Austin Joseph App (May 24, 1902 – May 3, 1984) was an American professor of medieval English literature who taught at the

University of Scranton The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took ...

and

La Salle University La Salle University () is a private university, private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Bapt ...

. App defended

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He is known for his work denying the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, and he has been called the first major American

Holocaust denier Denial of the Holocaust is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that asserts that the genocide of Jews by the Nazis is a fabrication or exaggeration. It includes making one or more of the following false claims: *Nazi Germany's "Final Solution" wa ...

Early life and education

App was born in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, on May 24, 1902, to German immigrant parents who were farmers, he attended St. Francis Seminary near Milwaukee and graduated in 1923. He studied English Literature at the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily a ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, where he received a Ph.D. in 1929.

Career

App served as an instructor of English at

from 1929 to 1935. From 1935 to 1942 he served as the head of the English Department at the

, publishing widely in scholarly and popular journals. He wrote for ''The Catholic Home Journal'', ''Magnificat'', ''Queen's Work'', and '' The Victorian.'' By his own account, he was particularly devoted to the cultural value of good manners, well-developed public speaking, and chivalry. App never married. He was a frequent public speaker. He wrote many letters to the editors of magazines and newspapers. He complained about the American declaration of war on Germany, and argued that without American intervention the

Axis Powers The Axis powers, originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis and also Rome–Berlin–Tokyo Axis, was the military coalition which initiated World War II and fought against the Allies of World War II, Allies. Its principal members were Nazi Ge ...

would have won World War II. He blamed Jews and

communists Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, d ...

for Germany's postwar problems. Few of his letters were published. In a manner of criticism typical for his generation, App often examined literary aesthetics according to categories of virtue and truth. In a collection of essays printed in 1948, he argued for a Christian interpretation of literature in chapters titled “Presenting Sin and Temptation in Literature” and “How to Judge a Novel Ethically.” He became president of the Federation of American Citizens of German Descent in 1945, serving in this position for several years. In the 1950s, App often wrote articles for Conde McGinley's

antisemitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

journal ''Common Sense''. He later founded The Boniface Press and served as an editor there. It was named after

Saint Boniface Boniface, OSB (born Wynfreth; 675 –5 June 754) was an English Benedictines, Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of Francia during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of ...

, the Anglo-Saxon missionary who brought the faith to Germanic Europe. He served on the editorial advisory committee of the revisionist Journal of Historical Review from 1980 until his death.

Holocaust denial

App laid out eight axioms, or what he described as "incontrovertible assertions", about

the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

in his 1973 pamphlet ''The Six Million Swindle: Blackmailing the German People for Hard Marks With Fabricated Corpses,'' which denied the existence of

gas chambers A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. Poisonous agents used include hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide. History Gener ...

and tried to show it was impossible for six million Jews to have been killed''.'' In February 1976, App published an article "The Sudeten-German Tragedy" in ''

Reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing valid conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, religion, scien ...

'' magazine, criticizing the post-World War II expulsion of the Sudeten Germans as "one of the worst mass atrocities in history." The article was later printed as a pamphlet. App also published ''A Straight Look at the Third Reich'', a defense of

, and ''The Curse of Anti-Anti-Semitism'', arguing that the entire Jewish community is responsible for the death of Christ. App's work inspired the

Institute for Historical Review The Institute for Historical Review (IHR) is a United States–based nonprofit organization that promotes Holocaust denial. It is considered by many scholars to be central to the international Holocaust denial movement. Self-described as a "his ...

, a Holocaust denial center in California, founded in 1978.

Selected works

*''Lancelot in English Literature: His Role and Character'', doctoral dissertation, Catholic University of America, 1929 *''Edwin Arlington Robinson’s Arthurian Poems'', in: Thought 10.3 (1935), p.468-479 *''History's Most Terrifying Peace.'' 1947 *''Ravishing the Women of Conquered Europe.'' Pamphlet, 1948 *''The Way to Creative Writing''. Milwaukee: Bruce Publishers, 1954 *''Making the Later Years Count. For a healthy, well-provided, blessed Old Age''. Milwaukee: Bruce Publishers, 1960 *''The Rooseveltian concentration camps for Japanese-Americans, 1942-46''. Philadelphia: Boniface Press, 1967 *''A straight look at the Third Reich: Hitler and National Socialism, how right? how wrong?'' Takoma Park, Maryland: Boniface Press, 1974 *''The Six Million Swindle: Blackmailing the German People for Hard Marks with Fabricated Corpses.'' Takoma Park, Maryland: Boniface Press, 1973. Second edition printed in 1976. *''The Curse of Anti-Anti-Semitism.'' 1976 *''German-American Voice for Truth and Justice: Autobiography''. Takoma Park, Maryland: Boniface Press, 1977 *''The Sudeten-German Tragedy''. Takoma Park, Maryland: Boniface Press, 1979- (several volumes)

References

Sources

Autobiographical Speech held by App
accessed 27 Oct 2020.

External links

Austin J. App Papers
are archived at the

American Heritage Center The American Heritage Center is the University of Wyoming's repository of manuscripts, rare books, and the university archives. Its collections focus on Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain West (including politics, settlement, Native Americans, and W ...

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming, United States. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:App, Austin 1902 births 1984 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers American anti–World War II activists American academics of English literature American Holocaust deniers American male non-fiction writers American medievalists American Nazis American neo-Nazis Catholic University of America alumni Catholic University of America School of Arts and Sciences faculty Christian fascists La Salle University faculty St. Francis Seminary (Wisconsin) alumni University of Scranton faculty Liberty Lobby members