National Socialist League collection, 1928-2011

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Summary

Creators:
National Socialist League (U.S.). and Veh, Russell R.
Abstract:
The collection consists of periodicals, correspondence, manuscripts, clippings, flyers, catalogs, brochures, subscription forms, greeting cards and mass mailings created by the National Socialist League (NSL) and other related organizations, 1928-2011. The NSL was a Los Angeles based organization of gay nazis from the 1970s to the mid-1980s run mainly by Russell R. Veh.
Extent:
0.4 linear feet. 1 archive carton
Language:
Preferred citation:

[Box/folder #, or item name] National Socialist League Collection, Coll2013-024, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of periodicals, correspondence, manuscripts, clippings, flyers, catalogs, brochures, subscription forms, greeting cards and mass mailings created by the National Socialist League and other related organizations. It includes issues of the periodicals published by the NSL, NS Kampfruf and NS Mobilizer, as well as materials about NSL member Russell R. Veh's World Service organization and its publication Race and Nation. The collection contains material about NSL's attempt to participate at the Christopher Street West parade as well as NSL advertisements, articles and interviews in gay newspapers. The collection includes some reprints of German Nazi propaganda from 1928-1943.

Biographical / historical:

The National Socialist League (NSL) was a Los Angeles based organization of gay nazis from the 1970s to the mid-1980s. NSL's main goal was to promote both (certain) gay rights and national socialist ideology. It was founded in the early 1970s by Jim Cherry and was taken over by Russell R. Veh (pseudonym Russell R. Patton) in 1974. Though starting from Los Angeles, NSL opened chapters in cities throughout the United States. The NSL published flyers and periodicals, mailed radical right-wing greeting cards, organized nazi film screenings and tried to get involved in gay activism. However the organization was not well received by the community and Russell Veh was forced to move out of Los Angeles (Echo Park) in 1980 and to thereafter hide his place of residence.

The NSL published the quarterly periodical NS Kampfruf until 1974 when the name changed to NS Mobilizer. The publications contain self-written short articles about anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, anti-communism, historical misrepresentation, current political nazi topics and "hero" worship. Besides the NSL, Russell Veh also ran World Service, a mail order firm that sold nazi propaganda material, books and films including those about anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and the Holocaust denial. The NSL periodical was later continued under the name Race and Nation by the World Service.

Acquisition information:
The collection comprises two anonymous donations in 1979 and 2007 and a donation by Donald E. Smith in 2011.
Processing information:

Supervised by Kyle Morgan, 2013.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged in alphabetical order.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the ONE Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at USC Libraries as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Preferred citation:

[Box/folder #, or item name] National Socialist League Collection, Coll2013-024, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Location of this collection:
909 West Adams Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90007, US
Contact:
(213) 821-2771
askone@usc.edu
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