The world is in the midst of a crisis not less serious than that of the
great war. While it was inevitable that the period following the war
should be fraught with grave problems for civilization, these problems
have been made much more difficult by the presence of a new danger,
namely, the destructive force of Bolshevism. Russia was the first victim
of what proves to be a movement of an international character, Russia
being used as the base of operations. While powerful Bolshevist armies
are overrunning Asia and menacing the European countries to the West, an
equally dangerous force of Red propagandists, directed from Moscow, is
operating on several continents, spreading its social poison throughout
the world and threatening the destruction of the social and industrial
morale of civilized nations.
With the triumph of the Bolshevist revolution in Russia, a group of
internationalists, most of whom were members of the Jewish race, seized
the machinery of government and have held it ever since.
The complete destruction of Russian civilization, which for centuries had
been essentially a Christian civilization, and the reduction of the great
majority of the Russian people to a state of abject misery and ruin, are
accomplished facts. The Bolshevist leaders, however, not content with
this destruction and the establishment of a cruel despotism in Russia,
are making every effort to extend their revolution and their control to
other countries.
The Communist revolution in Hungary, under Bela Cohen (alias Kuhn), a
confessed ally and agent of Trotzky, was not terminated until it had
wrought great havoc in that country. The same is true of the Spartacan
revolt in Germany, where recently the struggle broke out anew and assumed
the character of a formidable civil war. Holland and Italy are to-day
seriously threatened with uprisings inspired by the Bolsheviki, while in
France the government has been compelled to expel the Bolshevist agents
in large numbers. In the United States revolutionary agitation directly
guided and fomented by agents of Lenin and Trotzky and subsidized
with ample funds, recently reached such proportions that the Federal
Government was forced to take strong measures, including hundreds of
arrests and deportations. The enemy is in our midst. In this country,
as elsewhere, alien agitators who are either Bolshevists themselves or
emissaries of the Bolsheviki have wormed their way into some of the loyal
labor organizations or put themselves at the head of the Socialist or
other radical political parties artificially stimulating social unrest
and seeking to turn industrial strikes into political upheavals, leading
to revolution and anarchy.
Shall America be as slow to realize the real danger of international
Bolshevism as she was to recognize the menace of German imperialism?
Shall America again be unprepared?
We must be ready to meet the danger at our doors and, if necessary, to
suppress it in our midst with physical force, just as was necessary in
the struggle with Prussian militarism. It has been said, however, and
perhaps truly, that Bolshevism cannot be met by force alone. Certainly
to meet it effectively its nature must be understood. To this end it
is necessary to analyze the movement carefully and to discover its
underlying causes—if possible the predominating cause.
From the very beginning there was an element of mystery in the Bolshevist
revolution in Russia. Was it, essentially, an attempt to put into effect
the principles of international socialism as promulgated by Karl Marx?
Was it a disguised form of proletarian imperialism? Did it aim at the
complete destruction of Christian civilization? Or, finally, was it a
long planned, gigantic revolt of the Jewish race against Christendom and
its institutions?
From the very start there was a terrible method in the madness of Trotzky
and those in league with him. Many of their moves which at the time
seemed inexplicable afterwards appeared logical enough when their objects
became apparent.
The world was puzzled by Trotzky’s famous remark at Brest-Litovsk, “No
peace, no war.” Later, however, the real meaning became known: “No war
on Germany, no peace for Russia or the rest of the world.”
That the Bolshevist revolution was from the beginning almost entirely led
and controlled by Jews is a fact which has gradually thrust itself upon
the attention of the world. The Jews in many instances have admitted the
dominating rôle which members of their race have played in international
Bolshevism and have sought to defend it. Some of their recognized leaders
have proclaimed their pride in Trotzky.
The fact that the Jewish race has taken such an active part in the
Russian Bolshevist movement, with its international ramifications, has
been attributed in some quarters to the motive of revenge on the part of
the Jews for what they regard as a long era of persecution. If this be
so, is it impossible that Jews in various parts of the world imagine that
now is their chance not only for revenge but for world domination?
The air of confidence with which Trotzky and other Jewish leaders
are proceeding with their drastic program in Russia is significant.
Significant, also, is the enthusiastic support which is being given to
the Soviet rule by various Jewish elements and groups outside of Russia.
Whether this co-related movement of the Jews in support of Bolshevism is
not being carried out on some concerted plan is a question of importance
which warrants careful study and investigation. No facts which can
possibly throw light upon this question should be disregarded. For this
reason it is timely to consider the contents and origin of a document of
extraordinary interest which, though made public in Russia some fifteen
years ago, is generally unknown elsewhere.
