National Alliance (United States)
The National Alliance is a White separatist organization based in the United States. The National Alliance claims to have members in various countries throughout the world. Membership is not based upon citizenship in one particular country. Instead, membership is contingent upon the person being of non-Jewish European ancestry. The National Alliance describes itself as a white nationalist group or, at times, a "white separatist" group. Critics consider the group to be white supremacist and neo-Nazi. An article appearing in a 1989 issue of their magazine National Vanguard celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Adolf Hitler, declaring him "the greatest man of our era".
History
The group was founded in 1974 by William Pierce, a former physics professor and author of the book, The Turner Diaries: (under the pseudonym Andrew MacDonald) a novel about "white revolution" in America. The National Alliance was reorganized from an earlier group: the National Youth Alliance (NYA). The NYA was formed out of the remains of Gov. George Wallace's 1968 presidential campaign organization Youth for Wallace. The NYA broke into factions as a result of infighting. Pierce gained control of the largest remnant in 1970 and continued the organization under that name until its reorganization in 1974.
Pierce previously had been an associate of the assassinated leader of the American Nazi Party, George Lincoln Rockwell.
Pierce died of cancer on July 23, 2002, and was succeeded as National Chairman by Erich Gliebe. In April of 2005 following his termination as editor of National Vanguard Magazine, Kevin Alfred Strom and a small faction of the unit coordinators and members of the Executive Committee issued a declaration calling for Gliebe to step down. Gliebe refused, claiming that the National Alliance operates under a so-called "Leadership Principle" and that he would not yield to any coup. Strom then formed a new group called National Vanguard. Shortly thereafter, Gliebe resigned as National Chairman of the Alliance stating that he needed more time to spend with his family. Gliebe appointed Shaun Walker as his successor.
Politics
"White survival" is the core political position of the National Alliance. The group hopes to secure a "homeland" somewhere within North America. The National Alliance points to the changing demographic situation in America, such as the declining white birthrate and an influx of non-White immigrants as justification for their white separatist position.
Every Valentine's Day, the National Alliance seeks to improve its image by distributing a "Love Your Race" flyer. The organization describes it as a call for all races to embrace their various heritages. Hate-group watchdog organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League have argued that its Valentine's Day campaign is merely a propaganda tactic designed to obsfucate its racist messages.
Anti-Semitism
The National Alliance is strongly anti-Semitic. The group claims that Jews exert a negative influence at nearly every level of American society. The National Alliance has long claimed that Jews control both the news and entertainment media in America.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the National Alliance claimed that these attacks were caused by the U.S.'s support of Israel. The National Alliance also claims that Israel's Mossad launched the 2001 anthrax attacks in order to set up the US invasion of Iraq: a longtime enemy of Israel. In the article "The Anthrax Mystery: Solved" [1]which appeared in the March-April 2004 issue of the National Vanguard, it suggests Israel's Mossad--using the cover of Israeli Art Students--learned of the September 11 plot in advance and did little or nothing to inform the American authorities. Also prior to the September 11 attack, the article describes a series of anthrax hoax scares claimed to have been perpetrated by Mossad agents in order to implicate Dr. Steven Hatfill, and set him up as the "fall guy" for a future anthrax attack. The article further claims the Mossad issued a warning via instant message service (Odigo warning) to Jews near the World Trade Center hours before the attack.
See also: 9/11 conspiracy theories
Business
Before the death of Pierce, the SPLC and the FBI called the Alliance the best-financed and best-organized white nationalist organization of its kind in the United States. Membership in 2002 was estimated at 1,500 with an income of $1 million annually. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, paid membership has declined to fewer than 800 as of 2003.[2] The 2005 revolt again weakened the organization.
In 2002, the organization had a paid staff of 17 and ran a White Power record label called Resistance Records. It also has a radio show, American Dissident Voices, heard on shortwave and streaming audio on the Internet, hosted until April 16, 2005 by Kevin Alfred Strom.
See also
External links
Official
Critical
- Explosion of Hate (report on the National Alliance by the Anti-Defamation League)
- A more recent ADL report on the National Alliance
- Against the Wall (report on the National Alliance by the Southern Poverty Law Center)
Commentary
- As He Lay Dying (James Ridgeway, The Village Voice, September 4-10, 2002)
Books
- Robert S. Griffin, The Fame of a Dead Man's Deeds: An Up-Close Portrait of White Nationalist William Pierce, 2001 (ISBN 0759609330)