Unholy Alliance: A History of Nazi Involvement with the Occult

By Peter Levenda

Book Overview

In June of 1979, Peter Levenda flew to Chile--then under martial law--to investigate claims that a mysterious colony and torture center in the Andes Mountains held a key to the relationship between Nazi ideology and its post-war survival on the one hand, and occult ideas and practices on the other. He was detained there briefly and released with a warning: "You are not welcome in this country." The people who warned him were not Chileans but Germans, not government officials but agents of the assassination network Operation Condor. They were also Nazis, providing a sanctuary for men like Josef Mengele, Hans-Ulrich Rudel, and Otto Skorzeny. In other words: ODESSA. Published in 1995, Unholy Alliance was the first book in English on the subject of Nazi occultism to be based on the captured Nazi archives themselves, as well as on the author's personal investigations and interviews, often conducted under dangerous conditions. The book attracted the attention of historians and journalists the world over and has been translated into six languages. A later edition boasts the famous foreword by Norman Mailer. How did occultism come to play such an important role in the development of Nazi political ideology? What influence did such German and Austrian occult leaders as Lanz von Liebenfels and Guido von List have over the fledgling Nazi party? What was the Thule Gesellschaft, and who was its creator, Baron von Sebottendorf? Did the Nazi high command really believe in occultism? In astrology? In magic and reincarnation? This is a new and expanded edition of the original text, with much additional information on the rise of extremist groups in Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the United States and the esoteric beliefs that are at their foundations. It is the first book in a trilogy that includes Ratline and The Hitler Legacy . This is where it all began.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0892541903
• ISBN13: 9780892541904
• Release Date: November 2019
• Publisher: Ibis Press
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 5.9" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Worthwhile read

I picked this book up at a local academic library several years ago and read it in it's entirety. Since it has been a while, I cannot remember everything about what I read in Levenda's book. But I feel compelled to write a review, because of the rather unfair, juvenile feedback it has been getting from some other reviewers. I feel I am partly to blame for the bad reviews, since a while back, I gave a deservedly negative review to a Margaret Atwood novel, and referred to Mr Levenda's book in that review. Hence the sophomoric reviews from these public high-school propagandized robots who seem to be retaliating. This book is controversial in that it makes the case that National Socialists (Nazis) were pagans. The standard propaganda line is that Nazis were Christians. That is false. Sure, some genuine Christians fell for Hitler, but the idealogy of the National Socialists was pagan in nature. There's ample evidence of that in the primary literature, if you take the time to investigate. For example "Bevor Hitler Kam" by Sebotttendorf. This is a rare book, there are a handful of copies in existence, and few libraries have it. It was banned by Hitler (and the author executed) because he did not want the German population at large to be aware of their "religion." (Also, he did not want the Germans to know about the rampant homosexual activities going on in party circles but that's another story.) And for whatever reason you may conclude yourself, the propagandists of today do not want you to know about it either. But you do not even need to go so far as to hunt down rare books. Consider the swastika itself. It is an eastern, pagan symbol for peace (largely replaced today with another pagan symbol which represents peace). You commonly see it in old books, even some popular ones. If you go to India, you might see it in various places. Not a Christian symbol. Anyway, Levenda's book is a worthwhile read. If you are interested in books about this rather dark chapter of a dark century, check out "Rise & Fall of the 3rd Reich" by Shirer, "Order of the Death's Head" by Heinz Hohne, and "Pink Swastika." (I forget the authors names of the last one.) Flush out all the anti-Christian propaganda you've been spoon fed over the years. Question authority, isn't that what they tell you?

A great read!

