Revilo P. Oliver

2.1. Early Life and Education

Revilo Pendleton Oliver was born on July 7, 1908, near Corpus Christi, Texas. He attended high school in Illinois for two years before relocating to California, as he disliked the severe winters. During his youth, Oliver underwent one of the first clinical mastoidectomies. In California, he developed an interest in Sanskrit and was tutored by a Hindu missionary. He utilized Friedrich Max Müller's handbooks and Monier Monier-Williams's grammar books for his studies. At the age of sixteen, he enrolled in Pomona College in Claremont, California. As an adolescent, Oliver reportedly found amusement in observing evangelists "pitch the woo at the simple-minded," attending performances by figures such as Aimee Semple McPherson and Katherine Tingley.

2.2. Academic Career

In 1930, Oliver married Grace Needham. He subsequently returned to Illinois to attend the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he studied under William Abbott Oldfather. His first book, an annotated translation from Sanskrit, was Mricchakatika (The Little Clay Cart), published by the University of Illinois in 1938. He earned his PhD in 1940. That same year, the University published his doctoral thesis, Niccolò Perotti's Translations of the Enchiridion, which was republished in 1954 as Niccolo Perotti's Version of the Enchiridion of Epictetus.

Oliver began teaching graduate classes at the University of Illinois. For several years, he also taught graduate courses on the Renaissance within the Departments of Spanish and Italian. He claimed proficiency in eleven languages. After leaving Washington, D.C. in 1945, he joined the University of Illinois as an Assistant Professor, becoming an Associate Professor in 1947 and a full Professor in 1953. While he published sparingly in academic presses later in his career, he became widely known for politically conservative articles that increasingly expressed anti-Semitism and white nationalism. He retired from the University of Illinois in 1977 as a professor emeritus.

2.3. Military Service

During World War II, Revilo P. Oliver served in a military intelligence unit within the Signal Corps of the U.S. War Department. He stated that he worked for the War Department from 1942 until the autumn of 1945, where he was "responsible for the work of c. 175 persons."

2.4. Conservative Movement Activities

Oliver was an early book reviewer for National Review from 1956 until May 1960. He was subsequently ousted from the publication by its editor, William F. Buckley Jr., due to his public antisemitism. While Buckley maintained a close friendship with Oliver, he privately acknowledged Oliver's antisemitic views, as he sought to make conservatism more acceptable to Americans by distancing it from extremism and antisemitism. Oliver also contributed articles to The American Mercury.

In 1958, Oliver became a founding member of Robert W. Welch Jr.'s John Birch Society, an anti-communist organization. He served on its national board and was an associate editor for its magazine, American Opinion. In 1962, Buckley publicly repudiated Welch and the "Birchers," describing them as "far removed from common sense" and urging the Republican Party to rid itself of Welch's influence, which further strained Buckley's friendship with Oliver.

Following the John F. Kennedy assassination, Oliver published a two-part article titled "Marxmanship in Dallas" in the March 1964 issue of American Opinion. In this article, he alleged that Lee Harvey Oswald carried out the murder as part of a communist conspiracy to eliminate Kennedy, whom Oliver portrayed as a mere puppet who had outlived his usefulness. This article brought him significant attention from both the University of Illinois and the media. In March 1964, the University of Illinois' Board of Trustees formally reprimanded Oliver for his statements but allowed him to retain his professorship. In the fall of that same year, Oliver was called to testify before the Warren Commission, which investigated the assassination.

2.5. White Nationalism Activities

In the 1960s, Oliver increasingly distanced himself from mainstream American conservatism. In 1966, he caused embarrassment for Welch by publicly stating that global issues would cease if "all Jews were vaporized at dawn tomorrow," alongside "Illuminati" and "Bolsheviks". Oliver accused Welch of having deceived him or having succumbed to Zionist influence, denouncing what he termed "the Birch hoax." He was compelled to resign from the John Birch Society on July 30, 1966. In 1981, Oliver further claimed to have discovered that Welch "was merely the nominal head of the Birch business, which he operated under the supervision of a committee of Jews." Claire Conner, in her memoir Wrapped in the Flag: A Personal History of America's Radical Right, describes Oliver as "a virulent anti-Semite." From the 1960s until his death, Oliver produced numerous essays alleging Jewish conspiracies.

