Henry A. Wallace on Fascism

“With a fascist the problem is never how best to present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public.”

“The really dangerous American fascists are not those who are hooked up directly or indirectly with the Axis. The FBI has its finger on those.”

“The dangerous American fascist is the man who wants to do in the United States in an American way what Hitler did in Germany in a Prussian way. The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information..”

“American fascism will not be really dangerous, ...until there is a purposeful coalition among the cartelists, the deliberate poisoners of public information... Fascism is a worldwide disease... [its] greatest threat to the United States will come after the war... within the United States itself.”

“If we define an American fascist as one who in case of conflict puts money and power ahead of human beings, then there are undoubtedly several million fascists in the United States. There are probably several hundred thousand if we narrow the definition to include only those who in their search for money and power are ruthless and deceitful. ... They are patriotic in time of war because it is to their interest to be so, but in time of peace they follow power and the dollar wherever they may lead.”