The incredible story of Nazi German exchange students in the United States during WWII. In the 1930s, international exchange students in the United States celebrated their Christmas breaks in Florida, enthusiastically engaged in college-aged antics, rowdy parties, and the defiance of authorities. In between such mayhem, they admired the beauty of America; quietly discussed their impressions of their host country; and agonized over their future, which would now be reshaped by their study-abroad experiences. These were not typical international college students, however. These students were Nazis. In Nazis in the New World, Aaron Gillette presents vivid narratives and personal accounts to reveal the unknown history of Nazi German exchange students sent to America in the 1930s. After receiving the Gestapo's stamp of approval, they were instructed to use their charm and charisma to promote the Third Reich. Some also served Hitler as covert operatives against the United States. In many cases, the Nazi government came to regret sending its students across the ocean. Gillette argues that Nazism was an abject failure in the United States, that antisemitism was on the decline, that German espionage in America was a disaster for the Reich, and that FDR and J. Edgar Hoover brilliantly manipulated Nazi blunders to propel America into the war against Hitler and empower the FBI. Meanwhile, numerous German exchange students in the United States were transformed from Nazis into fiercely patriotic Americans.

Aaron Gillette (THE WOODLANDS, TX) is an associate professor of history at the University of Houston-Downtown.