Editing Charles Coughlin

{{Short description|Canadian-American Catholic priest (1891–1979)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = priest
| honorific-prefix = [[The Reverend]] [[Monsignor]]
| name = Charles Coughlin
| image = CharlesCouglinCraineDetroitPortrait.jpg
| image_size = 
| caption = Father Coughlin in 1933
| birth_name = Charles Edward Coughlin
| birth_date = {{birth date|1891|10|25}}
| birth_place = [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]], Ontario, Canada
| death_date = {{death date and age|1979|10|27|1891|10|25|mf=y}}
| death_place = [[Bloomfield Hills, Michigan|Bloomfield Hills]], Michigan, U.S.
| buried = [[Holy Sepulchre Cemetery (Southfield, Michigan)|Holy Sepulchre Cemetery]], Southfield, Michigan
| church = [[Catholic Church|Catholic]]
| ordination = 1916
| education = [[University of Toronto]]
}}

'''Charles Edward Coughlin''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɒ|g|l|ɪ|n}} {{respell|KOG|lin}}; October 25, 1891&nbsp;– October 27, 1979<!--full dates in infobox, per MOS-->), commonly known as '''Father Coughlin''', was a Canadian-American [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] priest based near [[Detroit]]. He was the founding priest of the [[National Shrine of the Little Flower]]. Dubbed "The Radio Priest{{hsp}}" and considered a leading [[demagogue]],<ref>{{cite podcast |host= |title=Episode 5: His Cross to Bear |website=Radioactive: The Father Coughlin Story |publisher=PBS |date=March 9, 2022 |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/exploring-hate/series/radioactive/ |access-date=February 21, 2023 |last=Lapin |first=Andrew |time=3:15}}</ref> he was one of the first political leaders to use radio to reach a mass audience. During the 1930s, when the U.S. population was about 120 million, an estimated 30 million listeners tuned in to his weekly broadcasts.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Clements|first=Austin J.|date=2022|title='The Franco Way': The American Right and the Spanish Civil War, 1936–9|journal=Journal of Contemporary History|language=en|volume=57|issue=2|pages=341–364 (here: p. 343)|doi=10.1177/00220094211063089 |s2cid=245196132 }}</ref>

Coughlin was born in [[Ontario]] to working-class Irish Catholic parents. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1916, and in 1923 he was assigned to the National Shrine of the Little Flower in [[Royal Oak, Michigan|Royal Oak]], Michigan. Coughlin began broadcasting his sermons during a time of increasing [[Anti-Catholicism|anti-Catholic]] sentiment across the globe. As his broadcasts became more political, he became increasingly popular.<ref>[https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/892700/pdf Project MUSE - ''Radioactive: The Father Coughlin Story,'' by Andrew Lapin (review)]</ref>

Initially, Coughlin was a vocal supporter of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] and his [[New Deal]]; he later fell out with Roosevelt, accusing him of being too friendly to bankers. In 1934, he established a political organization called the [[National Union for Social Justice]]. Its platform called for monetary reforms, nationalization of major industries and railroads, and protection of labour rights. The membership ran into the millions but was not well organized locally.{{sfn|Kennedy|1999|p=232}}

After making attacks on Jewish bankers, Coughlin began to use his radio program ''Golden Hour'' to broadcast [[antisemitic]] commentary. In the late 1930s, he supported some of the policies of [[Nazi Germany]] and [[Fascist Italy (1922–1943)|Fascist Italy]]. The broadcasts have been described as "a variation of the Fascist agenda applied to American culture".{{sfn|DiStasi|2001|p=163}} His chief topics were political and economic rather than religious, using the slogan "Social Justice".

After the outbreak of [[World War II in Europe]] in 1939, the [[National Association of Broadcasters]] forced the cancellation of ''Golden Hour.'' In 1942, the Archdiocese of Detroit forced Coughlin to close his newspaper ''[[Social Justice (periodical)|Social Justice]]'' and forbade its distribution by mail. Coughlin  vanished from the public arena, working as a parish pastor until retiring in 1966. He died in 1979 at age 88.<ref>[https://www.jta.org/2021/10/01/ideas/why-i-made-a-podcast-about-father-coughlin Why I made a podcast about Father Coughlin - Jewish Telegraphic Agency]</ref><ref>[https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/television/2021/10/06/detroiters-podcast-father-coughlin-reveals-echoes-todays-hate/5988741001/ Detroiter's podcast on Father Coughlin reveals echoes of today's hate - Detroit Free Press]</ref><ref>[https://www.thejewishnews.com/judaism/looking-back-father-of-hate-radio/article_d1d83f92-1395-5312-9ca0-bf703a1de6ca.html Looking Back: 'Father of Hate Radio'|Judaism|thejewishnews.com]</ref>

==Early life and work==
Charles Coughlin was born on October 25, 1891, in [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]], Ontario, the only child of Irish Catholic Amelia (née Mahoney) and Thomas Coughlin. Born in a working-class neighbourhood, he lived in a modest home situated between a Catholic cathedral and convent.{{sfn|Brinkley|1983|p=84}} His mother, who had regretted not becoming a [[nun]], was the dominant figure in the household and instilled a deep sense of religion in Charles.{{sfn|Brinkley|1983|pp=84–85}}

After his secondary education, Coughlin attended the [[University of Toronto]], enrolling in [[St. Michael's College (Toronto)|St. Michael's College]], run by the [[Congregation of St. Basil]], and graduating in 1911.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> Coughlin then entered the Basilian Fathers. The Basilians were a traditional order that denounced [[usury]] and supported [[social justice]]. Coughlin prepared for the priesthood at St. Basil's Seminary and was ordained in Toronto in 1916. The Basilians then assigned him to teach at [[Assumption University (Windsor, Ontario)|Assumption College]], their institution in [[Windsor, Ontario|Windsor]], Ontario.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ketchaver |first=Karen |date=December 2009 |title=Father Charles E. Coughlin—The 'Radio Priest' of the 1930s |url=https://serials.atla.com/theolib/article/view/2686/3408 |journal=Theological Librarianship |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=82 |doi=10.31046/tl.v2i2.112 |via=EBSCO|doi-access=free }}</ref>

In 1923, a reorganization of Coughlin's religious order resulted in his departure. The Vatican ordered the Basilians to change  from a [[society of apostolic life|society of common life]] to a [[monastic life]]. The members of the order were required to take the traditional three religious vows of [[Evangelical counsels|chastity, poverty, and obedience]].{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

Unwilling to accept the monastic life, Coughlin applied for [[Incardination and excardination|incardination]], or transfer, out of the Basilians to the Archdiocese of Detroit. He was accepted in 1923 and moved to Detroit.  The archdiocese assigned Coughlin to pastoral positions in several parishes. In 1925, when Coughlin was exiting a building in Detroit, he saw a man stealing a trunk from the back of his car. When Coughlin confronted the thief, he dropped the trunk and swung at him. The fight continued until Coughlin knocked him unconscious. The incident received coverage in the Detroit newspapers.<ref name="Tribun19360830p4" />

In 1926, he was assigned to the newly founded [[National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica|Shrine of the Little Flower]], a congregation of 25 families in [[Royal Oak, Michigan|Royal Oak]], Michigan.

==1926 to 1942==
[[File:National Shrine of the Little Flower, Royal Oak, Michigan - 20201213 - 04.jpg|thumb|Charity Crucifixion Tower in front of [[National Shrine of the Little Flower]], Royal Oak, Michigan]]
In 1926, Coughlin began broadcasting his Sunday sermons from local radio station [[WJR]]. He later said that he started his radio show in response to the [[Ku Klux Klan]] burning a cross at the shrine and wanted to provide support to local Catholics. However, the broadcast also provided him with extra income to pay back the diocesan loan owed by the shrine.{{sfn|Brinkley|1983|p=82}} Coughlin started on WJR with a weekly, hour-long radio program. A gifted speaker, he had a rich speaking voice and used a careful cadence.{{sfn|Shannon|1989|p=298}}

When the Goodwill Stations radio network acquired WJR in 1929, owner [[George A. Richards]] recognized Coughlin's talent as a broadcaster. Richards encouraged Coughlin to focus his program more on politics than religion.{{r|RWCoughlin}} Coughlin then started attacking [[income inequality]], blaming the American banking system and the Jews for the poverty of American workers. The [[Columbia Broadcasting System]] (CBS) radio network signed a contract for Coughlin's program in 1930 for national broadcast. It was called the ''Radio League of the Little Flower''.<ref name="RWCoughlin">{{cite magazine |last=Schneider |first=John |date=September 1, 2018 |title=The Rabble-Rousers of Early Radio Broadcasting |url=https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/the-rabble-rousers-of-early-radio-broadcasting |magazine=[[Radio World]] |publisher=[[Future plc|Future US]] |volume=42 |pages=16–18 |number=22 |access-date=August 12, 2022 |archive-date=August 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812211922/https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/the-rabble-rousers-of-early-radio-broadcasting |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== 1931 to 1934 ===
[[File:FDR 1944 Color Portrait (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Franklin D. Roosevelt|President Roosevelt]]]]
[[File:George A Richards.png|thumb|[[George A. Richards|George Richards]]]]

