Joseph P. Kamp (1900–1993) was an American political activist from New York who ran the

Constitutional Educational League The Constitutional Educational League was an American anti-communist organization. History Founded in 1919 during America's First Red Scare, the group gained major influence during the aftermath of the First World War. In the 1930s, they were kno ...

and was jailed in 1950, for

contempt of Congress Contempt of Congress is the act of obstructing the work of the United States Congress or one of its committees. Historically, the bribery of a U.S. senator or U.S. representative was considered contempt of Congress. In modern times, contempt of Co ...

Background

Joseph Peter Kamp was born on May 3, 1900, in

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as enu ...

. His parents were German-born Joseph Kamp, tailor, and Margaret Franz Kamp. He attended grammar school in Yonkers and spent a few months at Fordham Prep.

Career

Kamp started his career by working in a law office, followed by work at a newspaper. In 1921, he worked in construction, at which time he first encountered and joined the Constitutional Educational League. By 1925, he had become a public speaker for the League. In 1934, Kamp became executive editor for ''

The Awakener ''The Awakener'' was an American right-wing (politics), right-wing anti-New Deal opposition to trade unions, anti-labor newspaper. It was founded in 1934 by Harold Lord Varney and included as editors Lawrence Dennis, Joseph P. Kamp, and Milford W ...

'', founded in 1934 by

Harold Lord Varney Harold Lord Varney (1893–1984) was an American author. Varney was an editor at ''The Awakener'' and ''The American Mercury''. He was a member of the Industrial Workers of the World, IWW, of which he wrote the account ''Revolt''. Later he mov ...

(manager of the Italian Historical Society, which shared offices with the Constitutional Educational League), with fellow editors

Lawrence Dennis Lawrence Dennis (December 25, 1893 – August 20, 1977) was a mixed-race American diplomat, consultant and author. He advocated fascism in America after the Great Depression, arguing that liberal capitalism was doomed and one-party planning of ...

and

Milford W. Howard Milford Wriarson Howard (December 18, 1862 – December 28, 1937) was a United States Representative from Alabama. Howard was first elected to the House of Representatives as a Populist in 1894, defeating incumbent William H. Denson. He w ...

. ''The Awakener'' folded in 1936. Kamp sent a manuscript to the League, which published in asa ''Join the C.I.O. and Help Build a Soviet America''. In 1947, he joined the League's staff as executive vice chairman. In 1942 and 1943, two federal grand juries issues indictments against people and organizations conspiring against US involvement in World War II; the League appeared both times. During the 1944 presidential campaign, the Constitutional Educational League published a brochure, ''Vote CIO and Get A Soviet America''. A federal grand jury, investigating 1944 campaign expenditures, sought to find out who the League's financial backers, as requested by a congressional subpoena; Kamp refused to answer. In December 1944, Kamp found himself indicted for

Contempt of Congress Contempt of Congress is the act of obstructing the work of the United States Congress or one of its committees. Historically, the bribery of a U.S. senator or U.S. representative was considered contempt of Congress. In modern times, contempt of Co ...

. Starting June 16, 1950, Kamp was jailed for four months for refusing back in 1944 to answer questions regarding campaign activities, asked by the House Campaign Expenditures Committee. (He was also "in trouble" with the House Lobby Investigating committee for refusing to share his organization's records.) The United States Supreme Court refused to hear his appeal earlier in 1950. Kamp was tried another time for congressional defiance in 1952, when he failed to produce records for the House Lobby Investigating Committee. This time, Kamp was acquitted of the charge, as the House Committee failed to orderly disclose why Kamp was in default. Others who also defied Congress over similar issues include: Edward A. Rumely of the Committee for Constitutional Government and

Merwin K. Hart Merwin Kimball Hart (June 25, 1881 – November 30, 1962) was an American lawyer, insurance executive, and politician from New York (state), New York who founded the "National Economic Council" and was "involved in controversial matters througho ...

of the

National Economic Council, Inc. National Economic Council, Inc. was an American American conservatism, conservative political organization, headed for much of its history by Merwin K. Hart. The organization was established in 1931 as the New York State Economic Council, with th ...

Kamp was acquitted of a second contempt charge in relationship with the lobbying activities of the

, an anti-communist organization. Kamp also served as a policy advisor to the Liberty Lobby.