In this readable but thoroughly researched survey of the mythic/religio/occult ideologies that formed the basis of the Nazi movement, in UNHOLY ALLIANCE, the author has succeeded in making a dense, fact-laden topic spanning hundreds of years accessible to the non-specialist reader without sacrificing accuracy. This is probably the most thorough treatment of Nazi occult ideology in English, and where it surpasses similar works is that it continues documenting neo-Nazi survivals right up to the present. Anyone who doubts Levenda's thesis that the end of WWII only changed, rather than ended, the Nazi movement, need only check the unblushing anti-Semitism of some of the other reviews here. Writers exploring the occult and its many flamboyant personalities frequently fall into either reflexive debunking or starstruck gullibility. While the author has done plenty of first-hand investigation, even getting into the Chilean Nazi enclave Colonia Dignidad during the Pinochet years, he succeeds in giving us a clear-eyed, even-handed view.The Norman Mailer Foreword to this edition is an unexpected plus, a fine essay on metaphysics, occultism, and current events that gave this reader, who has always considered the enormous Mailer canon a mixed bag, a pleasant surprise: Mailer has a number of deeply insightful things to say about magic and the occult. Mailer says he's read UNHOLY ALLIANCE three times--once more than I have, though my first edition is a bit ragged from the many times I've also used it as a quick reference. UNHOLY ALLIANCE belongs on the bookshelf of anyone with a serious interest in WWII, extremist religio-political ideologies of all descriptions, modern Roman Catholic history, or any branch of occultism. Thanks to excellent source notes and an index, it's a fine reference work that--a rare bonus in this field--is also a great read. The author's update to this new edition was obviously written post-September 11, and is a good, if somewhat sketchy, summary of developments since its original publication. One would wish Levenda could have had more space to explore the similarities between Nazi occultism and the current crop of terrorists in greater detail, but this is a very small quibble about an otherwise splendid work.

More timely than ever

In this definitive history of Nazi religious/occult thinking, UNHOLY ALLIANCE meticulously traces the roots of this primal evil. Levenda's warnings that the beast is not dead, but sleeping, and likely to wake again, have become tragically accurate since its initial publication. While the author has been at pains to avoid hysteria and paranoia, passage after passage in this brilliantly-researched mix of historical analysis and contemporary investigation is eerily prescient.This new edition adds an author's update, a small but excellent photo section, and a Foreword by Norman Mailer who reveals his own take on magic and Nazi occult thinking. Sadly, the daily headlines supply so many examples of the dangers of cultic, far-right ideologies that one hopes the author is sketching out notes for a third edition. The darkest instincts of human nature are now everyday images on the TV news. Two misfit high school honor students spend a year planning vengeance on their tormenters and turn an affluent school campus into an abbatoir---on Hitler's birthday. And as the Colorado suburb mourns its dead children, a wave of copycat crimes and threats sweeps America. And as more details surface, we learn that the teenaged killer/suicides of Columbine had hoped to hijack jets and crash them into--yes--the World Trade Center.We know only too well what is exploding into our headlines. For thoughtful readers who want to understand where and how it began, and continues underground right now, UNHOLY ALLIANCE belongs at the top of any must-read list. The expanded content, the photos, the Norman Mailer essay, and a larger, more readable format all enhance this classic that now more than ever belongs in the library of every reader with a serious interest in world affairs. A disturbing but very worthwhile read.

new edition----a must-read!

In this definitive history of Nazi religious/occult thinking, UNHOLY ALLIANCE meticulously traces the roots of this primal evil. Levenda's warnings that the beast is not dead, but sleeping, and likely to wake again, have become tragically accurate. Indeed, while the author has been at pains to avoid hysteria and paranoia, passage after passage in this brilliantly-researched mix of historical analysis and contemporary investigation is eerily prescient.The new edition adds an author's update, a small but excellent photo section, and a Foreword by Norman Mailer who reveals his own take on magic and Nazi occult thinking. Sadly, the daily headlines supply so many examples of the dangers of cultic, far-right ideologies that one frankly hopes the author is sketching out notes for a third edition. The darkest instincts of human nature are now everyday images on the TV news. Two misfit high school honor students spend a year planning vengeance on their tormenters and turn an affluent school campus into an abbatoir---on Hitler's birthday. And as the Colorado suburb mourns its dead children, a wave of copycat crimes and threats sweeps America. And we learn that the teenaged killer/suicides of Columbine had hoped to hijack jets and crash them into--yes--the World Trade Center.We know only too well what is exploding into our headlines. For thoughtful readers who want to understand where and how it began, and continues underground right now, UNHOLY ALLIANCE belongs at the top of any must-read list. The expanded content, the photos, the essay by Mailer, and a handsome format all enhance this classic that belongs in the library of every reader with a serious interest in world affairs. A disturbing but very worthwhile read.

Excellent book with thorough research!

I just finished "Unholy Alliance". It is an excellent book and is very well researched. Mr. Levenda does a fantastic job of showing that the Nazi Party was much more than just a political party bent on world domination. He exposes the occult roots of the Nazis, and how this evil organization still exists worldwide to this day. It should be required reading in every college history class.