By 1931, Coughlin had raised enough money from ''Radio League'' to construct the huge Charity Crucifixion Tower at the Shrine of the Little Flower.<ref name="coughlinbroadcast" />

In 1931, CBS received complaints from several affiliate stations about Coughlin's political views. CBS management was also concerned about his attacks on the administration of US President [[Herbert Hoover]].<ref name="coughlinbroadcast" /> CBS then demanded a review of Coughlin's scripts prior to broadcast, which he refused. When Coughlin's contract ended with CBS, the network decided not to renew it.<ref name="Cincin19310106p5">{{Cite news |date=January 6, 1931 |title=Air to Sizzle when Coughlin speaks |page=5 |newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer |agency=Associated Press |location=Cincinnati, Ohio |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83692460/air-to-sizzle-when-coughlin-speaks/ |access-date=August 6, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=August 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812211920/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83692460/air-to-sizzle-when-coughlin-speaks/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Coughlin and Richards then established an independently financed radio network. His show became the ''Golden Hour of the Shrine of the Little Flower'', with WJR and [[WHKW|WGAR]] in [[Cleveland]] serving as core stations.{{r|RWCoughlin}}<ref name="WGARlaunch">{{Unbulleted list citebundle
|1={{Cite news |date=September 20, 1930 |title=See Sale Of WFJC As Network Move |page=3 |newspaper=Akron Beacon Journal |location=Akron, Ohio |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83347009/see-sale-of-wfjc-as-network-move/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813053226/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83347009/see-sale-of-wfjc-as-network-move/ |archive-date=August 13, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}
|2={{Cite news |date=December 16, 1930 |title=WGAR Goes On the Air Without a Hitch |page=8 |newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer |location=Cleveland, Ohio}}}}</ref> With Coughlin paying for the airtime on a contractual basis, the number of affiliates carrying ''Golden Hour'' increased to 25&nbsp; stations by August 1932.<ref name="AkronB19320830p 28">{{Cite news |last=Doran |first=Dorothy |date=August 30, 1932 |title=Radio Fans To Hear About Sun's Eclipse |page=28 |newspaper=Akron Beacon Journal |location=Akron, Ohio |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83692569/radio-fans-to-hear-about-suns-eclipse/ |access-date=August 6, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=August 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807222015/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83692569/radio-fans-to-hear-about-suns-eclipse/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Regional radio networks, such as the [[Yankee Network]], the Quaker State Network, the Mohawk Network and the Colonial Network, also started carrying ''Golden Hour''.<ref name="50Affilates">{{Cite news |date=January 15, 1938 |title=Net of 58 Stations for Fr. Coughlin |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1938/1938-01-15-BC.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108155230/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1938/1938-01-15-BC.pdf |archive-date=November 8, 2021 |access-date=August 7, 2022 |work=Broadcasting |page=34 |via=World Radio History |volume=14 |issue=2}}</ref> Coughlin's radio network became the largest one of its type in the United States. Leo Fitzpatrick, who had given Coughlin his initial airtime over WJR in 1926 and was retained as a part-owner when Richards purchased the station,<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 17, 1971 |title=Leo J. Fitzpatrick Is Dead at 77; Served on Forerunner of F. C. C. |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |agency=Associated Press |location=New York, New York |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/09/17/archives/leo-j-fitzpatrick-is-dead-at-77-served-on-forerunner-of-fcc.html |access-date=August 15, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> continued to serve as a confidant and advisor to Coughlin.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=March 21, 1938 |title=Music: Musical Mayhem |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,788253,00.html |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |language=en-US |volume=XXXI |issue=13 |issn=0040-781X |access-date=August 7, 2022 |archive-date=August 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812211930/https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,788253,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

With the United States suffering through the [[Great Depression]], Coughlin strongly endorsed New York Governor [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] for president in the [[1932 United States presidential election|1932 Presidential election]]. He was invited to attend the June 1932 [[1932 Democratic National Convention|Democratic National Convention]] in Chicago. An early supporter of Roosevelt's New Deal reforms, Coughlin coined the popular phrase "Roosevelt or Ruin". Another phrase Coughlin created was "The New Deal is Christ's Deal".{{sfn|Rollins|O'Connor|2005|p=160}}After Roosevelt was elected in November 1932, he politely received Coughlin's policy proposals, but showed no interest in enacting them.<ref name="coughlinbroadcast" />

By 1933, [[Securities and Exchange Commission]] President [[Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.]], a strong New Deal and Roosevelt supporter who reportedly was a friend of Coughlin, warned that he was "becoming a very dangerous proposition" as an opponent of Roosevelt and "an out and out [[demagogue]]".<ref>{{cite web |last=Renehan |first=Edward |date=June 13, 1938 |title=Joseph Kennedy and the Jews |url=https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/697 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102195039/https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/697 |archive-date=January 2, 2021 |access-date=August 11, 2019 |website=History News Network}}</ref>{{sfn|Bennett|2007|p=136}} That same year, ''[[The Literary Digest]]'' wrote, "Perhaps no man has stirred the country and cut as deep between the old order and the new as Father Charles E. Coughlin."{{sfn|Brinkley|1983|pp=83–84}}

=== 1934 to 1936 ===
[[File:Elmer Thomas and Charles Coughlin on Time magazine 1934.jpg|thumb|Father Coughlin and Senator [[Elmer Thomas]] on the [[List of covers of Time magazine (1930s)|cover of ''Time Magazine'']] (1934)]]
In 1934, Coughlin founded the [[National Union for Social Justice (organization)|National Union for Social Justice]] (NUSJ), a nationalistic workers' rights organization. Its leaders were impatient with what they considered the Roosevelt's unconstitutional and pseudo-capitalistic [[Monetary policy|monetary policies]]. The NUSJ soon gained a strong following among [[Nativism (politics)|nativists]] and opponents of the Federal Reserve, especially in the [[Midwestern United States|American Midwest]].

By 1934, Coughlin was perhaps the most prominent Catholic speaker on political and financial issues. His radio audience included tens of millions of Americans every week. Historian [[Alan Brinkley]] wrote that "by 1934, he [Coughlin] was receiving more than 10,000 letters every day" and that "his clerical staff at times numbered more than a hundred."{{sfn|Brinkley|1983|p=119}} He foreshadowed modern [[talk radio]] and [[televangelism]].{{sfn|Sayer|1987|pp=17–30}} However, the [[University of Detroit Mercy]] states that ''Golden Hour's'' peak audience was in 1932.<ref name=coughlinbroadcast>{{Cite web |url=https://libraries.udmercy.edu/archives/special-collections/index.php?collectionSet=community&collectionCode=coughlin_cou&page=2 |title=An Historical Exploration of Father Charles e. Coughlin's Influence |access-date=August 9, 2020 |archive-date=January 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102195013/https://libraries.udmercy.edu/archives/special-collections/index.php?collectionSet=community&collectionCode=coughlin_cou&page=2 |url-status=live }}</ref>

It is estimated that at peak, one-third of the nation listened to his broadcasts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ssa.gov/history/cough.html|title=Father Charles E. Coughlin|website=Social Security History|publisher=Social Security Administration|access-date=January 24, 2021|archive-date=December 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214054259/https://www.ssa.gov/history/cough.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The ''Golden Hour'' office was receiving up to 80,000 letters per week from listeners. Author Sheldon Marcus said that the size of Coughlin's radio audience "is impossible to determine, but estimates range up to 30 million each week".{{sfn|Marcus|1972|p=4}}

In 1934, Roosevelt sent Kennedy and Detroit Mayor [[Frank Murphy]] to visit Coughlin and try to temper his attacks.{{sfn|Brinkley|1983|p=127}} Coughlin visited Roosevelt several times at his estate in [[Hyde Park, New York|Hyde Park]], New York.<ref>{{cite book|author=JoEllen M Vinyard|title=Right in Michigan's Grassroots: From the KKK to the Michigan Militia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Sfkdhf3JwwC&pg=PA148|year=2011|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=978-0-472-05159-5|page=148|access-date=July 21, 2018|archive-date=January 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102195029/https://books.google.com/books?id=0Sfkdhf3JwwC&pg=PA148|url-status=live}}</ref> In a bid to control the excesses of the radio industry, Congress passed the [[Communications Act of 1934]], establishing the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC). FCC Chairman [[Frank R. McNinch]] warned that it would not allow broadcasters to use their networks or stations as “...an instrument of racial or religious persecution.”<ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last=Doherty |first=Thomas |date=2021-01-21 |title=The Deplatforming of Father Coughlin |url=https://slate.com/technology/2021/01/father-coughlin-deplatforming-radio-social-media.html |access-date=2024-12-01 |work=Slate |language=en-US |issn=1091-2339}}</ref>

Coughlin's attacks on Roosevelt continued to increase. He began denouncing him as a tool of [[Wall Street]]. Coughlin opposed the New Deal with growing vehemence, attacking Roosevelt, capitalists and alleged Jewish conspirators. He encouraged the third-party candidacy of Louisiana Governor [[Huey Long]] for president in the 1936 election, but that was cut short by Long's assassination in 1935. Under Coughlin's direction, the NUSJ founded the [[Union Party (United States) | Union Party]] in preparation for the 1936 elections.