Subsequently, Oliver became involved with Willis Carto's National Youth Alliance (NYA). He served as a mentor to William Luther Pierce, who later founded the influential National Alliance and authored the highly influential novel The Turner Diaries. Oliver is widely believed to be the anonymous author of the 1959 novel The John Franklin Letters, which Pierce cited as a direct inspiration for The Turner Diaries. Oliver also mentored neo-Nazi activist Kevin Alfred Strom. According to Andrew S. Winston of the University of Guelph, Oliver's writings on Jewish people and race-mixing became a significant component of neo-Nazi culture in the early 21st century.

In 1978, Oliver joined the Institute for Historical Review, an organization primarily dedicated to Holocaust denial, serving as an editorial adviser. He was also a regular contributor to Liberty Bell, an antisemitic magazine published by George P. Dietz.

2.6. Later Years and Death

Revilo P. Oliver retired from his professorship in 1977. In his later years, he suffered from leukemia and severe emphysema. On August 20, 1994, at the age of 86, he committed suicide in Urbana, Illinois. His estate made arrangements for several of his works to be published posthumously through Historical Review Press and Liberty Bell. Additionally, his estate provided for the needs of his wife, Grace, in her declining years.

3.1. Antisemitism and Conspiracy Theories

Oliver harbored strong antisemitic views, which became increasingly central to his ideology, leading to his departure from the John Birch Society. He consistently promoted elaborate Jewish conspiracy theories, alleging a pervasive Jewish influence aimed at undermining Western society. His claims included the assertion that Robert W. Welch Jr., the founder of the John Birch Society, was either manipulated by or colluded with Zionist interests. Later, in 1981, Oliver claimed to have discovered that Welch was merely a "nominal head" operating under the supervision of a "committee of Jews." From the 1960s until his death, he relentlessly produced essays asserting Jewish conspiracies, becoming known as a "virulent anti-Semite."

3.2. Views on Christianity

Oliver's views on Christianity underwent a dramatic transformation. Initially, he argued that Christianity was essential to Western civilization. However, he later became convinced that Christianity, by promoting universalism and brotherhood instead of racial survival, was itself a Jewish product and an integral part of the alleged conspiracy to weaken the Aryan race. In a 1990 article published in Liberty Bell, Oliver famously characterized Christianity as "a spiritual syphilis" that "has rotted the minds of our race and induced paralysis of our will to live." Damon T. Berry, in his 2017 book Blood and Faith: Christianity in American White Nationalism, dedicates a chapter to Oliver, concluding that Oliver "hated both conservativism and Christianity ... because they equally represented to him an ideological poison that was alien to the best instincts of the white race to defend its existence."

4.1. Books

During his lifetime, Revilo P. Oliver published several academic and political books:

• The Little Clay Cart. University of Illinois Press (1938).
• Niccolò Perotti's Translations of the Enchiridion. University of Illinois Press (1940).
• The John Franklin Letters (1959); although an anonymous work, Oliver is considered to be the likely author.
• History and Biology. Griff Press (1963).
• All America Must Know the Terror that Is Upon Us. Bakersfield: Conservative Viewpoint (1966); reprinted by Liberty Bell Publications (1975).
• Conspiracy or Degeneracy?. Power Products (1967).
• Christianity and the Survival of the West. Sterling, VA: Sterling Enterprises (1973). This work was reprinted with a new postscript by Howard Allen in Cape Canaveral (1978).
• The Jews Love Christianity. Liberty Bell Publications (1980). This book was published under the pseudonym "Ralph Perrier."
• America's Decline: The Education of a Conservative. London: Londinium Press (1981); reprinted by Historical Review Press (1983).
• The Enemy of Our Enemies. Liberty Bell Publications (1981).
• "Populism" and "Elitism". Liberty Bell Publications (1982).
• The Yellow Peril. Liberty Bell Publications (1983).
• Christianity Today: Four Articles. Liberty Bell Publications (1987).

