This book tells the story of Dorothy Thompson, the first American reporter to be granted an interview with Hitler. This was among her many "firsts" as a reporter. By following Dorothy's career as a journalist from 1920-1940, including her documentation of the rise of fascism in Europe, the author explains why she was uniquely positioned to write her unpublished 1940 memo, "The Nazi Set-Up in America." This memo, which was not taken seriously at the time, shed light on how the Nazis attempted to interfere in the 1940 US election. Dorothy's letters, and an unprecedented amount of hard to find documents, including government documents, newspapers, propaganda, and rare books come together to tell the story of how fascism could work behind the scenes and in front of the American public's faces.

John Klima began his writing career inside the Los Angeles Times newsroom while still in high school, before graduating with a degree in cultural anthropology from Cal State University, Northridge. He wrote as a staff writer, columnist and freelancer for several L.A. newspapers, culminating in coverage of major league baseball and freelance appearances in The New York Times.