=== 1936 to 1938 ===
[[File:Radio Stars magazine May 1934 Father Coughlin.jpg|thumb|Father Coughlin delivering his ''Golden Hour'' program (1934)]]
In early 1936, at Kennedy's urging, Bishop [[Francis Spellman]] and Cardinal [[Pope Pius XII|Eugenio Pacelli]] tried to mute Coughlin's vitriol.{{sfn|Maier|2009|pp=103–107}} While the American Catholic hierarchy did not approve of Coughlin, only Coughlin's superior—Bishop [[Michael Gallagher (bishop)|Michael Gallagher]] of Detroit—had the canonical authority to curb him. Gallagher was a strong supporter of Coughlin and refused to stop him.{{sfn|Boyea|1995}} The church hierarchy also feared the backlash from Coughlin's Catholic supporters if they reprimanded him.{{sfn|Boyea|1995}}

Coughlin opened a new church building at the Shrine of the Little Flower in 1936, an [[Octagon|octagonal]] structure shaped like a tent. One of its unique features was an altar positioned at the center of worship. This design did not become common in Catholic churches until the reforms of the [[Second Vatican Council]] in the 1960s.<ref name="coughlinbroadcast" />

With the start of the [[1936 United States presidential election|1936 US Presidential Election]], Coughlin was ready to support a third party candidate running against Roosevelt.  At a NUSJ rally at [[Cleveland Stadium|Cleveland Municipal Stadium]] on May 11, 1936, Coughlin predicted that NUSF would "take half of Ohio" in the upcoming [[primary election]], citing multiple congressional candidates with NUSJ backing.<ref name="AkronB19360511p 23">{{Cite news |date=May 11, 1936 |title=Coughlin Expects Victory Tuesday; Coughlin Addresses 25,000 At Cleveland |page=23 |newspaper=Akron Beacon Journal |agency=Associated Press |location=Akron, Ohio |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107150834/coughlin-expects-victory-tuesday/ |access-date=August 7, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=August 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807222010/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107150834/coughlin-expects-victory-tuesday/ |url-status=live }}</ref> After the outbreak of the [[Spanish Civil War]] in July, Coughlin accused Roosevelt of "leaning toward [[Proletarian internationalism|international socialism]]" by his failure to support the Nationalists under General [[Francisco Franco]]. Coughlin presided over the [[Townsend Plan|Townsend Convention]] held in July at [[Public Auditorium|Cleveland Public Hall]] on July 23. In his speech on July 16, Coughlin called Roosevelt a liar and a communist, referring to him as "Franklin Doublecross Roosevelt."<ref name="LakeEl19360723p32">{{Cite news |last=Collatz |first=E.C. |date=July 23, 1936 |title=Townsend Convention Account Given By Elsinore Delegate |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107148741/townsend-convention-account-given-by/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807222012/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107148741/townsend-convention-account-given-by/ |archive-date=August 7, 2022 |access-date=August 7, 2022 |newspaper=Lake Elsinore Valley Sun-Tribune |location=Lake Elsinore, California |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

At the Union party convention at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland on August 16, Coughlin endorsed the party's presidential candidate, House Representative [[William Lemke]].<ref name="AkronB19360622p 23">{{Cite news |last=Hill |first=Edwin C. |date=June 22, 1936 |title='Pinks,' Brains, Politicians Make Strange Mixture |page=23 |newspaper=Akron Beacon Journal |agency=International News Service |location=Akron, Ohio |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107144510/pinks-brains-politicians-make/ |access-date=August 7, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=August 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807222018/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107144510/pinks-brains-politicians-make/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Coughlin fainted near the end of his speech.<ref name="Tribun19360830p4">{{Cite news |last1=Pearson |first1=Drew |author-link=Drew Pearson (journalist) |last2=Allen |first2=Robert S. |date=August 30, 1936 |title=The Daily Washington Merry-Go-Round |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107149360/the-daily-washington-merry-go-round/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807221939/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107149360/the-daily-washington-merry-go-round/ |archive-date=August 7, 2022 |access-date=August 7, 2022 |newspaper=The Tribune |location=Coshocton, Ohio |page=4 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> In an August 16th ''[[The Boston Post|Boston Post]]'' article, Coughlin referred to Kennedy as the "shining star among the dim 'knights' in the [Roosevelt] Administration".{{sfn|Maier|2009|p=498}}

Coughlin promised his radio audience that he would retire from broadcasting if he failed to deliver nine million votes for Lemke; he only received 850,000 votes.<ref name=":0">Maddox, Rachel (2023). ''Prequel'' (1st ed.). Crown. pp. 153-158. {{ISBN|978-0-593-44451-1}}.</ref> Roosevelt won the election on November 5 by a landslide.<ref name=":0" /> According to a 2021 study in the ''[[American Economic Review]]'', Coughlin's criticisms did reduce Roosevelt's share of votes versus the 1932 election.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wang |first=Tianyi |date=2021 |title=Media, Pulpit, and Populist Persuasion: Evidence from Father Coughlin |journal=American Economic Review |language=en |volume=111 |issue=9 |pages=3064–3092 |doi=10.1257/aer.20200513 |issn=0002-8282 |doi-access=free}}</ref> After the election, both the Union Party and its parent organization, the NUSJ, disbanded; Coughlin took a two-month retirement from the ''Golden Hour''.<ref name="AkronB19370122p 15">{{Cite news |last=Doran |first=Dorothy |date=January 22, 1937 |title=John Held, Jr., To Debut In Network Radio Series At Michigan University |page=15 |newspaper=Akron Beacon Journal |location=Akron, Ohio |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83692033/john-held-jr-to-debut-in-network/ |access-date=August 6, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=August 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807222013/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83692033/john-held-jr-to-debut-in-network/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

After Bishop Gallagher died in January 1937, [[Pope Pius XI]] replaced him with Archbishop [[Edward Aloysius Mooney|Edward Mooney]]. Coughlin then left retirement to return to the Golden Hour, in honor of Gallagher's memory.  In October 1937, Mooney rebuked Coughlin for casting aspersions on Roosevelt's sanity over his nomination of U.S. Senator [[Hugo Black]] to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|US Supreme Court]].<ref>''Time''. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120125023744/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,758287,00.html "Coughlin Silenced"]. October 18, 1937.</ref>

=== 1938 ===
[[File:Couple-with-radio-and-Social-Justice-Michigan-1939.jpg|thumb|Couple listening to ''Golden Hour'' and reading ''Social Justice'' magazine]]
By 1938, the ''Golden Hour'' was being broadcast to a peak of 58 affiliates.<ref name="50Affilates" /><ref name="SlateCoughlin">{{cite news |last=Doherty |first=Thomas |date=January 21, 2021 |title=The Deplatforming of Father Coughlin |url=https://slate.com/technology/2021/01/father-coughlin-deplatforming-radio-social-media.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420064348/https://slate.com/technology/2021/01/father-coughlin-deplatforming-radio-social-media.html |archive-date=April 20, 2022 |access-date=January 25, 2021 |work=Slate}}</ref> In May 1938, Coughlin called for a "crusade against the anti-Christian forces of the [[October Revolution|Red Revolution]]" in ''[[Social Justice (periodical)|Social Justice]]''. That led him to found a new organization, the [[Christian Front (United States)|Christian Front]].<ref>[[Leonard Dinnerstein]], ''Antisemitism in America'' (Oxford University Press, 1994), 120</ref> Its membership numbered several thousand. Unlike the NUSJ, the Christian Front membership was mainly of Irish-American men in New York City and other eastern cities.

