Black Propaganda – The Political History of Anton Mussert's Publishing House – Harold Makaske

Anton Mussert's publishing house sold paper to resistance newspapers
Revealing book about the NENASU
While NSB members tracked down resistance members and Dutch volunteers were killed on the eastern front, Anton Mussert's Nederlandsche Nationaal-Socialistische Uitgeverij (NENASU) sold printing paper to resistance newspapers. At the end of 1944, magazines such as De Waarheid, Trouw and De Baanbreker appeared on paper supplied by NENASU. This is the conclusion of Harold Makaske's research into the history of Anton Mussert's publishing house NENASU. For his book Zwarte Propaganda he delved into the archives and made a number of remarkable discoveries.

Anton Mussert founded NENASU in 1934. 'He was fired as chief engineer of Provinciale Waterstaat in Utrecht and used the publishing house as a new source of income. That did him no harm. The sale of books and brochures, and in particular the NSB weekly newspaper Volk en Vaderland, brought in so much that from the very first moment he earned more than as chief engineer. Of course he kept that hidden to present himself as a martyr. When the figures were published by a whistleblower in 1936, it was big news,' says Makaske.

Before the German invasion in May 1940, NENASU was the propaganda machine of the NSB. During the occupation it became a predatory machine. Makaske: 'Mussert had a few newspapers banned and then took over those printing companies far below market value. He also arranged an exemption from wage tax because, as leader of the NSB, he could not be an employee. The tax authorities accepted that political argument.'

Black propaganda not only describes the history and publications of the publishing house, but also the political positions of the NSB through the NENASU publications. 'The negative, often even rude language is remarkable. I deliberately chose to tell the story based on hundreds of quotes from NSB members and their opponents. With this I try to place the reader in the middle of the political debate. The book also contains an investigation into anti-Semitism in Volk en Vaderland. The deportations of the Jews were welcomed in the NSB training programme. His publishing house made money from the sale of anti-Semitic teaching materials. Mussert's movement was much more extreme than some historians would have you believe,' explains Makaske.

In the concluding remarks, the writer ventures to compare the current political situation with that in the XNUMXs. Makaske: 'There are disturbing similarities. In the XNUMXs, Dutch democracy was protected by pillarisation. Now the voters are adrift and the country threatens to become ungovernable due to the rise of parties that advocate bigotry or stand for only a single interest.'

Black propaganda, 486 pages hardcover
Publisher Brave New Books
ISBN 9789464802085