In 1929, William Dudley Pelley, a former Hollywood screenwriter-turned-mystic, claimed to have received an occult message prophesying the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany. When Hitler was elected in 1933, Pelley decided to imitate his rise to power, founding the Silver Legion, a likely imitation of the Nazi Brownshirts, to that end.
Pelley figured becoming president was the easiest way to implement his “Christian Economics,” namely the re-institution of slavery, banning Jews, and enacting universal basic income for white Americans, contingent on an individual’s loyalty to Pelley’s regime. The plan reportedly had Jesus Christ’s personal approval, given to Pelley in a revelation. His movement strangely garnered a lot of popularity but little support. People loved his theatrics and ability to work the crowd — unsurprising for a guy who made his living writing movie scripts. In the 1936 election, however, he only appeared on the Washington State ballot, suggesting most Americans viewed his candidacy as a joke.
After briefly flirting with violent revolution, Pelley opted to quit while he was ahead. He disbanded the Silver Legion in 1939 because Uncle Sam, he claimed, was doing such a great job rounding up communists that the legion’s services were no longer needed. He got 15 years for sedition anyway, left prison in 1950, and reinvented himself from an occult wannabe Nazi into a UFO expert.