On November 9 and 10, 1938, Nazi organizations and sympathizers attacked Jewish businesses and synagogues throughout Germany in what became known as the [[Kristallnacht]].  When the owner of [[WMCA (AM)|WMCA]] in New York, [[Donald Jason Flamm|Donald Flamm]], saw the preliminary script for the November 20 broadcast of ''Golden Hour,'' he immediately demanded that Coughin change inflammatory references to Jews. However, Flamm did not get to view the final script.

On the November 20 broadcast, Coughlin deflected blame from the Nazis for Kristallnacht. He referred to 'millions' of Christians who had allegedly been murdered in the [[Soviet Union]] by its government.  Speaking of Germany, Coughlin said, "Jewish persecution only followed after Christians first were persecuted."{{sfn|Dollinger|2000|p=66}} After the broadcast finished, the WMCA booth announcer said, "Unfortunately, Father Coughlin has uttered many misstatements of fact".{{r|3StationsRefuse}}

After the broadcast, WMCA, WIND and WJJD all demanded advance copies of the script for the November 27 program. When Coughlin failed to deliver them, all three stations canceled it.  Flamm remarked that the show "was calculated to stir up religious and racial hatred and dissension in this country".<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" />{{efn|[[WEPN (AM)|WHN]], also in New York City, had dropped the program several weeks earlier; as a result, Coughlin's programs were only broadcast on part-time [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] station WHBI.}} Coughlin then pulled all the future broadcasts from the three stations, accusing them of being under "Jewish ownership".<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite magazine |date=December 1, 1938 |title=Flamm Explains Refusal to Broadcast Coughlin |url=https://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1938/1938-12-01-BC.pdf |url-status=live |magazine=Broadcasting |volume=15 |issue=11 |page=79 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102195012/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1938/1938-12-01-BC.pdf |archive-date=January 2, 2021 |access-date=August 11, 2019}}</ref>{{efn|[[WEPN (AM)|WHN]], also in New York City, had dropped the program several weeks earlier; as a result, Coughlin's programs were only broadcast on part-time [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] station WHBI.}}{{r|3StationsRefuse}} In the December 5th issue of ''Social Justice,'' Coughlin wrote a column that plagiarized portions of a 1935 speech by the German Propaganda Minister [[Joseph Goebbels]], a rabid antisemite.<ref name=":6" />

On December 14, Cardinal [[George Mundelein]], archbishop of Chicago, issued the first formal condemnation of Coughlin by the Catholic hierarchy. Mundelein said that Coughlin was: "...not authorized to speak for the Catholic Church, nor does he represent the doctrine or sentiments of the Church."{{r|SlateCoughlin}}

Four days later, thousands of Coughlin's followers, many associated with the Christian Front, picketed WMCA's studios in protest. Some of them yelled antisemitic statements, such as "Send Jews back where they came from in leaky boats!" and "Wait until Hitler comes over here!" The protests at WMCA continued for 38 weeks.<ref name=":0" />{{sfn|Warren|1996|pp=165–169}} Coughlin attended some of the protests.<ref name=":0" />

Coughlin increasingly attacked Roosevelt's policies. The administration decided that, although the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] protected [[freedom of speech|free speech]], it did not necessarily apply to broadcasting because the radio spectrum was a "limited national resource" and as a result was regulated as a publicly owned [[commons]].{{citation needed|date=April 2023}} The authorities imposed new regulations and restrictions on radio stations for the specific purpose of forcing Coughlin off the air. For the first time, the authorities required regular radio broadcasters to seek operating permits.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

When Coughlin's operating permit was denied, he was temporarily silenced. Coughlin worked around the new restrictions by purchasing air time and playing his speeches via transcription. However, having to buy the weekly air time on individual stations severely reduced his reach and also strained his financial resources.{{efn|During this period, ''The Golden Hour'' typically ran in intervals of 13 to 17 weeks per contract with occasional hiatuses in between.{{r|50Affilates}}}}

=== 1939 ===
[[File:Coughlin-Social-Justice-NYC-Lange.jpeg|thumb|''[[Social Justice (periodical)|Social Justice]]'' magazine on sale in New York City (1939)]]
In 1939, the [[Institute for Propaganda Analysis]] used Coughlin's radio talks to illustrate propaganda methods in their book ''The Fine Art of Propaganda'', which was intended to show propaganda's effects against democracy.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lee|first1=Alfred McClung|last2=Lee|first2=Elizabeth Briant|title=The Fine Art of Propaganda: A Study of Father Coughlin's Speeches|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6R6vxgEACAAJ|year=1939|publisher=Harcourt Brace|oclc=9885192|access-date=August 11, 2019|archive-date=January 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102195108/https://books.google.com/books?id=6R6vxgEACAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> Coughlin was praised in January 1939 by ''Regime Fascista'', an Italian newspaper aligned with the [[Fascist Italy|fascist government of Italy]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Father Coughlin Praised By a Fascist Newspaper |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1939/01/17/91545718.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |access-date=2024-11-29 |work=The New York Times |language=en |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

After [[Invasion of Poland|the outbreak of World War II in Europe]] in September 1939, Coughlin appealed to ''Golden Hour'' listeners to travel to Washington D.C. as "an army of peace". His aim was to stop the repeal by Congress of the [[Neutrality Acts of the 1930s|Neutrality Acts]], a series of [[arms embargo|arms embargoes]] passed during the 1930s to ensure American neutrality in a European conflict. This call led Coughlin's opponents to accuse him of stoking [[incitement]] bordering on [[civil war]].{{r|SlateCoughlin}}

Coughlin's call for a march on Washington finally motivated the [[National Association of Broadcasters]] (NAB) to take action against the ''Golden Hour.{{sfn|Marcus|1972|pp=175–176}}'' Fearing FCC intervention, NAB formed a [[Industry self-regulation|self-regulating]] Code Committee that limited the sale of air time to controversial individuals.{{sfn|Marcus|1972|p=176}} The Committee created a code, which was ratified in October 1939, that required all radio broadcasters to submit their scripts to the radio stations for review before broadcast. Stations that did not comply with the code faced the threat of license revocation.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 15, 1939 |title=Text of First Ruling of Code Compliance Committee |volume=17 |page=13 |work=Broadcasting |issue=8 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1939/1939-10-15-BC.pdf |access-date=August 7, 2022 |via=World Radio History |archive-date=August 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807221936/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1939/1939-10-15-BC.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=October 6, 1939 |title=Code Compliance Under Way |volume=7 |pages=3753–3754 (1–2) |work=NAB Reports |publisher=National Association of Broadcasters |issue=40 |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-NAB-Publications/NAB-Reports/NAB-Reports-1939-Q4.pdf |access-date=August 7, 2022 |via=World Radio History |archive-date=August 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807221936/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-NAB-Publications/NAB-Reports/NAB-Reports-1939-Q4.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> This code was drafted specifically as a response to Coughlin and ''Golden Hour''.{{r|SlateCoughlin}} WJR, WGAR and the Yankee Network, all of which carried ''Golden Hour'', threatened to quit the NAB over the new code, but eventually adopted it.{{Efn|Only four stations rescinded their memberships to the NAB, all of them owned by [[Elliott Roosevelt (general)|Elliot Roosevelt]].{{r|AkronB19391101p 17}}}}<ref name="AkronB19391101p 17">{{Cite news |date=November 1, 1939 |title=C.I.O. Asks Union's Support in 'Voice' Issue |page=17 |newspaper=Akron Beacon Journal |location=Akron, Ohio |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85388462/cio-asks-unions-support-in-voice/ |access-date=August 6, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=August 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807221938/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85388462/cio-asks-unions-support-in-voice/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Evenin19391006p 3">{{Cite news |date=October 6, 1939 |title=Air Ruling Seen As 'Censorship' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83693085/air-ruling-seen-as-censorship/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812211921/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83693085/air-ruling-seen-as-censorship/ |archive-date=August 12, 2022 |access-date=August 6, 2022 |newspaper=The Evening Review |location=East Liverpool, Ohio |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com |agency=Associated Press}}</ref>

=== 1940 to 1942 ===
[[File:Francis Biddle cph.3b27524 (cropped).jpg|thumb|US Attorney General Biddle]]
In January 1940, the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) raided the Brooklyn headquarters for the Christian Front, arresting 17 men on charges of plotting to overthrow the U.S. government. Coughlin then issued a statement, saying that while he was not a member of the Christian Front and disavowed violence, he did not disassociate himself from the group.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 22, 1940 |title=Coughlin Supports Christian Front |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/01/22/archives/coughlin-supports-christian-front-while-not-a-member-i-do-not.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102195059/https://www.nytimes.com/1940/01/22/archives/coughlin-supports-christian-front-while-not-a-member-i-do-not.html |archive-date=January 2, 2021 |access-date=February 18, 2010 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Gallagher |first=Charles |title=Nazis of Copley Square: Forgotten stories of the Christian Front |year=2021}}</ref> He called the Front "pro-American, pro-Christian, anti-Communist and anti-Nazi".<ref name="nytjan22">{{cite news |date=January 22, 1940 |title=Coughlin Supports Christian Front |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1940/01/22/94780913.pdf |access-date=January 16, 2014 |newspaper=New York Times}}</ref> The trials for the 17 men ended in acquittals and [[Hung jury|hung juries]], albeit one of the defendants committed suicide.

