’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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