Pelley and the Silver Shirt Cause

Pelley's sudden interest in Native Americans stemmed from a supposed divine realization that the Bureau of Indian Affairs had been taken over by Bolsheviks. Pelley did succeed in getting one actual Native American supporter. A Portland attorney named Elwood Towner saw a money making opportunity in budding American fascism. He started calling himself chief red cloud and began touring, boond, and silver shirt meetings across the West Coast. Thousands of people who probably wouldn't have shown up to a lecture on fascism showed up to see chief red cloud.