In the September 23, 1940, issue of ''Social Justice'', Coughlin announced that he was cancelling ''Golden Hour,'' forced "...by those who control circumstances beyond my reach".{{sfn|Marcus|1972|pp=176–177}} Coughlin now had to rely on ''Social Justice'' to reach his followers. In 1940, reversing his previous position, Kennedy attacked Coughlin's [[isolationism]].{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=122, 171, 379, 502}}{{sfn|Kazin|1995|pp=109, 123}}{{sfn|Brinkley|1983|p=127}} After the December 1941 Japanese [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] and the U.S. declaration of war against the [[Axis powers|Axis Powers]], anti-interventionist movements rapidly lost public support. Isolationists such as Coughlin were tagged as enemy sympathizers.

On April 14, 1942, U.S. Attorney General [[Francis Biddle]] wrote a letter to Postmaster General [[Frank Walker (Jersey politician)|Frank Walker]], suggesting that he revoke the second-class mailing privilege of ''Social Justice''.<ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book|author-link=Leonard Dinnerstein|last=Dinnerstein|first=Leonard|title=Antisemitism in America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mJLHrb-o5E0C&pg=PA132|year=1995|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-531354-3|access-date=February 13, 2016|archive-date=December 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229123043/https://books.google.com/books?id=mJLHrb-o5E0C&pg=PA132|url-status=live}}</ref> Using the [[Espionage Act of 1917]] as its legal justification, Walker temporarily suspended the mailing permit for ''Social Justice'' on April 14.<ref>{{cite news |title= Mails Barred to "Social Justice" |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19420415&id=SzsNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DGoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2530,6670133 |newspaper= [[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] |location= Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |date= April 15, 1942 |pages= 1–2 |accessdate= January 1, 2010 |archive-date= January 21, 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220121103421/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19420415&id=SzsNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DGoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2530,6670133 |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last= Stone |first= Geoffrey R. |year= 2004 |title= Free Speech in World War II: When are you going to indict the seditionists? |journal=International Journal of Constitutional Law|volume= 2 |issue= 2 |pages= 334–367 |doi= 10.1093/icon/2.2.334 |doi-access= free }}</ref><ref name="timecom1942">{{cite web  | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,849845,00.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101014180328/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,849845,00.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = October 14, 2010 | title = The Press: Coughlin Quits | date = May 18, 1942 | accessdate = March 13, 2011 |magazine=Time}}</ref> Walker scheduled a hearing on its permanent suspension for April 29, later postponed until May 4.{{sfn|Marcus|1972|pp=209–214, 217}} Unable to mail ''Social Justice'' to its subscribers, Coughlin was confined to distributing it by private delivery trucks only in the Boston area.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Stephen H. |last1=Norwood |author-link=Stephen H. Norwood |journal=American Jewish History |publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press |title=Marauding Youth and the Christian Front: Antisemitic Violence in Boston and New York During World War II |date=2003 |volume=91 |issue=2 |pages=233–267 |doi=10.1353/ajh.2004.0055 |jstor=23887201 |s2cid=162237834 }}</ref>

Biddle also convened a [[federal grand jury]] to consider [[sedition]] charges against ''Social Justice'' and Coughlin.{{sfn|Tull|1965|p=235}} Biddle asked banker [[Leo Crowley]], a Roosevelt appointee, to offer a deal to Archbishop Mooney; the [[United States Department of Justice|US Justice Department]] would not prosecute Coughlin if he closed ''Social Justice'' and stopped all his political activities.{{sfn|Marcus|1972|p=216}}

On May 1, Mooney ordered Coughlin to confine himself only to the pastoral duties of the Shrine of the Little Flower. The alternative was his suspension from active ministry and federal indictment. Coughlin complied with Mooney's order and ''Social Justice'' ceased publication. The May 4 hearing before the Postmaster General was canceled.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

==Later life==
[[File:Grave of Charles Edward Coughlin (1891–1979) at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Southfield, Michigan 1.jpg|thumb|right|Father Coughlin's grave at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Southfield, Michigan]]

Coughlin served as pastor of the Shrine of the Little Flower until his retirement in 1966. During this period, the Archdiocese of Detroit reviewed all of Coughlin's public speeches in advance.<ref name="coughlinbroadcast" /> In 1951, he attended Richards's funeral.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 4, 1951 |title=George Arthur Richards: 1889–1951 |volume=40 |pages=25, 91 |work=Broadcasting-Telecasting |issue=23 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1951/BC-1951-06-04.pdf |access-date=August 29, 2021 |via=World Radio History |archive-date=August 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830043250/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1951/BC-1951-06-04.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Richards died following a long legal fight to keep his broadcast licenses amid accusations of antisemitism and of using the stations to further his political interests.<ref name="RichardsEulogy">{{Cite news |date=May 31, 1951 |title=Pastor Calls G. A. Richards Death 'Murder' |page=I-9 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |agency=United Press |location=Los Angeles, California |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84395421/pastor-calls-g-a-richards-death/ |access-date=August 30, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=August 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830043249/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84395421/pastor-calls-g-a-richards-death/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="CrosbyWGAR">{{Cite news |last=Crosby |first=John |author-link=John Crosby (media critic) |date=March 9, 1948 |title=Radio In Review: Freedom Of Speech On The Air |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84336684/radio-in-review-freedom-of-speech-on/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829064120/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84336684/radio-in-review-freedom-of-speech-on/ |archive-date=August 29, 2021 |access-date=August 29, 2021 |work=The Evening Review |location=East Liverpool, Ohio |page=16 |via=Newspapers.com |agency=New York Herald Tribune}}</ref>

Coughlin died in [[Bloomfield Hills, Michigan|Bloomfield Hills]], Michigan, in 1979 at age 88.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=October 28, 1979 |title=The Rev. Charles E. Coughlin Dies: Noted as 'The Radio Priest' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1979/10/28/the-rev-charles-e-coughlin-dies-noted-as-the-radio-priest/baded71c-2d5e-4bd7-b0b4-89c1ae33fe7a/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102195130/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1979/10/28/the-rev-charles-e-coughlin-dies-noted-as-the-radio-priest/baded71c-2d5e-4bd7-b0b4-89c1ae33fe7a/ |archive-date=January 2, 2021 |access-date=November 12, 2018 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Church officials stated that he had been bedridden for several weeks.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Krebs |first=Albin |date=October 28, 1979 |title=Charles Coughlin, 30's 'Radio Priest' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/28/archives/charles-coughlin-30s-radio-priest-dies-fiery-sermons-stirred-furor.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102195115/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/28/archives/charles-coughlin-30s-radio-priest-dies-fiery-sermons-stirred-furor.html |archive-date=January 2, 2021 |access-date=November 12, 2018 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |language=en}}</ref> He was buried in the [[Holy Sepulchre Cemetery (Southfield, Michigan)|Holy Sepulchre Cemetery]] in [[Southfield, Michigan|Southfield]], Michigan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cfcsdetroit.org/locations/holy-sepulchre/|title=Holy Sepulchre {{!}} Locations|website=cfcsdetroit.org|language=en-gb|access-date=November 12, 2018|archive-date=January 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102195121/https://www.cfcsdetroit.org/location/holy-sepulchre/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Pope Francis]] designated the Shrine of the Little Flower as a [[Basilicas in the Catholic Church#Minor basilicas|minor basilica]] in 2015.<ref name="basilica">{{cite news |last=Hicks |first=Mark |date=January 31, 2015 |title=Pope names Shrine of the Little Flower a basilica |url=http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2015/01/31/pope-names-shrine-little-flower-basilica/22670965/ |work=[[The Detroit News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |title=Pope Francis grants National Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak honorary title of Minor Basilica |date=January 31, 2015 |publisher=Archdiocese of Detroit |url=http://www.aod.org/our-archdiocese/newsroom/news-releases/2015/january/pope-francis-grants-national-shrine-of-the-little-flower-honorary-title-of-minor-basilica/ |access-date=2016-02-09}}</ref>

