William Gerald Bishop
William Gerald Bishop (born ca. 1901) was a member of the Christian Front who was put on trial and charged with conspiracy to overthrow the United States government. Bishop working with 16 other Christian Front members was considered the leader of the "action committee" which was allegedly planning a seditious uprising. Bishop was an organizer and trainer for the Front’s sporting and rifle clubs. At the trial, nine of the men were acquitted while the rest including Bishop’s verdict ended in a hung jury.[1] One juror held out for convictions.[2]
Bishop claimed to be an American citizen, but authorities had reason to believe he was born in Vienna, Austria as William Arneck who entered this country illegally in 1926.[3] Bishop had a mysterious past and according to FBI director J. Edgar Hoover was deported three times from Great Britain and three times from Belgium.[4] It was said he had fought with Lawrence of Arabia and was a secretary to General Francisco Franco of Spain.[5] In the past he was employed as a writer and linguist familiar with English, French, German, Arabic, and Portuguese.[6]
Ellis Island
Bishop was sent to the concentration camp at Ellis Island on February 27, 1942 and held as an enemy alien. The Justice Department considered him the main problem at the camp when it came to corrupting the guards for favors and was allowed weekly visits to leave the camp to see his eye doctor in Manhattan.[7] On July 22, 1943 he was removed form Ellis Island and sent to Fort Lincoln in Bismarck, North Dakota.[8] [9] At the war’s end Bishop was returned to Ellis Island and held with three hundred other German detainees. In October 1947 he was deported to his native Austria.[10]
Notes
- ↑ American Passage: The History of Ellis Island, By Vincent J. Cannato, page 354
- ↑ "Victory Rally Held for Plot Defendants", Social Justice, July 15, 1940, page 18
- ↑ "Bishop, Named by Hoover as Leader, Proves Mystery Man", Binghamton Press, January 16, 1940, page one
- ↑ "Plot to Overthrow U.S. Alleged in Arrest of 17", Reading Eagle, January 15, 1940, page 8
- ↑ "U.S.A. CHRISTIAN FRONT TRIAL OPENS Jury Is Hand-Picked To Avoid Prejudice", Catholic Herald, April 12, 1940, page one
- ↑ "18 Arrested by Federal Men in Revolution Plot", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 15, 1940, page 4
- ↑ American Passage: The History of Ellis Island, By Vincent J. Cannato, page 354
- ↑ The Propaganda Battlefield Vol. I, No. XIII January 15, 1944
- ↑ American Passage: The History of Ellis Island, By Vincent J. Cannato, page 357
- ↑ "Ex-Leader of Front Deported", The New York Times, October 22, 1947
