Fascism in America

[Garson O'Toole]

Thanks for your response, Fred. The 1944 YBQ cite for Huey Long is
valuable. When I explored this topic previously I located some earlier
cites for Long. However, every cite I located that credited Long
appeared after his death on September 10, 1935. (Of course, some
legitimate quotations do appear after death, e.g., in posthumously
published correspondence.)

Maybe some list member can help to verify this circa 1937 cite on
paper or microfilm.

Circa: 1937, The Advocate: America's Jewish journal, Volumes 93-94, GB
and HathiTrust Page 71. [This periodical according to HathiTrust was
called "The Reform Advocate" in 1922 and based in Chicago, Illinois]
(Google Books snippet view; Data may be inaccurate)

HathiTrust link: http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015080183810

[Begin extracted text]
The late Huey Long once observed that if fascism came to America, it
would come disguised as an anti-fascist movement. The full import of
Long's insight has been realized in the last two weeks in the varied
treatment accorded the anti-fascist declarations of three men
prominent in public affairs. The men were Senator William E. Borah,
Bishop William T. Manning, and America's ambassador to Germany,
William E. Dodd.
[End extracted text]

Here is some evidence in October 1938.

Cite: 1938 October 11, The Owosso Argus-Press, Section: Editorial, If
Fascism Comes, Page 4, Column 1, Owosso, Michigan. (Google News
Archive)

[Begin excerpt]
Huey Long once remarked that America probably would have Fascism some
day, but, he added, "when we get it we won't call it Fascism we'll
call it anti-Fascism." And Huey's wise-crack is much more worth
remembering than are the revelations of the Dies committee.
[End excerpt]

Life magazine printed a version of the quote attributed to Long in 1939.

Cite: 1939 March 6, LIFE, Fascism in America: Like Communism It
Masquerades as Americanism, Some of the Voices of Hate, Start Page 57,
Quote Page 60, Column 1, Published by Time Inc, New York. (Google
Books full view)

[Begin excerpt]
The late Huey P. Long, who knew all the tricks of the dissembling
demagog, was once asked: "Do you think we will ever have Fascism in
America?"
  Said the Kingfish: "Sure, only we'll call it anti-Fascism."
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 8:38 PM, Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Shapiro, Fred" <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Fascism in America
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> According to the Yale Book of Quotations, Bennett Cerf's book Try and Stop Me (1944) attributes the following to Huey Long, being asked whether he thought the United States would ever have fascism: "Sure we will, only _we'll_ call it anti-fascism!"
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
>
>
> ________________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of David A. Daniel [dad at POKERWIZ.COM]
> Sent: Thursday, August 09, 2012 11:17 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Fascism in America
>
> "When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying
> a cross." This has been floating around the Internet lately, attributed to
> Sinclair Lewis, which is apparently bogus as to the letter if not to the
> spirit. Does anyone have more information on this? (If this is somewhere in
> the archives, sorry, but I didn't find it.)
> DAD
>
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