== Viewpoints ==
===Antisemitism===
The television producer [[Norman Lear]] recounts in his autobiography how Coughlin's radio broadcasts disturbed him deeply at age nine. As a Jew, they made him aware of the widespread [[antisemitism]] in American society.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 6, 2023 |title=Norman Lear Was Impacted by Royal Oak's Antisemitic 'Radio Priest' Father Coughlin |url=https://deadlinedetroit.com/articles/31539/norman_lear_was_impacted_by_royal_oak_s_antisemitic_radio_priest_father_coughlin |access-date=November 30, 2024 |website=Deadline Detroit}}</ref>

Coughlin believed [[Economic antisemitism|Jewish bankers]] were behind the 1917 [[October Revolution]] in Russia that brought the [[Bolsheviks]] into power, backing the [[Jewish Bolshevism]] conspiracy theory.{{sfn|Tull|1965|p=197}}{{sfn|Marcus|1972|pp=256}}{{sfn|Schrag|2010}} During the last half of 1938, ''Social Justice'' printed weekly installments from the 1903 ''[[The Protocols of the Elders of Zion|Protocols of the Elders of Zion]],'' a fraudulent antisemitic text.{{sfn|Marcus|1972|p=188}}

Coughlin denied being antisemitic on several occasions.{{sfn|Tull|1965|pp=195, 211–12, 224–25}} However, he received indirect funding from the German Government.{{sfn|Warren|1996|pp=235–244}}

=== Communism and socialism ===
In January 1930, Coughlin began attacking [[socialism]] and [[Ideology of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Soviet Communism]], both ideologies strongly opposed by the Catholic Church. In 1933, Coughlin criticized Roosevelt's decision to extend [[diplomatic recognition]] by the United States of the [[Soviet Union]].{{r|SlateCoughlin}}

Coughlin criticized American capitalists, stating that their greed was making [[Communism|communist]] ideologies attractive to workers. He warned, "Let not the workingman be able to say that he is driven into the ranks of socialism by the inordinate and grasping greed of the manufacturer."{{sfn|Brinkley|1983|p=95}}

=== Capitalism ===
The historian [[Michael Kazin]] wrote that Coughlin's followers saw capitalism and communism as equally evil. They believed that they were defending those people who were joined more by piety, economic frustration, and a common dread of powerful, modernizing enemies than through any class identity.{{sfn|Kazin|1995|pp=112}} In a 1930 broadcast, Coughlin stated,  <blockquote>
“We have lived to see the day that modern Shylocks have grown fat and wealthy, praised and deified, because they have perpetuated the ancient crime of usury under the modern racket of statesmanship.”<ref name=":5" /> </blockquote>
Coughlin proclaimed in 1935: <blockquote>"I have dedicated my life to fight against the heinous rottenness of modern [[capitalism]] because it robs the laborer of this world's goods. But blow for blow I shall strike against Communism, because it robs us of the next world's happiness."{{sfn|Kazin|1995|pp=109}}</blockquote>The NUSJ's articles of faith included work and income guarantees, the nationalization of key industries, [[wealth redistribution]] through increased taxation of the wealthy, federal protection of [[Trade union|labor unions]], and limiting property rights in favor of government control of the country's assets for public good.{{#tag:ref|"Principles of the National Union for Social Justice"{{sfn|Brinkley|1983|pp=287–288}}}} Coughlin said,

{{Blockquote|We maintain the principle that there can be no lasting prosperity if free competition exists in industry. Therefore, it is the business of government not only to legislate for a minimum annual wage and maximum working schedule to be observed by industry, but also so to curtail individualism that, if necessary, factories shall be licensed and their output shall be limited.{{sfn|Beard|Smith|1936|p=54}}}}One of Coughlin's slogans was "Less care for internationalism and more concern for national prosperity",{{sfn|Brinkley|1983|pp=}} which appealed to [[United States non-interventionism|isolationists]] and many Irish Catholics.{{sfn|Marcus|1972|p={{page needed|date=October 2022}}}}

=== Money supply ===
Coughlin spoke  about the negative influence of what he termed as "[[Cleansing of the Temple|money changers]]".  He also condemned what he called the government "...permitting a group of private citizens to create money..." at the nation's expense.{{sfn|Carpenter|1998|p=173}} He said that the Great Depression was a "cash famine" and proposed the nationalization of the [[Federal Reserve System]] as the solution. In January 1934, Coughlin testified before the [[United States Congress|US Congress]], saying, <blockquote>"If Congress fails to back up the President in his monetary program, I predict a revolution in this country which will make the [[French Revolution]] look silly!" He also said to the Congressional hearing, "God is directing President Roosevelt."<ref name=":3">{{cite news |date=January 17, 1934 |title='Roosevelt or Ruin', Asserts Radio Priest at Hearing |newspaper=The Washington Post |pages=1–2}}</ref></blockquote>Coughlin urged Roosevelt to use the unlimited coinage of [[Free silver|silver]] to inflate the money supply and reorganize the financial system.<ref name="coughlinbroadcast" /> The US Government increased investment in silver for a limited period following the [[American Silver Purchase Act]] of 1934, which resulted in U.S. silver mines being nationalized between 1934 and 1943 through stamp taxes.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 19, 2017 |title=Silver Tax Stamps |url=https://info.mysticstamp.com/this-day-in-history-june-19-1934_tdih/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102195007/https://www.mysticstamp.com/info/this-day-in-history-june-19-1934/#:~:text=To%20help%20stabilize%20its%20value,stored%20or%20made%20into%20coins |archive-date=January 2, 2021 |access-date=August 12, 2022 |website=Mystic Stamp Discovery Center |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Federal Reserve===
In the 1930s, Coughlin called on [[United States Congress|Congress]] to take back control of the [[money supply]] from the [[Federal Reserve Banks]].  He said that Congress had the authority under [[Article One of the United States Constitution#Section 8: Powers of Congress|Article I]] of the US Constitution to [[United States Mint|coin money]] and regulate its value.<ref name=":5">{{cite web |date=October 9, 2020 |title=Charles E. Coughlin |url=https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/charles-e-coughlin |access-date=December 1, 2024 |website=Holocaust Encyclopedia}}</ref>

=== Fascism ===
As the 1930s progressed, Coughlin's views changed. Eventually he became "openly antidemocratic", according to the political scientists [[Steven Levitsky]] and [[Daniel Ziblatt]], "calling for the abolition of political parties and questioning the value of elections".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Levitsky |first1=Steven |url=https://archive.org/details/howdemocraciesdi0000levi |title=How Democracies Die |last2=Ziblatt |first2=Daniel |date=January 16, 2018 |publisher=Crown Publishing |isbn=978-1-5247-6295-7 |edition=First edition, ebook |page=[https://archive.org/details/howdemocraciesdi0000levi/page/31 31] |url-access=limited}}</ref> His views mirrored those of Richards, who held [[reactionary]] [[Conservatism|conservative]] beliefs.{{r|RWCoughlin}}

In 1936, Coughlin expressed sympathy for the fascist governments of [[Hitler|Adolf Hitler]] in Germany and [[Mussolini|Benito Mussolini]] in Italy, terming them as an antidote to Communism.{{sfn|Marcus|1972|pp=189–90}} A ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' report from Berlin in 1938 identified Coughlin as "the German hero in America for the moment" with his sympathetic statements towards Nazism as "a defensive front against Bolshevism".<ref name="3StationsRefuse">{{Cite magazine |date=December 1, 1938 |title=Three Stations Refuse Coughlin Talks For Allegedly Inciting Race Prejudice |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1938/1938-12-01-BC.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102195012/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1938/1938-12-01-BC.pdf |archive-date=January 2, 2021 |access-date=August 11, 2019 |magazine=Broadcasting |pages=17, 79 |volume=15 |issue=11}}</ref>

However, in February 1939, when the American Nazi organization the [[German American Bund]] held a large rally in New York City,{{sfn|Bredemus|2011}} Coughlin immediately distanced himself from them. On the ''Golden Hour'', he said: <blockquote>"Nothing can be gained by linking ourselves with any organization which is engaged in agitating racial animosities or propagating racial hatreds. Organizations which stand upon such platforms are immoral and their policies are only negative."{{sfn|Coughlin|1939}}</blockquote>

=== Prohibition ===
Coughlin was critical of [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibitionism]], which he said was the work of "fanatics".{{sfn|Brinkley|1983|p=96}}

