Shadow of the Swastika - The MacGuire Plot
...fter several months of coaxing that Butler was brought onboard. MacGuire’s Army of America was originally formed from the personnel of the National League, commanded by right-wing Reservist officers. The National League was a right-wing formation of World War One veterans, similar to the Stalhelm in Germany prior to 1933. By 1934, the National League was firmly a under the control of the MacGuire Plot conspirators. With an armed strength of 500,000 veterans, the American National League could seriously consider taking on the US Army. Adding to this sizeable force were several small units of foreign volunteers. The Legion Romano was a company-sized unit made up of Italian MVSS troops, the elite ‘blackshirts.’ The German’s also contributed a company of SA troops, commanded by Oberst Martin Ullmann, veteran of the Munich Putsch. These foreigners were either flown in or crossed into the states via Mexico. During the Conspiracy’s rise to power, its founder, Gerald MacGuire suffered a fatal heart attack. The temporarily headless organisation came close to collapsing completely. Du Pont and Morgan, fearful of prosecution, were ready to pull out when Simon Harrison Livey, an Irish Immigrant and owner of a major automobile plant in Chicago, stepped up and began to restore some form of order. Under Livey’s enigmatic leadership, the movement began to shape into a powerful force, and began to gain popular support especially in Texas, Alabama Virginia and, quite surprisingly, Illinois. By late 1934, the Conspirators had control of an armed force that rivalled the US Army, and the financial backing of Wall Street. They were now ready for the transformation into a legitimate political force. The American National Party (ANP) was formed in April 1935, with the support of the du Pont and Morgan dynasties, and with Simon Harrison Livey at the helm. By now, the National League had become quite a threatening force. As a result, the Police, FBI and Military became quite jumpy, and despite the governments appeasing stance on the ANP, several clashes occurred during the summer of 1935, culminating in the disaster of Cherry Fields. ANP supporters, protesting outside the Government House in Richmond, Virginia began to riot when police appeared on the scene. After the action, witnesses state that the police began firing into the crowd, Richmond Police Department claim that some protesters were brandishing firearms and opened fire on the police first. Either way, what resulted was a surge of support t...