Tuesday 5 November 2019

James Jesus Angleton on Ezra Pound

In 1943 the F.B.I. interviewed James Jesus Angleton in connection with Ezra Pound. Below is a large extract from the report of that interview.

’43 was a crucial year for both men. Pound was indicted in absentia for treason; Angleton was recruited to O.S.S. division X-2 by his former professor Norman Holmes Pearson, thus beginning his counterintelligence career. Plenty ink has been spilled on Angleton’s early and continuing interest in poetry and lit. crit.; no less on Pound’s treasonous political interventions in wartime Italy; but there are some interesting things in this report: e.g. Angleton’s sympathy for Pound’s economics.


Source: https://archive.org/details/EzraPoundFBI, pp. 13–6. I’ve made and square-bracketed one spelling correction. The rest of the report’s chaotic orthography remains intact.


Related: https://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/2010/04/29/james-angleton-and-ezra-pound/.



JAMES J. ANGLETON, student at Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Mass., was interviewed at his residence 13 Farwell Street, Cambridge, Mass., at which time he advised that he was intimately acquainted with Dr. EZRA POUND, having first met DR. POUND in the summer of 1937 at Rapallo, Italy. The following summer POUND came to the United States and lectured at Harvard University where he spent approximately ten days, during which time he resided with Professor SPENCER of the English Department, Harvard University, When POUND left Harvard he went to Hew Haven where he spent a few days, then proceeded to Washington, D.C., where he spent approximately one month and then went to Hamilton College where an honorary doctor’s degree was conferred upon him.

Leaving Hamilton College POUND proceeded to Hew York City and sailed on the Conti de Savoy. ANGLETON stated that it was largely due to his suggestion that DR. POUND made this trip to the United States. ANGLETON further advised that, in his opinion, Dr. POUND is probably the leading literary figure of this century and undoubtedly the most outstanding American author and poet who has ever existed. He stated that he has a great deal of respect for POUND’s ability and that he has discussed with him on many occasions both literature and POUND’s political views.

He went on to explain that he was educated abroad in view of the fact that his father represented business interests there, and that due to this fact he had many contacts with POUND. As to POUND’s political theories ANGLETON stated that when POUND gets into the field of economics or politics he proceeds to become irrational and he believes that he has even noted a strain of insanity in these particular fields. He stated that his point of view on this matter is hard to explain, in view of the fact that POUND is so outstanding in his literary endeavors and yet seems to completely lose his rationality when he goes into the field of politics.

An endeavor to explain POUND’s political theories, as gathered by the conversations ANGLETON has had with POUND, ANGLETON gave the following views on POUND’s political theories, POUND was born in the United States and gained his early education here and he attended the University of Pennsylvania. He went to London at the age of twenty-two and was, at that time, probably the most popular American ever in London. POUND became associated in England with T. S. ELIOT and both as ex-patriots had much in common. There POUND became a good friend of ERNEST HEMINGWAY. POUND was in London during the first World War and at the close of the war joined the ranks of the disillusionment group, which was a group of individuals who were disappointed in the rejection of Wilson’s fourteen points by the Allies at the conclusion of the war and who predicted as a result thereof, a subsequent war in Europe. ANGLETON further explained that Sir STAFFORD CRIPPS in England was a member of this group.

Subsequent to the war POUND went to Paris where he developed a tremendously strong anti-Jewish attitude. While in Paris POUND saw and wrote of the corruption that was creeping into the government of the French State, and as a result of these writings found it necessary to leave France, whereupon he went to Rapallo, Italy. ANGLETON further explained that POUND presently lives at Rapallo, Italy with his wife and his parents whom POUND has brought there from the United States. He stated that POUND is somewhat of a curiosity to the people of that community and that when he appears upon the street they speak of him as “the poet”.

According to ANGLETON, POUND’s a whole concern seems to be based upon the social credit theory. ANGLETON went on to explain that this theory involves a strong corporate state and that it is this element in Italy in which Dr. POUND seems to be interested.

He stated that he did not believe Dr. POUND was an advocate of the fascist form of government, but rather was advocating that portion of the present Italian government which, is in accord with his social credit theory, that is to say, the strong corporate state with community ownership of property. ANGLETON went on to explain POUND’s theory, present day society should return to the former medieval society of Dante’s time, with a strong church state so that the [decrees] of the state would carry with the the sanction of the church.

According to ANGLETON, POUND rationalizes his strong interest in economics and politics by drawing analogy to Dante who was a poet and also wrote in the field of economics. As a concrete example of POUND’s theory of operation, ANGLETON explained that when private corporation makes a loan of money to a foreign government, that corporation thereby commits the lives of the people of the country in which that corporation situated. It thereby creates in that country in which a corporation is created a vested interest in the country to which the loan has been made. In view of this fact, any such loan made by an individual company should first be approved by the people of the country in which that corporation is located.

ANGLETON further explained that he subscribes to most of POUND’s theories and believes that they are fundamentally sound. However, he stated POUND is irrational in his treatment of them and has allowed two major considerations to warp his presentation of these theories. These two factors ore his extreme anti-Semitic attitude and his strong hatred of the international banking class. As a result of this attitude these two factors permeate all of POUND’s political writings, stated that much of POUND’s work has been published in n magazine “New English Weekly” published by a man named Orage in London, England, and that many of his articles published in the United States have been published by JAMES LAUGHLIN, publisher of “New Directions”, New York City. It is to be noted this is undoubtedly the LAUGHLIN referred to in the reference report.

According to ANGLETON, LAUGHLIN has published many of POUND’s books in the United States and some of POUND’s books have also been published by the Yale University Press. ANGLETON pointed out that there was a very good article on POUND published by WALTER FITZGERALD, editor of Time Magazine, shortly before our entry into the war. He further advised that upon our entry into the war, so it was reported in Time Magazine, Italy announced Dr. POUND would no longer broadcast. Many of POUND’s articles are also published by the magazine “The Townsman”, published in England by RONALD DUNCAN.

ANGLETON stated that he has never heard any of Dr. POUND’s broadcasts but that he had read a facsimile of one or two in some publication and that they seemed to be absolutely incoherent. He further stated that he has talked to Dr. POUND on the trans-Atlantic telephone, as well as by a ship to shore phone, and that as a result of his close association with Dr. POUND, he is, sure that he could recognise Dr. POUND’s voice.

He stated that although it would he distasteful for him to do so he would be willing to testify against Dr. POUND if it became necessary, furnished two portrait photographs of Dr. POUND, one a front view, and the other a side view. Copies of these photographs are being forwarded to the Baltimore Field Division as an enclosure.

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