Personal life

Kamp was a great-uncle of actor Jon Voight through his mother, making him the great great uncle of actress Angelina Jolie. Kamp was associated with

Alfred Kohlberg Alfred Kohlberg (January 27, 1887, San Francisco, California, April 7, 1960, New York City, New York) was an American textile importer. A staunch anti-Communist, he was a member of the pro-Chiang "China lobby", as well as an ally of Wisconsin Senat ...

, Edward A. Rumely,

J.B. Matthews Joseph Brown "Doc" Matthews Sr. (1894–1966), best known as J. B. Matthews, was an American linguist, educator, writer, and political activist. A committed pacifist, he became a self-described " fellow traveler" of the Communist Party USA i ...

, and

William F. Buckley Jr. William Frank Buckley Jr. (born William Francis Buckley; November 24, 1925 – February 27, 2008) was an American public intellectual, conservative author and political commentator. In 1955, he founded ''National Review'', the magazine that stim ...

He also associated with

Elizabeth Dilling Elizabeth Eloise Kirkpatrick Dilling (April 19, 1894 – May 26, 1966) was an American writer and political activist.Dye, 6 In 1934, she published ''The Red Network—A Who's Who and Handbook of Radicalism for Patriots'', which catalogs over 1,3 ...

, author of ''The Red Network—A Who's Who and Handbook of Radicalism for Patriots'' (1934).

Gerald L. K. Smith Gerald Lyman Kenneth Smith (February 27, 1898 – April 15, 1976) was an American clergyman, politician and organizer known for his populist and far-right demagoguery. A leader of the populist Share Our Wealth movement during the Great Depressio ...

(1898–1976) far-right clergyman and leader of the

Christian Nationalist Crusade Christian Nationalist Crusade was an American antisemitic organization which operated from St. Louis, Missouri. Its founder was Gerald L. K. Smith. It sold and distributed, ''inter alia'', '' The International Jew'', and subscribed to the antise ...

called Kamp a "well-informed and fearless patriot."

Works

;Pamphlets Kamp seems to have penned all pamphlets published by the Constitutional Educational League: * ''Hell of Herrin Rages Again'' (1937) * ''Join the C.I.O. and Help Build a Soviet America'' (1937) * ''Stop Lewis and Smash Communism! Program of the Constitutional Educational League'' (1939) * ''Fifth Column in Washington!'' (1940) * ''Fifth Column in the South'' (1940) * ''Fifth Column vs. the Dies Committee'' (1941) * ''The Fifth Column Stops Defense'' (1941) * ''How to Win the War and Lose What We're Fighting For!'' (1942) * ''Native Nazi Purge Plot'' (1942) * ''Famine in America'' (1943) * ''The Class War on the Home Front'' (1943) * ''With Lotions of Love...'' (1944) * ''Vote CIO and Get a Soviet America'' (1944) * ''Hell with G. I. Joe!'' (1944) * ''Audacious

Aubrey Williams Aubrey Williams (8 May 1926 – 17 April 1990) was a Guyanese artist. He was best known for his large, oil-on-canvas paintings, which combine elements of abstract expressionism with forms, images and symbols inspired by the pre-Columbian art o ...

and the Sly Strategy of Senator Smear'' (1945) * ''Anything But the Truth: The Story of the Man who Lied to Congress'' (1945) * ''How to be an American, to Organize for America, to Fight Un-Americanism (1946) * ''Communist Carpetbaggers in Operation Dixie'' (1946) * ''The

Fay A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...

Case'' (1946) * ''Strikes and the Communists Behind Them'' (1947) * ''Open Letter to Congress. Gentlemen: Are You Mice or Men? An Underworld Secret-Police Terror Menaces America'' (1948) * ''Behind the Lace Curtains of the YWCA'' (1948) * ''Hitler Was a Liberal'' (1949) * ''America Betrayed: The Tragic Consequences of Reds on the Government Payroll!'' (1950) * ''It Isn't Safe to be an American'' (1950) * ''We Must Abolish the United States: The Hidden Facts Behind the Crusade for World Government'' (1950) * ''Was Jesus Christ a Jew?'' (undated) ;Maps * ''Join the C.I.O. and help build a Soviet America: a factual narrative'' (1937) * ''The Fifth Column Menaces America on a Thousand Fronts'' (1941) ;Pamphlets by other authors * ''Joe Kamp: Hero of the Pro-Fascists'' (Friends of Democracy)

References

External links

;FBI files: Joseph Kamp's FBI files obtained through the FOIA and hosted at the