They Will Drape Themselves in the American Flag to Destroy Democracy from Within

The American Military warned about fascism at home even before WWII was over.

Jul 16, 2026

Walter Rosenblum, U.S. Army Signal Corps, D-Day, Normandy, June 6, 1945

Nine months after American troops had stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944, the United States War Department began preparing them for the imminent post-war occupation of Germany.

Many were about to transition from combat to governing a civilian population that had been thoroughly indoctrinated by Nazi propaganda for over a decade. Others would be returning home. Either way, fascism remained a serious threat, and its dangers needed to be understood.

On March 24, 1945, Army Talk Orientation Fact Sheet No. 64-Fascism! was issued to help American soldiers understand the political ideologies they were fighting against and, even more importantly, to warn them against the rise of “native fascism” at home.

In plain, simple language, fascism was explained as a threat to American democratic ideals, as “government by the few and for the few,” dedicated to the complete seizure of a nation’s economic, political, social, and cultural life. Under fascist rule, it warned, civil liberties, free elections, independent trade unions, freedom of speech, and equality before the law would be completely destroyed.

Tactics of “Native Fascists”

The Army fact sheet cautioned soldiers that fascism would not always resemble Hitler’s Germany or Mussolini’s Italy; American fascists would “drape themselves with the American flag” and claim to be patriots while seeking to destroy democracy from within.

While European fascists targeted Jews, it warned, American fascists “pit religious, racial, and economic groups against one another” by targeting minorities, including Jews, Black Americans, and immigrants.

The “Red Bogey” Technique: It explained how fascists trick the public by claiming the world has only two choices—fascism or communism. They label anyone who opposes them as a “communist” to isolate political rivals and suppress dissent.

False Economic Promises: The text detailed how fascists offer contradictory promises to every social class, such as promising land to farmers and high wages to workers, while secretly being funded by big industrialists to crush labor unions.

The Ultimate Warning

The most striking element of the pamphlet was its warning about the post-war era. Its central question was: “Will military victory in this war automatically kill fascism?”

THE WAR DEPARTMENT’S ANSWER WAS A RESOUNDING “NO.”

Fascism, it explained, arrives not just through military coups, but through public disillusionment, propaganda, and civic apathy. It is not tied to a single nation or era, but is an ongoing risk wherever democratic vigilance lapses.

On July Fourth this year, as America celebrated the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, neo-nazi white supremacists marched at our nation’s capital, wearing masks like their forbearers in the Ku Klux Klan to conceal their identities.

Heavily armed, masked ICE agents continue to terrorize American cities and kill more victims as the number of active ICE detention facilities has nearly doubled over the past year, growing from roughly 110-120 sites to at least 225 sites spread across nearly every state.

Tonight, President Donald Trump is set to deliver a rare primetime address to the nation, which is expected to focus primarily on election security, voting machines, and a “really big announcement” regarding election integrity.

This comes as his administration is aggressively seeking to control the upcoming midterm elections to ensure his party retains control of the House and Senate.

ARMY TALK ORIENTATION FACT SHEET NUMBER 64 - FASCISM!, ISSUED 81 YEARS, 3 MONTHS, AND 22 DAYS AGO, BEGAN WITH THIS WARNING:

“Fascism is not the easiest thing to identify and analyze; nor, once in power, is it easy to destroy. It is important for our future and that of the world that as many of us as possible understand the causes and practices of fascism, in order to combat it.

Points to stress are: (1) Fascism is more apt to come to power at a time of economic crisis; (2) fascism inevitably leads to war; (3) it can come to any country; (4) we can best combat it by making our democracy work.”