen, then offered him cash to forget what he'd seen. He played along, then immediately reported the encounter. The buried equipment was found, and the leader of the group, George John Dash, lost faith in the mission. He traveled to Washington, checked into a hotel, and spent days trying to get the FBI to believe he was a German saboteur. They thought he was a prank caller until he showed up at headquarters with cash, codes, and details of the plan. The entire operation unraveled in days.

This was Operation Pastorius, Nazi Germany's most ambitious attempt to infiltrate the American mainland during World War II. But as historian Guy Walters explains in this episode of Forbidden History, the story of Nazi penetration into the United States began long before those U-boats arrived—and continued long after the war ended.

The Swastika in Plain Sight

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What you'll learn

1 (01:00) **Episode Introduction & Setting the Myth** - The host frames the episode's central myth: that America was untouched by Nazism, protected by its oceans.
2 (03:30) **The German American Bund: Pro-Nazi Rallies in America** - Guy Walters describes the Bund's public rallies and its goal to unite German-Americans under Nazi ideals.
3 (09:29) **Nazi Indoctrination of American Children at Summer Camps** - The Bund operated summer camps across the US that indoctrinated children in Nazi ideology.
4 (11:04) **American Corporate Ties to Nazi Germany** - Major US corporations like Ford, IBM, and Standard Oil did business with the Reich before and during the early war years.
5 (13:50) **Charles Lindbergh and the America First Committee** - The famed aviator became a prominent voice of isolationism and open admiration for Nazi Germany.
6 (16:05) **Nazi Sympathizers in Government and Business** - Guy Walters discusses individuals in US government and corporations who held pro-German views.
7 (17:12) **Post-Pearl Harbor Crackdown and Internment** - After Pearl Harbor, the US government moved swiftly against pro-Nazi organizations and detained people of enemy ancestries.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

In this episode of Forbidden History, historian Guy Walters joins us to explore the Nazi presence in America, primarily in the build-up to WWII. From the rallies of the German American Bund and the influence of Charles Lindbergh to the agents and saboteurs who tried to bring Hitler’s war to U.S. soil.

PATREON LINK HERE: https://patreon.com/ForbiddenHistory?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

Cast List:

Eric Meyers: Narrator

Guy Walters: Author & Historian

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