Press for Conversion! Issue # 70 Spring 202114

cism, and therefore happy to support it.King embraced all of these ideas. Bred

by a wealthy family loyal to British imperi-alism, King was a top civil servant by 1900and an MP by 1908. Studying political econ-omy at Harvard, he is Canada’s only primeminister to have earned a PhD. His doctor-al thesis, “Oriental Immigration to Canada,”was based on a 1908 report that he had writ-ten as Deputy Minister of Labour. In it hesaid what was blatantly obvious to the Ca-nadian white-power elites that he served:

That Canada should desire to restrict im-migration from the Orient is regarded asnatural, that Canada should remain awhite man’s country is believed to be notonly desirable for economic and socialreasons but highly necessary on politicaland national grounds.1

After losing his seat in 1911, Kingdid Liberal Party lecture tours across Cana-da. Then, when WWI broke out, he avoid-ed the draft by moving to the US and work-ing for J.D.Rockefeller Jr. (1914-18). (JDR,Sr., an oil tycoon and notorious robber bar-

on, was America’s first billionaire.) As theRockefeller company’s labour consultant, Kingwas paid the 2021 equivalent of $420,000 peryear. JDR, Jr., hired King to help them dealwith the outcry in 1914 when 75 workers weremurdered by their company. In the LudlowMassacre alone, Rockefeller’s thugs used ma-chine guns to kill 21 strikers and family mem-bers. After leaving the company, King guidedlabour relations for other huge US firms, earn-ing him the 2021 equivalent of $34,000 a week.

Even before the Russian revolution, andthe first Red Scare (1917-20) Canada’sLiberal and Conservative elites target-

ed leftwing activists and unions that mightthreaten corporate power. Besides being rab-idly anticommunist, major Canadian institu-tions (political, academic, religious, econom-ic and media) were riddled with violently rac-ist, classist and antisemitic imperialists. Thiswas quite normal at the time for such ideo-logues who were sympathetic to the rise of fas-

Mackenzie King gave shocking praise for Hitler until the eve of war in 1939

For decades, King used seancesto communicate with his favouritedead pets, departed loved ones

and deceased politicians.

But, more disturbingly, Canada’sfavourite prime minister had realmeetings with living dictators, like

Mussolini and Hitler, who shared hisantisemitic, anticommunist views.

In 1939, Canada’s Navy turned away a shipcarrying 900 Jewish refugees. Forcedback to Europe, many died in the Holo-

caust. When it came to Jews, Liberal policywas that “none is too many.” King refusedJewish refugees coming to Canada from Ger-many and Austria. As he wrote in his diary:

[N]othing is to be gained by creating aninternal problem in an effort to meet aninternational one. We must seek to keepthis part of the Continent free from unrestand from too great an intermixture of for-eign strains of blood.1

In discussing increased RCMP pow-ers, King said communists “are our real ene-mies and we must not allow subversive activ-ities to gain headway at this time.”2 In 1940,Britain sent thousands of its POWs to Cana-da. Among them were Jews and communistswho had fled the Nazis and their crazed fixa-tion on the so-called Judeo-Bolshevik enemy.Aghast, the Liberals sent back as many as theycould. But, when forced to keep 2,000 Jewsand 300 communists, Canada interned them,

many until 1943, in army-run POW campssurrounded by guard towers and barbed wire.3

In telling contrast to this “none is toomany” policy towards Jews and Reds, King’sLiberal postwar government welcomed manythousands of Nazi collaborators from East-ern Europe, including 2,000 Ukrainian veter-ans of the Waffen SS. While far-right émi-grés praised this influx, it was opposed by theCanadian Jewish Congress and the leftwingAssociation of United Ukrainian Canadians.4

Canada’s self-image as a multicultur-al haven is ludicrous to First Nations and oth-ers subjected to the extremes of racial and po-litical bigotry. For generations, official gov-ernment policies were blatantly racist, antise-mitic and anti-Red. In contrast, far-right ethno-nationalist émigrés were very appreciativebeneficiaries of Canadian multiculturalism.For example, after being the Nazi’s topUkrainian propagandist in WWII, deputyprime minister Chrystia Freeland’s grandfa-ther, Michael Chomiak, was embraced by Ca-

nada. Freeland described her grandfather’s in-tense gratitude for this Canadian benevolence:

