Posts from Nathan in thread „Victor McLaglen“

In a 1936 interview here

https://digitalcollections.osc…ion/p15759coll11/id/9747/

Victor McLaglen shares his views, which were certainly conservative but absolutely NOT fascist:

“ … Every intelligent person resents anddislikes the possibility of war," said Mr.McLaglen, "but there is no denying thefact that those same intelligent peoplemust realize the necessity for defensepreparations so that in the event of foreign attack, peace will be much moresurely and quickly established becauseof that very preparedness."This, remember, is the opinion of asoldier. The future is precarious; dictatorships are instituted, over-ruled andoverthrown. In the general political turmoil and the unrest that is felt throughout the entire world due to the deplor­ablepoliitical situation, it is preparedness that will prevent many a too impulsive entrance into hostile action. Bignations can prevent bloodshed and thebullying of weaker peoples only byarmed watchfulness and the drastic enforcement of law and order …

A very interesting article here:

https://frontiersmenhistorian.…inary-family-of-brothers/

concerning Victor and his brother Leopold.

“ … By 1937, Leopold was in America and apparently living in Los Angeles on duty as a Royal Naval Reserve officer with the rank of Lieutenant, although the truth about that is somewhat unclear. In October 1937, he found himself in gaol being prosecuted for “subornation of perjury and soliciting a commission of a crime.” Released on bond he was arrested again in March 1938 and charged with attempted extortion. He was charged with demanding $20,000 from Philip Chancellor, a millionaire sportsman. His defence was that he had been employed as a secret agent to spread anti-semitic propaganda and to spy on communists. He said that both British and German consular authorities knew of his espionage and approved. Although War Office files show him as Lieutenant McLaglen, he was charged as Captain Leopold McLaglen, a British army officer, and was sentenced to five years in prison. On the intervention of his brother Victor, by then well-known as a Hollywood actor and much respected, this was suspended on the condition that he left America immediately and did not return for at least five years. It appears that Victor was hoping to see the last of his brother. In 1946, Leopold asked the War Office to re-open the case with the Americans and get the conviction reversed. Leopold sent them a long document attempting to prove that he was carrying out espionage on the Japanese on behalf of Britain and that Chancellor had been a German spy. The War Office did not believe him and the Americans said that he had been involved with the American Fascists, the Silver Shirts, and had his headquarters at the Bund, where he frequently spoke for the Bund. This could, of course, have been a cloak for espionage activities but the Americans could find no evidence … “