The document referred to is entitled, “Protocols of the Meetings of the
Zionist Men of Wisdom,” and was published for the first time in 1905 at
Tsarskoje Selo in a Russian book entitled “The Great in the Little,”
written by Serge Nilus, a well-known Russian author. The Protocols set
forth a comprehensive program for the substantial destruction of all
Christian states, and propose certain practical methods for achieving
world domination by the Jewish nation. So far as is known, the Protocols
have never been repudiated publicly by recognized Jewish authorities.
Quite recently the well-known firm of Eyre & Spottiswoode, Ltd., printers
for the British Government, published a pamphlet under the title, “The
Jewish Peril, Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion.” In the preface
of this pamphlet it is explained that the Protocols referred to were
translated from the Russian into English from Serge Nilus’s book _which
appeared in Russia in 1905_. While the editors do not give the title of
Nilus’s book, they say:
“A copy of the original may be seen at the British Museum
Library, under No. 3926-d-17, stamped British Museum, _10th
August, 1906_.”
They state also that the publication of the English pamphlet at present
is justified by the growing menace of Bolshevism throughout the world.
The pamphlet concludes with the warning:
“GENTILES, BEWARE!”
It seems obvious that the publishers, Eyre & Spottiswoode, Ltd., have
used Nilus’s book “The Great in the Little,” published in Russia in 1905.
A specific reference to the Protocols is to be found also in the
French weekly magazine _La Vieille-France_, No. 160, published in
February, 1920. In the editorial article entitled “The Jews Have Created
Bolshevism” (pages 10-13) the following extract from the Zionist
Protocols, as published by Nilus, is given in French:
“A nous, son Peuple d’élection, Dieu a donné le pouvoir
d’expansion, et ce qui semble être notre faiblesse a été notre
force. _Nous sommes au seuil de la domination universelle._ Il
reste peu à construire sur ces bases,” etc. etc.
The article asserts that Bolshevism is nothing but a phase of Judaism,
and also states that the Jewish Bolshevist leaders in Russia were
subsidized by Jewish banking houses in the United States and Germany.
In January, 1917, Mr. Nilus published another book under the title “It is
Near, At the Door,” and in this book the Protocols were again published
in full. A reproduction of the title page of this book is inserted at the
beginning of this volume.
While the Protocols are generally unknown here, it is worthy of note that
on October 27-28, 1919, the Philadelphia _Public Ledger_ printed long
excerpts from them in an article calling the attention of the American
people to the document and to the terrible program which it presents. The
article in the _Ledger_ was somewhat misleading, however, since it was
published under the captions “Red Bible” and “Bolshevist Propaganda.” All
words in the text itself indicating that the Protocols were of Jewish
origin were omitted. The Hebrew word “Goys,” signifying “Gentiles,” used
in the Protocols, nowhere appears in the _Ledger_ article. Furthermore,
wherever in the Protocols the expressions “our people” or “we”—meaning
the “Jewish people” or the “Jews”—are used, the author of the article
makes it appear that the people thus referred to are the “Bolshevists,”
and speaks of the Protocols as a “Russian document,” which clearly it is
not. Mr. Nilus shows that the Protocols came into his hands in 1901. In
1901 the Bolshevist Party did not exist, for it was founded only in 1903
and was not really organized for work until several years later. Nowhere
in the Protocols does the word “Bolshevist” appear, while the word “Jews”
is used many times, although the writer more frequently uses the word
“we” when speaking of the Jews. There is only one hypothesis upon which
the Protocols could possibly be considered “Bolshevist,” namely, that the
Bolshevist movement was of Jewish origin, in which case the plan outlined
in the Protocols might have become “Bolshevist” by adoption.
The very fact that a document purporting to be written by a Jew for Jews
could be so easily described as “Bolshevist Propaganda” is of interest.
Now, for the first time, the document entitled by Mr. Nilus “Protocols of
the Meetings of the Zionist Men of Wisdom” is published in full in the
United States, correctly translated from the Russian. For this purpose
we have used the Russian text as it appears in Mr. Nilus’s book, “It
is Near, At the Door,” 1917, published in the printing office of the
Sviato-Troitzky Monastery.
Before proceeding to examine the contents of the Protocols, let us
briefly give Mr. Nilus’s account of the way in which they came into his
possession and of his views in regard to their origin.
Mr. Nilus, at pages 86 to 92 of his book, “It is Near, At the Door,”
states that he received the manuscript containing the Protocols of
the Meetings of the Zionist Men of Wisdom in 1901 from Mr. Alexis
Nikolajevich Souchotin, at one time Marshal of Nobility in the District
of Chern, Central Russia, and later Vice Governor of the Government
of Stavropol, South Russia, and that when giving the manuscript to Mr.
Nilus, Mr. Souchotin said:
“Take it into your full possession. Read it. Become inspired
and make out of it something useful to the Christian soul.
Otherwise it might remain with me unused. From a political
standpoint it is useless, for it is too late to act on it. From
a spiritual standpoint, however, it might be otherwise. In your
hands, with God’s help, it will bear fruit.”