I remember his kids once saying somethingmildly critical of Canada. He pounded hisfist on the table and said he’d lived in sixcountries and Canada was the best in theworld.5

The Canadian state still funds the far-rightémigré community in which Chomiak proud-ly raised his family. Their belief systems co-incide with Canada’s enduring Cold Warmyths, policies and US/NATO operations.

References1. Diaries of WLM King, March 29, 1938.2. Ibid., Nov. 16, 1939.3. Martin Auger, Prisoners of the Home Front:

German POWs and ‘Enemy Aliens’ in South-ern Quebec, 1940-46, 2005. bit.ly/Auger06

4. Richard Sanders, “Left-Right Camps: A Centuryof Ukrainian Canadian Internment,” Press forConversion!, Spring 2016, pp.40-56.

5. Linda Diebel, “How Chrystia Freeland becameJustin Trudeau’s first star,” Toronto Star, Nov.29, 2015. bit.ly/2mdiop6

Liberal immigration policies: “None is too many” and Too many is not enough

“I feel I must set out a policy in writing asHitler has in ‘Mein Kampf’ [1925] - a con-structive policy for ‘protecting our peace.’”King’s diary, August 9, 1936.

“I wished him [Hitler] well in his efforts to helpmankind.... he truly loves his fellowmen, andhis country, and would make any sacrificefor their good.” King’s Diary, June 29, 1937.

“I believe that the world will yet come to seea very great man-mystic in Hitler... He willrank some day with Joan of Arc among thedeliverers of his people, & if he is only care-ful may yet be the deliverer of Europe.”King’s Diary, March 27, 1938.

“[Y]ou could do more than any other manliving to help your own and other countriesalong the path of peace and progress.”A letter to Hitler from King, February 1, 1939.

$

collage: RS

William Lyon Mackenzie King:Canada’s most-elected PM ever1921-1926, 1926-1930, 1935-1948

Spring 2021 Issue # 70 Press for Conversion! 15

awed by Hitler’s entourage of diplomats, andmen wearing Nazi uniforms and “Court dress.”

King was also impressed by Hitler’spersonal love of mountain landscapes, because“he needs the quiet and nature to help him tothink out the problems of his country. It seemsto me that in this he was eminently wise.”

King took Hitler at face value and readmuch into his “smooth skin” and facial expres-sions. Saying that the Nazi leader “smiled verypleasantly,” he remarked on the “appealing andaffectionate look in his eyes.” Hitler’s “eyesimpressed me most of all,” cooed King. “Therewas a liquid quality about them which indi-cate keen perception and profound sympathy.”Hitler, King said confidently, “is really one whotruly loves his fellow men, and his country, andwould make any sacrifice for their good.”

Hitler as King’s personal ‘guide’on the ‘path of peace and progress’King called Hitler a “very nice,” “sweet,”“calm, passive man” and said “one could see,how particularly humble folk would come tohave a profound love for the man.” King’s ownlove for Hitler was quite clear. “As I talked to

Why did Canada’s Prime Minister King have suchadoring admiration for Nazi Germany’s dictator?

Feb. 27: German parliament & mediafalsely blamed Reichstag fire on communists.

Feb. 28: The Reichstag Fire Decree allowedinternment without trial. Within months, 100,000people, mostly communists, were interned.

Mar. 22: Opening of what Heinrich Himmlercalled Germany’s “first concentration camp forpolitical prisoners,” at Dachau, near Munich.

April 1: The Nazi Party, SS and the HitlerYouth began a boycott of Jewish businesses.

May 10: Students and Nazi Party membersheld public rallies across Germany where theyburned books by Jews and political opponents.

Aug. 19: Hitler declared himself Führ-er and became absolute dictator of Germany.

