Includes bibliographical references and index.

This story of an anti-fascist's dramatic and remarkable victory against Nazism in 1935 is an inspiration to anyone compelled to resist when signs of oppression are on the horizon. 'By 1935, Hitler had suppressed all internal opposition and established himself as Germany's unchallenged dictator. Yet many American remained largely indifferent as he turned his dangerous ambitions abroad. William Bailey was not among them. When the SS Bremen, the flagship of Hitler's commercial armada, was welcomed into New York Harbor just days after violent anti-Semitic riots broke out in Berlin, Bailey led a small group that slipped past guards and cut down the Nazi flag from the boat in the middle of a lavish party. A brawl ensued, followed by a media circus, and a trial, in which Bailey and his team were stunningly acquitted. The political victory ultimately exposed Hitler's narcissism and violent aggression for all of America to see. The Agitator is the captivating story of Bailey's courage and vision in the Bremen incident, as well as his adventures in the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and eventually the onslaught of McCarthyism. It celebrates Bailey as a man with a big personality and a bigger heart, one of the few who saw the danger of fascism early, and fought it with everything he had.