==In popular culture==
* [[Sax Rohmer|Sax Rohmer's]] 1946 novel ''[[Fu Manchu#Books|President Fu Manchu]]'' features the character Dom Patrick Donegal, a Catholic priest and radio host, who is based on Coughlin. Donegal is the only person who knows that a criminal mastermind is manipulating a U.S. presidential race.
* In his 1944 song ''Lindbergh'', singer [[Woody Guthrie]] includes the line "yonder comes Father Coughlin wearing the silver chain, cash in his stomach and [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] on the brain."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://genius.com/Woody-guthrie-lindbergh-lyrics|title=Lindbergh|publisher=genius.com|accessdate=December 2, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://woodyguthrie.org/Lyrics/Mister_Charlie_Lindburgh.htm|title=Mister Charles Lindbergh|publisher=woodyguthrie.org|accessdate=December 2, 2023}}</ref>
* Coughlin inspired the character of Bishop Prang in [[Sinclair Lewis]]'s 1935 novel ''[[It Can't Happen Here]]''.<ref name="itcan'thappenhere">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/getting-close-to-fascism-with-sinclair-lewiss-it-cant-happen-here|title=Getting Close to Fascism with Sinclair Lewis's "It Can't Happen Here"|first=Alexander|last=Nazaryan|magazine=The New Yorker|date=October 16, 2022|accessdate=December 2, 2023}}</ref><ref name=conspiracy>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/exploring-hate/2022/03/09/ep-6-social-justice/|title=Radioactive: Ep. 6: Social Justice|publisher=PBS|date=March 9, 2022|accessdate=December 2, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.litcharts.com/lit/it-can-t-happen-here/characters/father-charles-coughlin | title=LitCharts }}</ref> Prang endorses Buzz Windrip, a character based on Huey Long, who defeats Roosevelt in the 1936 U.S. presidential election and sets up a fascist government.<ref name="itcan'thappenhere" /><ref name=conspiracy />
* Coughlin inspired the character of Father Crighton, the antisemitic radio priest in [[Arthur Miller]]'s 1945 novel ''[[Focus (novel)|Focus]].'' It was adapted into [[Focus (2001 film)|a movie]] in 2001.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-nov-02-ca-64464-story.html|title=Trying to Keep Plausibility in 'Focus'|work=Los Angeles Times|date=November 2, 2001|accessdate=December 4, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2001-11-09-0111090309-story.html|title=Focus' an obvious look at bigotry|first=Michael|last=Wilmington|publisher=Chicago Tribune|date=November 9, 2001|accessdate=December 4, 2023}}</ref>
* The 2015 novel ''[[Joe Steele (novel)|Joe Steele]]'' by [[Harry Turtledove]] briefly features Coughlin as an outspoken critic of President Steele, an American president based on the Soviet dictator [[Joseph Stalin]]. In the novel, Steele silences Coughlin by accusing him of being a Nazi spy and has him sentenced to death. Ironically, Coughlin's defense attorney in the trial is Jewish.
* The children's author [[Theodor Seuss Geisel]] attacked Coughlin in 1942 in a series of political cartoons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://library.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dswenttowar/index.html#q=%22Coughlin%22&utf8=%E2%9c%93&op=AND&f%5Bcollection_sim%5D%5B%5D=Dr.+Seuss+Political+Cartoons&sort=object_create_dtsi+asc%2C+title_ssi+asc&format=json|title=Dr. Seuss Went to War|publisher=Libraries.ucsd.edu|date=February 9, 1942|access-date=May 24, 2017|archive-date=January 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102195120/https://library.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dswenttowar/index.html#q=%22Coughlin%22&utf8=%E2%9c%93&op=AND&f%5Bcollection_sim%5D%5B%5D=Dr.+Seuss+Political+Cartoons&sort=object_create_dtsi+asc%2C+title_ssi+asc&format=json|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The producers of the [[HBO]] television series ''[[Carnivàle]]'' (2003–2005) said that they used Coughlin as a reference for the character of [[Brother Justin Crowe]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.centimes.demon.co.uk/Fragments/carnivaletcatranscript.html |title=Carnivale press conference |access-date=December 26, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429041919/http://www.centimes.demon.co.uk/Fragments/carnivaletcatranscript.html |archive-date=April 29, 2009 }}</ref>
* [[Philip Roth]]'s 2004 novel ''[[The Plot Against America]]'' portrays Coughlin as helping the aviator [[Charles Lindbergh]] form a pro-fascist US government.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Roth |first1=Philip |title=The Story Behind 'The Plot Against America' |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/19/books/review/the-story-behind-the-plot-against-america.html |access-date=April 12, 2021 |date=September 19, 2004 |archive-date=April 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410185525/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/19/books/review/the-story-behind-the-plot-against-america.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* In the 1975 ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]'' television episode "The Bus" (S4E6), the character [[Frank Burns (character)|Frank Burns]] discusses meeting his first love during a high school debate on whether Coughlin should become president.
* In her [[podcast]] ''Ultra'', [[Rachel Maddow]] describes Coughlin's radio show and publications at length, mainly in the context of his support of the Christian Front during the failed attempt to convict them for their plans to overthrow the federal government.
* In the video game [[Hearts of Iron IV]], Coughlin can be selected as "Fascist demagogue" if the player chooses to play as the US.

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Catholicism|Michigan|United States|Radio}}
* [[Radio propaganda]]
* [[Clerical fascism]]
* [[Fascism in North America]]
* [[Frank J. Hogan]], ABA president who rebutted Coughlin on the air
* {{annotated link|Huey Long}}
* {{annotated link|John Francis Cronin}}
* {{annotated link|Jozef Tiso}}
* {{annotated link|Robert P. Shuler}}
* {{annotated link|Archibald John Shaw}}
* {{annotated link|Jozef Murgaš}} (Slovak "Radio priest")
* [[Elias Simojoki]] - Pastor and fascist leader

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
===Citations and references===
{{Reflist|20em}}

