Note that he was possibly also asked to lead a coup against FDR [1] which was never substantiated, but rhymes with other stuff going on at that time such as that covered by "Invisible Hands: A narrative history of the influential businessmen who fought to roll back the New Deal." [2]
These conservative groups were also heavily involved with extremist anti-communist and oft times pro-fascist efforts, even involving the CIA such as that covered by "The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government" [3] that shows how Dulles & Co. supported these same rightist American elites' business interests. One of these was Fred Koch - ie father of the infamous Koch Brothers, who expanded his campaign massively to this day.
Eisenhower's "Military Industrial Complex" final speech [4] actually was made because he was heavily pressured by these same groups to both profit from fighting the Cold War and as well as encourage its anti-communism to remove the threat to their wealth.
Anti-communism in the West can largely be viewed as wealthy businessmen being scared of getting their assets seized and making a long-term scare campaign to get the public onboard. I'm not saying I like communism at all, but their reaction was often very bad for the American people and the world in general, and it continues in forms to this day.
Also a reminder that after the 1932 German presidential election [1], won by Paul von Hindenburg, 84 years old, with 53%, he appointed as chancellor one Adolf Hitler in 1933 following the advice of Franz von Papen, the conservative chancellor who served in 1932 and who would have rather see the Nazi Party in power than the Communist Party (KPD) led by Ernst Thälmann. In 1934 Hitler dissolves the presidency and calls himself Führer und Reichskanzler. Ernst Thälmann will be executed under Hitler's orders in 1944, after 11 years of solitary confinement. That's how the Nazis torture (Hans Litten [2], the lawyer who stood against Hitler in the 1931 Eden Dance Palace trial, was also tortured for 5 years, 1932-38).
Right, but who's communism? Certainly not Stalin's. Perhaps Eugene V. Debs' [1]? Speaking of persons who were imprisoned and indirectly, but not really, killed for their anti-war stance. (Back in the USSA [2] tells an alternate history of USA as communistic after 1917, perhaps too reliant on the actual history and general intertextuality).
For the entirety of the 20th century, ALL communism was conflated with Stalin's "Communism" for political purposes. Plenty of people advocating for socialism would have been executed in the USSR because to Stalin, "Communism" meant a Stalin based monarchy with a good propaganda arm.
These conservative groups were also heavily involved with extremist anti-communist and oft times pro-fascist efforts, even involving the CIA such as that covered by "The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government" [3] that shows how Dulles & Co. supported these same rightist American elites' business interests. One of these was Fred Koch - ie father of the infamous Koch Brothers, who expanded his campaign massively to this day.
Eisenhower's "Military Industrial Complex" final speech [4] actually was made because he was heavily pressured by these same groups to both profit from fighting the Cold War and as well as encourage its anti-communism to remove the threat to their wealth.
Anti-communism in the West can largely be viewed as wealthy businessmen being scared of getting their assets seized and making a long-term scare campaign to get the public onboard. I'm not saying I like communism at all, but their reaction was often very bad for the American people and the world in general, and it continues in forms to this day.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Plot
[2] https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/2751831
[3] https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/24723229
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenhower%27s_farewell_addres...