Description:

William Dudley Pelley
n.p., n.d.
Silver Shirts Founder William Dudley Pelley Signed Photo to Fellow Fascist
Signed photograph
A fine association inscribed signed photo showing Pelley in head and shoulders, 6.75" x 10.5" b/w on newsprint, showing him in a shirt adorned with the logo of his fascist group Silver Legion ("Silver Shirts") of America. Inscribed at bottom to Robert Summerville and signed in full adding "in sincerest understanding." One spot lightly touches Pelley's paraph, a bit of ink smearing evident in signature, otherwise in fine condition.

William Dudley Pelley (1890-1965) was an award-winning author but best remembered as the founder of the anti-Semitic paramilitary group "Silver Legion of America" in 1933. The group was modeled after Hitler's SA (brown shirts), with a similar uniform and shirt emblazoned with an L above the left breast standing for "Love, Loyalty, and Liberation." Among Pelley's many leadership aspirations was the creation of a secessionist "Christian Commonwealth," as well as the office of the Presidency through which he hoped to become "The Chief," modeled on Hitler's self-titled moniker "Der Fuhrer." Pelley's ultimate goal was to create himself in the image of his hero, with the same model of dictatorship and similar anti-Semitic agenda.

Pelley's dedicatee in this photo is Robert Summerville, a close associate who, along with Pelley, was examined in 1934 for his role in disseminating subversive propaganda and being violation of "blue sky laws" protecting state securities by the Silver Shirts' weekly organ, "Liberation." Summerville was also a noted correspondent of the poet and fellow Silver Shirt Ezra Pound who, in a letter to Summerville in 1934, told him that he read Pelley's essay and stated that Jews and others were involved in a Jewish conspiracy to control finance and education.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 6.75" x 10.5"
  • Medium: Signed photograph

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October 30, 2024 10:00 AM EDT
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University Archives

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