Briannah Brooks
JS 211 T,Th
20 February 2018
Nazism in Our City
Steve Ross, author of “Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews and their spies spoiled their
plots,” summarized his findings for us during lecture. Reiterating some of the points we’ve
already heard, his book differed from our normal lectures by bringing the discussion home.
Instead of talking about some foreign land like Germany or Poland, we’re talking about
places like Figueroa Street, a road I walk on daily to get to work and class. By visualizing
our home instead of an outlined shape on the map, the reality of the situation begins to set
it.
Professor Ross outlined 3 stories for us: a spy ring in Los Angeles, studios heads
funding of this spy operation, and the development of the Nazi Council in Los Angeles. In
1933, Hitler comes to power as we’ve learned in class. We know that he took steps to gain
control in every aspect of German society, but not that he took steps to influence the U.S. as
well. Hitler sends Nazi representatives to Los Angeles to create a Nazi party. In July 1933,