4.2. Posthumous Publications

Several of Oliver's works were published after his death in 1994:

• The Origins of Christianity. Historical Review Press (1994, 2001).
• Reflections on the Christ Myth. Historical Review Press (1994).
• The Jewish Strategy. Palladian Books (2002).
• Against the Grain. Liberty Bell Publications (2004).

4.3. Letters and Speeches

Oliver's intellectual output also includes significant correspondence and records of public speeches and broadcasts. Notable letters include a reply to a query from William F. Friedman in 1952 regarding manuscripts, and his official resignation letter "To Members of the Council of the John Birch Society" dated August 14, 1966. His recorded speeches cover a range of topics reflecting his shifting views, such as "The Meaning of Americanism" (March 18, 1960), "They Shall Not Go Unpunished" (1961), "Informal talk about Communism" (June 1961), "On Communism" (June 1961), "The Ends of Socialism" (April 23, 1963), "The Mad Marxmen" (April 1964), "Can 'Liberals' be Educated?" (September 10, 1965), "Self Preservation" (1966), "Conspiracy or Degeneracy?" (July 2, 1966), "The Road Ahead" (April 14, 1967), "What We Owe Our Parasites" (June 9, 1968), and "Race and Revolution" (August 10, 1968).

6.1. Academic and Historical Assessment

Academically, Oliver was a professor of Classical philology, Spanish, and Italian at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He was noted for his scholarly work, including his annotated translation of Mricchakatika and his PhD thesis on Niccolò Perotti's Translations of the Enchiridion. His early academic career was marked by significant contributions to classical studies. However, despite his initial academic promise, he published little in academic presses in his later years, becoming predominantly known for his politically conservative articles.

6.2. Criticism and Controversies

Revilo P. Oliver attracted significant criticism and controversy, primarily due to his extreme antisemitism, racist ideologies, and conspiracy theories. His public pronouncements led to his ousting from the mainstream conservative movement, notably from National Review by William F. Buckley Jr., who sought to distance American conservatism from such extreme views.

One of the most notable controversies surrounding Oliver was his assertion that the John F. Kennedy assassination was part of a communist conspiracy, leading to a formal reprimand from the University of Illinois' Board of Trustees. More significantly, Oliver's virulent antisemitism was a constant source of condemnation. His statement that the world's problems would end if "all Jews were vaporized at dawn tomorrow" highlights the depth of his hatred. He accused Robert W. Welch Jr. of the John Birch Society of being under "Jewish" supervision, leading to his forced resignation from the society. He was also a prominent figure in Holocaust denial, serving as an editorial adviser for the Institute for Historical Review, an organization dedicated to denying the systematic extermination of Jews during World War II. Oliver's later characterization of Christianity as a "spiritual syphilis" further underscored his radical and offensive views, which rejected widely held humanitarian principles and human rights. His writings and associations positioned him firmly within the extremist fringes of the far-right, where his ideas continue to be referenced by white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups.

7.1. Influence on White Nationalist Movement

Revilo P. Oliver's ideas provided significant ideological foundations for subsequent white nationalist activists and organizations. After his break from the John Birch Society, he became deeply involved with figures like Willis Carto and his National Youth Alliance. Oliver specifically mentored William Luther Pierce, who went on to found the influential National Alliance and write The Turner Diaries, a novel that became a foundational text for white supremacists envisioning a race war. Oliver is also widely believed to be the author of The John Franklin Letters, a novel cited by Pierce as a direct inspiration for The Turner Diaries. Furthermore, Oliver mentored neo-Nazi activist Kevin Alfred Strom. Oliver's essays and pronouncements on race and Jewish people became an important part of neo-Nazi culture in the early 21st century, illustrating how his extremist views continued to resonate and contribute to the ideological underpinnings of these movements long after his death.