Neo-Nazi Talks To "Full House"

Heckling, laughter and some applause greeted American Nazi Party leader George Lincoln Rockwell as he spoke to a capacity audience in Hill Auditorium last night.

Rockwell spoke here as guest of the Michigan Union special projects committee, which invited him because “few know the plans and techniques of the American Nazi Party.”

Pickets wearing star of David armbands carrying signs identifying themselves as members of the Congress of Racial Equality and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, demonstrated and solicited funds outside the auditorium while Rockwell spoke.

Inside, heckling was steady, but it never came near the level which greeted former Mississippi Gov. Ross R. Barnett when he spoke from the same platform last November.

Rockwell, without his uniform, began by displaying documents which he said proved “Communism is a Jewish movement,” and that “Jews control the entertainment and communications in this country.”

One, he said, was an article by Sir Winston Churchill in the London Sunday Herald of Feb. 8, 1920, stating “With the exception of Lenin, all leaders of the Russian revolution were Jews.” Rockwell added “Jews were persecuted by the czar, and they rose up and took over Russia. Communism is a Jewish movement.” This provoked scattered laughter.

“In this country,” Rockwell continued, “you can talk about any problem but one. You can’t say ‘Jew.’ You have to say ‘nice Jewish boy.’ You have absolute freedom of speech in a dictatorship, so long as you don’t criticize the dictator.

“I’ll give the Jews credit. They have commercial talent. Take television. There are just three networks — CBS, NBC, ABC.” This drew gasps of mock astonishment from the students.

“The president of each network is a Russian Jew,” Rockwell added. “Now, suppose they were all controlled by Italians.” This idea drew applause.

During the question period, Rockwell added “I not only believe in freedom of the press, I don’t think we have it. There should be a government-owned TV and newspaper network—in addition to those that are privately-owned - available to any 1,000 citizens who petitioned to be heard.”

Rockwell explained his political theories in these terms:

“Tyranny is total order and no freedom. Anarchy is all freedom and no order. A thousand years ago, we were way over at the left, with complete tyranny. At 1776, they reached the precise middle.

“Now we’re moving to democracy. The next step is anarchy. The only cure for that would be tyranny. I don’t want that to happen. We must preserve the Constitution as it was designed, not as the Supreme Court is wrecking it. We must quit going to extremes.”

In the question period, he added “I don’t think dictatorship is right, and I don’t think it would be necessary in this country. The Constitution spells out civil liberties, but it doesn’t say you should be forced to do something—like sell your house — for someone else’s right. That’s tyranny.”

He concluded by predicting that President Johnson will win the Nov. 3 election, “because Goldwater has picked his targets in his speeches precisely to lose.

“But Johnson will give you four years of hell, and in 1968 Goldwater will win. In 1958, I predicted they’d put in a Catholic, then a Jewish boy.

“In 1969 they’ll have what will be called the ‘Goldwater depression.’ But when they send mobs into the streets, we’ll be there to lead them, and take them away from the Communists. Our motto is ‘Dead Red.’ ”

When he finished speaking, Rockwell was promptly escorted to an auto behind the auditorium, ahead of a crowd of students who surged to the rear door. About 30 Ann Arbor policemen were on duty in the area.