Sept. 15: Hitler “Race Laws” prohibited in-termarriage and sexual relations between Jewsand those of “German or related blood.”

April 1: Germany’s Nazi governmentbanned all Jehovah’s Witness organizations.

June 28: Germany outlawed male homosex-uality and began their systematic persecution.

June 6: A national decree on “the Gyp-sy plague” was announced. State and local po-lice forces rounded up Roma and others saidto be behaving in “a Gypsy-like manner.”

July 12: Opening of Sachsenhausen concen-tration camp, mostly for German communists.

Aug. 28: Germany began mass internmentof Jehovah’s Witnesses in concentration camps.

1938

King’s blind faith in crystal ballsand Adolph Hitler

King was gullible and naive. Some might callhim a political simpleton. He not only had trustin spiritualists, but also put faith in the Rock-efellers, Mussolini, Hitler and other fascists.

King’s confidence in ouija boards, crys-tal balls, palm readers and spiritualist medi-ums reflects his mental capacities. Between1920 and 1950, King hosted many seanceswhere he communed with his dead siblings,father, grandfather and mother. King also suf-fered from the foolhardy delusion that he wasconferring with the ghosts of Leonardo da Vin-ci and such deceased leaders as Wilfrid Lau-rier, Teddy Roosevelt, Lord Earl Grey, Ben-jamin Disraeli and William Gladstone. ThatKing also communicated with three of his deaddogs, speaks volumes about the sanity of Ca-nada’s longest serving prime minister.

King’s well-meaning but simple-mind-ed foolishness would have been inconsequen-tial had it not been for the tremendous powerthat he wielded as Canada’s prime minister for22 years. King’s leadership before WWII ex-hibited his fawning adulation for Mussolini2

and Hitler, whom he met and greatly admired.

King’s man date with der FührerIn June 1937, King went to Berlin to meet Hit-ler. He also met a slew of other Nazi war crim-inals, like Gestapo founder Hermann Göringand SS Gruppenführer Konstantin vonNeurath, who were both executed after the Nu-remberg trial.3 King had wonderful things tosay about them all, but was most effusive aboutHitler, who he lovingly respected and revered.

King was overjoyed to meet Hitler, call-ing it “the day for which I was born.” His dia-ry describes how he praised Hitler on “the con-structive work of his regime, and said that Ihoped that that work might continue. That noth-ing would be permitted to destroy that work.”King said he also told the Führer that his won-derful effort “was bound to be followed in othercountries to the great advantage of mankind.”King says he also congratulated Hitler for“what he was seeking to do for the greater goodof those in humble walks of life” and told himhe “was strongly in accord with it, and thoughtit would work.” Saying Hitler “would be re-membered” for his good work, King told him“to let nothing destroy that work.” King con-cluded his naive praise by saying “I wishedhim well in his efforts to help mankind.”

King was easily seduced by the elitisttrappings of power and dazzled by conspicu-ous displays of wealth. After being greeted bya “guard of honour” at Hindenburg Palace and“conducted upstairs, preceded formally by at-tendants” “attired in court dress,” King was

July 15: Opening of the Buchenwaldconcentration camp near Weimar, Germany.

Nov. 8: Der Ewige Jude (The Eternal Jew),a Nazi propaganda exhibit, opened in Munich.

Mar. 11-13: Nazi Germany invadedAustria. Street violence against Jews in Vien-na was the start of antisemitic riots across theThird Reich that continued until the fall.

June 13-18: Police arrested about 9,000 so-called “asocials” and convicted criminals, in-cluding about 1,000 Jews. This was the firstmass arrest of Jews in Nazi Germany.

May 3: Opening of the Flossenbürg concen-tration camp in northeastern Bavaria.

Aug. 8: Opening of the Mauthausen con-centration camp near Linz, Austria.

Sept. 29-30: Germany, Italy, UK and Francesign the Munich agreement to approve NaziGermany’s intent to invade part of Czecho-slovakia. That occupation began on Oct. 1.