Mr. Nilus states that Mr. Souchotin told him that the manuscript was
originally obtained by a lady whose name is not given and who, he said,
obtained it in a mysterious way. Mr. Nilus showed it to several Russians
of high standing, one of whom said:
“Slavdom has not yet spoken its last word and, therefore, no
matter how cunning and strong the Zionist Men of Wisdom may be,
their efforts are doomed to failure, and for this reason there
is no need to despair.”
Mr. Nilus states that prior to 1905 he submitted the Protocols to Grand
Duke Serge Alexandrovitch, who, having examined them, sent him a message
of two words only: “Too late.”
Subsequently, Mr. Nilus made several attempts to call the attention
of the proper officials to the contents of this document but without
result. In 1905 he published the second edition of his book, “The Great
in the Little.” In this edition the Protocols were for the first time
incorporated.
In his last book Mr. Nilus writes:
“These Protocols produced a scarcely noticeable impression
upon the world outside of the Christian church. The periodical
press, which in the main is in Jewish hands, or under the
guidance and influence of the Jews, sought to conceal their
publication, scarcely mentioning them or referring to them as a
fallacious invention or a fairy tale. Among loyal Christians,
however, the Protocols bore fruit and created a success for
my book far greater than could have been anticipated, for
they spread the knowledge of the hidden mysteries of our time
in a wide circle of those belonging to the Christian family.
Since then my book, with all the Protocols, has appeared in
its fourth edition; _but only now I learn authoritatively from
Jewish sources that these Protocols are nothing else than
a strategic plan for the conquest of the world, putting it
under the yoke of Israel_, the struggler-against-God, a plan
worked out by the leaders of the Jewish people during the many
centuries of their dispersion, and finally presented to the
Council of Elders by “The Prince of Exile,” Theodor Hertzl,
at the time of the first Zionist Congress, summoned by him at
Basle in August, 1897.”
Again he writes:
“In what way these documents, constituting the Holy of Holies
of the hopes of Israel, the century-old mystery of its leaders,
reached the general mass of the uninitiated has not been
ascertained. As already mentioned, they were given to me in
1901. In that year, in circular No. 18, as well as in others
dispatched to the Zionists on behalf of the Zionist ‘Actions
Committee,’[1] Theodor Hertzl stated that certain confidential
information, notwithstanding the admonition, has not been kept
secret, and has been given undesirable publicity.”
Finally Mr. Nilus declares:
“The Protocols are signed by the Zionist Representatives of
the 33rd (highest) Degree of Initiation. These Protocols were
secretly removed from the complete file of Protocols which,
as we now know, pertained to the first Zionist Congress, held
in Basle in August, 1897. All this was taken from the secret
vaults at the main Zionist office which, at present, is located
in French territory.”
In 1918 the “Protocols” were again published in Russian by a book
publishing firm, “The Sentinel” at Novocherkassk, South Russia. The
pamphlet referred to bears the title “Zionist Protocols. The plans for
the Conquest of the Universe by the Judo-Masons.” In the introduction
to the pamphlet it is stated: “The ‘Protocols’ are a program carefully
worked out in all its details for the conquest of the universe by the
Jews. The greater part of this program has already been realized, and
if we will not come back to our senses, we are inevitably doomed.”
In the concluding part of this introduction the publishers state as
follows: “The ‘Protocols,’ indeed, are not only the key to our first
unsuccessful revolution, but they are also the key to the second, in
which Jewry played such a sinister rôle for Russia.... For us, who are
witnesses of the self-destruction of Russia, for us who hope for her
regeneration, this document is all the more significant as it discloses
the means of the enemies of Christendom for our enslavement. Only after
having obtained the knowledge of the means it may become possible to
successfully combat the enemies of Christ and of Christian culture.”
There is not, and in the nature of the case there hardly can be, any
direct evidence as to the authenticity of the Protocols. There is,
however, a considerable body of facts having a bearing upon this question
which the publishers of this book put before the reader, leaving him to
draw his own conclusions.
The facts to which we refer may be roughly grouped under three heads:
(_a_) There is a remarkable similarity between the policies of
destruction outlined in the Protocols and the actual measures of
destruction put into effect by the Bolshevist régime in Russia, and there
is evidence that this régime is under the control of Jewish leaders.
(_b_) There is also a striking parallelism between certain passages in
the Protocols and the statements of recognized Jewish leaders, both
religious and political, appearing in their published writings and
speeches.
(_c_) Finally, certain Jewish activities outside of Russia coincide in a
remarkable degree with certain parts of the Protocols.
In Part Two of this volume evidence under these various heads is set
forth. This evidence, however, can be intelligently considered only after
a careful study of the _Protocols themselves_, a translation of which
appears in the following pages, preceded by a short summary prepared for
the convenience of the reader.