The volatile anti-Semitism in New York City in early 1939 involved more than the street confrontations between supporters and opponents of Father Coughlin. An organization that had become the very symbol of Nazism in America, the Friends of the New Germany, commonly known as the German-American Bund, staged a massive rally in Madison Square Garden on February 20, billed as "George Washington Birthday exercises. . . . [A] Mass Demonstration for True Americanism." With a dramatic backdrop of a huge banner with the likeness of Washington opposite the Nazi-like Bund flag, this event was a frightening indication of the invasion of America by Hitlerism. . . .

Newspaper and magazine coverage of the rally emphasized its blatant hostility toward Jews. Its most startling moment was recorded on film, which Life magazine treated as a feature photo spread. The caption described "a 26-year-old plumber's helper named Isador Greenbaum who rushed Fritz Kuhn, Bund head, as he was vilifying Jews. . . . Newsreel shots of this violent scene were withdrawn from theatres after two days when managers complained they incited audiences to riot." The photo sequence shows speaker Kuhn hearing a noise, "turning to his right as Greenbaum is tackled by a uniformed Bund member. He then falls over the rostrum railing and then four 'storm troopers' jump on him and then start pulling his legs."

This melee, and the Bund meeting, became the stuff of journalistic legend. At one point, the rally was interrupted by nationally syndicated columnist Dorothy Thompson, who broke out laughing. Her removal by Bund officials only underscored the sense that the organization was a danger to the country.

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