Nov. 9-10: The Nazis burned synagogues,looted Jewish homes and businesses. About30,000 Jews were interned in the Dachau,Sachsenhausen and Buchenwald camps.

Nov. 12: The Nazi “Decree on the Elimina-tion of the Jews from Economic Life” barredJews from selling any goods or services.

Dec. 3: A Nazi decree forced Jews to sellproperty, businesses and stocks to non-Jews,usually at prices far below market value.

Dec. 8: Heinrich Himmler issued the NaziDecree for “Combating the Gypsy Plague.”

Jan. 30: Hitler declared that if therewas another world war, “International FinanceJewry” was responsible. The result, he said,would not be “the Bolshevization of the earthand with that the victory of Jewry, but ratherthe annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe.”

May 5: Opening of Ravensbrück, the con-centration camp for women, near Berlin.Source: Key Dates, Holocaust Encyclopediaencyclopedia.ushmm.org/tags/en/tag/key-dates

1939

19371933

1934

1936

1935

him,” King said, “I could not but think of Joanof Arc. He is distinctly a mystic.”4

In March 1938, King told his diary: “Ibelieve ... the world will yet come to see avery great man-mystic in Hitler” and he “willrank some day with Joan of Arc among thedeliverers of his people, and if he is only care-ful may yet be the deliverer of Europe.” Be-sides seeing Hitler as the potential saviour ofall Europe, King also saw Hitler as his ownpersonal “guide.” Hitler, King said, was

meant to guide me at this time to the pur-pose of my life—...to help men to knowthe secret of the path to peace, in industrial& international relationships.5

Press for Conversion! Issue # 70 Spring 202116

Hitler inscribed his photo with this note:“To His Excellency the Canadian

Prime Minister Dr. W.L. Mackenzie Kingin friendly memory of his visit

June 29, 1937 Adolph Hitler”

bit.ly/Hitler-King

King loved Hitler’sHate Speech (Feb. 20, 1938)against their foe: “Jewishinternational Bolshevism”

Hitler was a confidence man who gain-ed the trust of millions. Many West-ern elites had faith that he could fulfil

the Nazi’s promise to destroy their sharedJudeoBolshevik enemy, based in the Kremlin.

Prime Minister King’s diary reveals hisgreat anticipation for Hitler’s key speech tothe Reichstag on February 20, 1938. After hear-ing the radio broadcast, and the translation ofHitler’s diatribe, King recorded his admirationfor the Führer as “the leader of Europe.” Why?

In his bellicose tirade, Hitler vowed tounite the world’s fascist forces to fight the de-mon which he labeled “Jewish internationalBolshevism.” Declaring “Soviet Russia” thethreat to peace, Hitler assured the world thatGermany, Italy and Japan would defend civi-lisation from Kremlin-based communism:

With one country alone have we scorned toenter into relations.... Soviet Russia. We seein Bolshevism more now than before theincarnation of human destructive forces....We know it is a small Jewish intellectualgroup which led a great nation into this po-sition of madness. If this doctrine wouldconfine itself territorially to Russia maybeone could put up with it. Alas, Jewishintemational Bolshevism attempts to hol-low out the nations of the world from itsSoviet center. ...

Above all is ... our cooperation withthose two great powers which, like Ger-many, have recognized Bolshevism as aworld danger .... Italy and Japan.1

In response, King divulged in his diarythat he “was most favourably impressed” withHitler’s “tone and the note of right and jus-tice” in this speech. He then saluted Hitler forleading the way for all of Europe toward “or-der,” “liberty” and “disarmament,” saying:

Hitler ... stood out as the leader of Europe—a voice stronger than any other for order.That secure, then may come liberty,—thelight on the horizon has begun to dawn—we shall see gradual disarmament & moreeffective & collective co-operation.2 (Em-phasis in the original.)

To sum up the Führer’s great promiseof “order” to lead the “liberty” of all Europe,Canada’s long-standing Prime Minister re-vealed his naive confidence that under Hitler’sguiding leadership, Germany would protectpeace by fighting their common enemy. “If oth-er countries (Russia!) upset peace of Europe,”wrote King, “Germany will be prepared.”