===Works cited===
{{Refbegin|indent=yes|30em}}
* {{cite book |editor1-first=Charles A. |editor1-last=Beard |editor2-first=George H.E. |editor2-last=Smith |title=Current Problems of Public Policy: A Collection of Materials |url=https://archive.org/details/currentproblemso0000bear |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=The Macmillan Company |year=1936 |page=[https://archive.org/details/currentproblemso0000bear/page/54 54] }}
* {{cite book|last= Bennett|first= William J.|title= America: The Last Best Hope, Vol. 1|location= New York|publisher= HarperCollins|year= 2007}}
* {{cite journal|last=Boyea|first= Earl|title= The Reverend Charles Coughlin and the Church: the Gallagher Years, 1930-1937|journal= Catholic Historical Review|volume= 81|issue=2 |year=1995|pages=211–225|doi= 10.1353/cat.1995.0044|s2cid= 163684965}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.traces.org/americanbund.html |title=American Bund - The Failure of American Nazism: The German-American Bund's Attempt to Create an American "Fifth Column" |first=Jim |last=Bredemus |publisher=TRACES |access-date=March 2, 2011 |year=2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518142641/http://www.traces.org/americanbund.html |archive-date=May 18, 2011 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book|last=Brinkley|first=Alan|title=Voices of Protest: Huey Long, Father Coughlin, and the Great Depression|location=New York |publisher=Vintage|year=1983|orig-year=1982|isbn=0-394-71628-0}}
* {{cite book|first=Ronald H. |last=Carpenter|title=Father Charles E. Coughlin|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year= 1998| page= 173}}
* {{cite news|last=Coughlin|first=Charles|title=Column|newspaper=The New York Times|date= February 27, 1939}}
* {{cite book|first=Marc |last=Dollinger |author-link=Marc Dollinger |year=2000 |title=Quest for Inclusion| publisher=Princeton University Press}}
* {{cite book |first=Lawrence |last=DiStasi |title=Una storia segreta: The Secret History of Italian American Evacuation and Internment During World II |url=https://archive.org/details/unastoriasegreta00lawr |url-access=registration |publisher=Heyday Books |date=May 1, 2001 |page=[https://archive.org/details/unastoriasegreta00lawr/page/163 163] |isbn=978-1-890771-40-9 }}
* {{cite book|last=Kazin|first=Michael|title=The Populist Persuasion: An American History|url=https://archive.org/details/populistpersuasi00kazirich|url-access=registration|location=New York|publisher=Basic Books|year=1995|isbn=0-465-03793-3}}
* {{cite book|first=David M.|last=Kennedy|title=Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929–1945|url=https://archive.org/details/freedomfromfeara00kenn|url-access=registration|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1999|page=[https://archive.org/details/freedomfromfeara00kenn/page/232 232]|isbn=978-0-19-503834-7}}
* {{cite book|last1=Lawrence|first1=John Shelton|last2=Jewett|first2=Robert|title=The Myth of the American Superhero|url=https://archive.org/details/mythofamericansu00lawr_0|url-access=registration|publisher=Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing|year=2002|page=[https://archive.org/details/mythofamericansu00lawr_0/page/132 132]}}
* {{cite book|last=Marcus|first=Sheldon|title=Father Coughlin: The Tumultuous Life Of The Priest Of The Little Flower|url=https://archive.org/details/fathercoughlintu0000marc|url-access=registration|location=Boston|publisher=Little, Brown and Co.|year=1972|isbn=0-316-54596-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Maier|first=Thomas|title=The Kennedys: America's Emerald Kings: A Five-Generation History of the Ultimate Irish-Catholic Family|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=17F5wKC_rtgC&pg=PT498|year=2009|publisher=Basic Books|isbn=978-0-7867-4016-1|access-date=October 10, 2018|archive-date=January 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102195103/https://books.google.com/books?id=17F5wKC_rtgC&pg=PT498|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|first1=Peter C. |last1=Rollins |first2=John E. |last2=O'Connor|title= Hollywood's White House: The American Presidency in Film and History |year=2005|publisher= University Press of Kentucky|page=160}}
* {{cite journal|last=Sayer|first=J.|year=1987|title= Father Charles Coughlin: Ideologue and Demagogue of the Depression|journal= Journal of the Northwest Communication Association|volume= 15|issue=1|pages= 17–30}}
* {{Cite book | publisher = University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-25978-2 | last = Schrag | first = Peter | title = Not Fit for Our Society: Nativism and Immigration | year = 2010 | url = https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780520259782 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Severin |first1=Werner Joseph |last2=Tankard |first2=James W. |author-link2=James W. Tankard, Jr. |title=Communication Theories |edition=5th revised |year=2001 |orig-year=1997 |publisher=Longman |isbn=0-8013-3335-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/communicationthe00wern}}
* {{cite book |last= Shannon |first= William V. |author-link= William V. Shannon |title= The American Irish: a political and social portrait |publisher= Univ of Massachusetts Press |url= https://archive.org/details/americanirishpo00shan |url-access= registration |quote= Ku Klux Klan shrine of the little flower. |year= 1989 |orig-year= 1963 |isbn=978-0-87023-689-1 |oclc= 19670135 |page= [https://archive.org/details/americanirishpo00shan/page/298 298] }}
* {{cite book|first=Amanda |last=Smith|title=Hostage to Fortune|year=2002|pages= 122, 171, 379, 502}}
* {{cite book|last=Tull|first=Charles J.|title=Father Coughlin and the New Deal|url=https://archive.org/details/fathercoughlinne0000tull|url-access=registration|location=Syracuse, N.Y.|publisher=Syracuse University Press|year=1965|isbn=0-8156-0043-7}}
* {{cite journal |last=Turrini |first=Joseph M. |title=Catholic Social Reform and the New Deal |journal=Annotation |publisher=National Historical publications and Records Commission |volume=30 |issue=1 |date=March 2002 |pages=7, 8, 19 |url=https://www.archives.gov/nhprc/annotation/2002/2002-mar.pdf |access-date=February 2, 2013 |archive-date=September 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921164238/http://www.archives.gov/nhprc/annotation/2002/2002-mar.pdf |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book|last=Warren|first=Donald|title=Radio Priest: Charles Coughlin The Father of Hate Radio|location=New York|publisher=The Free Press|year=1996|isbn=0-684-82403-5|url=https://archive.org/details/radiopriestcharl0000warr}}
* {{cite book |first1=David B. |last1=Woolner |first2=Richard G. |last2=Kurial |title=FDR, the Vatican, and the Roman Catholic Church in America, 1933–1945 |url=https://archive.org/details/fdrvaticanromanc00wool |url-access=limited |year=2003 |page=[https://archive.org/details/fdrvaticanromanc00wool/page/n293 275] |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan US |isbn=978-1-4039-6168-6 }}

==Further reading==
* Abzug, Robert E. ''American Views of the Holocaust, 1933–1945''. (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 1999).
* Athans, Mary Christine. "A New Perspective on Father Charles E. Coughlin". ''Church History'' 56:2 (June 1987), pp.&nbsp;224–235.
* Athans, Mary Christine. ''The Coughlin-Fahey Connection: Father Charles E. Coughlin, Father Denis Fahey, C.S. Sp., and Religious Anti-Semitism in the United States, 1938–1954''. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 1991. {{ISBN|0-8204-1534-0}}
* Carpenter, Ronald H. "Father Charles E. Coughlin: Delivery, Style in Discourse, and Opinion Leadership", in ''American Rhetoric in the New Deal Era, 1932–1945''. (Michigan State University Press, 2006), pp.&nbsp;315–368. {{ISBN|0-87013-767-0}}
* Gallagher, Charles. "“Correct and Christian”: American Jesuit Support of Father Charles E. Coughlin's Anti-Semitism, 1935–38." in ''The Tragic Couple'' (Brill, 2014) pp. 295-315.
* General Jewish Council. ''Father Coughlin: His "Facts" and Arguments''. New York: General Jewish Council, 1939.
* Goodman, David. "Before hate speech: Charles Coughlin, free speech and listeners’ rights." ''Patterns of Prejudice'' 49.3 (2015): 199-224. doi.org/10.1080/0031322X.2015.1048972
* Hangen, Tona J. ''Redeeming the Dial: Radio, Religion and Popular Culture in America''. (U of North Carolina Press. 2002). {{ISBN|0-8078-2752-5}}
* Kay, Jack, George W. Ziegelmueller, and Kevin M. Minch. "From Coughlin to contemporary talk radio: Fallacies & propaganda in American populist radio." ''Journal of Radio Studies'' 5.1 (1998): 9-21. doi.org/10.1080/19376529809384526
* Ketchaver, Karen G. "Father Charles E. Coughlin-the" Radio Priest" of the 1930s." ''Theological librarianship'' 2.2 (2009): 81-88. [https://serials.atla.com/theolib/article/download/2686/3408 online]
* Mazzenga, Maria. "Condemning the Nazis' Kristallnacht: Father Maurice Sheehy, the National Catholic Welfare Conference, and the Dissent of Father Charles Coughlin." ''U.S. Catholic Historian'' 26.4 (2008): 71-87. [https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/16/article/490632/summary   excerpt]
* Schlesinger, Arthur M., Jr. ''The Age of Roosevelt: The Politics of Upheaval, 1935–1936''. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003. (Originally published in 1960.) {{ISBN|0-618-34087-4}}
* Smith, Geoffrey S. ''To Save A Nation: American Counter-Subversives, the New Deal, and the Coming of World War II''. New York: Basic Books, 1973. {{ISBN|0-465-08625-X}}
* Wang, Tianyi. "Media, pulpit, and populist persuasion: Evidence from Father Coughlin." ''American Economic Review'' 111.9 (2021): 3064–3092. [https://www.econ.ku.dk/cebi/publikationer/journals/Father_Coughlin_July11_2021.pdf online]

{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Charles Coughlin |sopt=t}}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.ssa.gov/history/cough.html |title=Father Charles E. Coughlin; Social Security History |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=ssa.gov |publisher=[[Social Security Administration]] |access-date=August 26, 2016 }}
* [http://www.ssa.gov/history/fcspeech.html Father Coughlin & The Search For "Social Justice"] Text
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101223070750/http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/hist409/coughlin/coughlin.html Brief information on Coughlin, including an audio excerpt]
* [http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/media_fi.php?ModuleId=10005516&MediaId=2517 Video of Coughlin attacking Roosevelt]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090224203858/http://www.history.com/video.do?name=culture History Channel Audio File- Father Coughlin denouncing the New Deal]
* [http://www.ajcarchives.org/main.php?GroupingId=6060 American Jewish Committees extensive archive on Coughlin; includes contemporary pamphlets and correspondence]
* [http://www.reuther.wayne.edu/node/6557 Father Charles Coughlin FBI Files] at the [[Walter P. Reuther Library]]
* [https://archive.org/details/AmIAnAnti-semite ''Am I An Anti-Semite?'' by Charles Coughlin at archive.org]
* [[iarchive:Father_Coughlin|Coughlin radio broadcasts at archive.org]]
* {{PM20|FID=pe/003510}}
* [https://www.pbs.org/wnet/exploring-hate/series/radioactive/ The 8-part podcast series ''Radioactive: The Father Coughlin Story'' by Exploring Hate on PBS]
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsCGySeSkSY Official podcast trailer]

{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coughlin, Charles}}
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