References1. Hitler’s Speech to Reichstag. bit.ly/HitlerFeb20_382. WLM King Diary, Feb. 20, 1938. bit.ly/HitlKing

The world’s leading anti-communist,Adolph Hitler,presented ourPrime MinisterKing with thissigned portrait attheir very friendlymeeting inBerlin

References and notes1. Mackenzie King, Report, “Immigration to Ca-

nada from the Orient and Immigration from In-dia in Particular,” 1908. bit.ly/KingRacist

2. Diaries of WLM King, Sep. 27-28, 1928.www.bac-lac.gc.ca

3. Both were found guilty of crimes against peace,war crimes and crimes against humanity. Göringwas executed in 1946. Nazi foreign minister,Baron von Neurath received 15 years but wasreleased in 1954. King said Neurath told him“that I would have loathed living in Berlin withthe Jews.... He said there was no pleasure ingoing to a theatre ... filled with them. Many ...were very coarse and vulgar and assertive. Theywere getting control of all the business, the fi-nance, and had really taken advantage of ... thepeople. It was necessary to get them out....”Unphased by this, King praised Neurath as “aman whose confidence I would continue to en-joy through the rest of my days…. Neurathwhom I like exceedingly .... is, if there everwas one, a genuinely kind, good man.” Ibid.,June 30, 1937.

4. Ibid., June 29, 1937.5. Ibid., March 27, 1938.6. J.Eayrs, In Defence of Canada, Vol.II: Appease-

ment & Rearmament, 1965. bit.ly/Eay657. Ibid.8. Allan Levine, King: a Life Guided by the Hand

of Destiny, 2011, p.297. bit.ly/Levine20119. Ibid.

In 1937, King praised Hitler ina letter by saying that he “could do morethan any other man living to help yourown and other countries along the pathof peace and progress.” In another dot-ing letter (Feb. 1, 1939), King told his“friend,” the Führer, that he wanted

to express anew the hope that regard-less of what others may wish, or say,or do, you will, above all else, holdfirm to the resolve not to let anythingimperil or destroy what you have al-ready accomplished, particularly forthose whose lives are lived in hum-ble circumstances .... I hope that youwill think not only of the good youcan do for those of your own coun-try, but that you will remember, aswell, the good that you can do to theentire world.6

King ended this adoring 1939letter to Hitler by saying his messagewas an “expression of the faith I have inthe purpose you have at heart, and ofthe friendship with yourself which youhave been so kind as to permit me toshare.”7 Hitler replied in July by invit-ing King to send an official delegationto Germany. King immediately wantedto “head the party.” Hitler’s letter, sayshistorian Allan Levine, “lead King toconclude ... that Hitler wanted to workthrough him to restore peace in theworld.”8 King’s diary reveals his delu-sion that he was at the centre of a divineplan. With the help of deceased “loved ones,”King said “God” was using him and his “mu-tual faith” with Hitler to build “peace on earth,good will to men.” King wrote in his diary that:

Canada was being used as a screen to letfriendly relations develop in a manner thatwould ‘save face’ as between Germany &Britain: ... it was a sincere gesture based onmutual faith in each other on the part ofHitler & myself, – ... I felt that ‘forces un-seen’ – loved ones in the beyond, – wereworking out these plans, that there were noaccidents, or chances in this but all part ofa plan in which God was using man to ef-fect his Will in answer to prayer, the Medi-ums being those in the beyond who wereworking for peace on earth, good will tomen.... [I]t is a part of the plan for whichwe are chosen as instruments.9

Throughout the 1930s, King had faiththat Hitler did not want war with Canada or itsanticommunist allies in western Europe. Kingwas so confident in this that he supported Hit-ler until the very eve of war in August 1939.

After WWII, King began a flood ofimmigration that welcomed some 150,000 anti-Soviet East Europeans. Among the Nazi col-laborators allowed in were thousands of vet-erans from Waffen SS divisions created, armed,funded, trained and led by Nazi Germany.