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John Tanton (1934-2019) was a white nationalist anti-immigration and far-right activist from Michigan who was responsible for various nativist associations. He was described as " at the heart of the white nationalist movement" during his time in a profile of him from the Southern Poverty Law Center.[1] A 2002 article on him also notes that "the vast majority of American anti-immigration groups — more than a dozen in all — were either formed, led, or in other ways made possible through Tanton's efforts."[2]
Tanton began his time in politics primarily as an environmental activist, serving as a leader of organizations like the Sierra Club, which he helped establish chapters of.[3] However, in the 1970s he (like many[4]) became obsessed with the issue of overpopulation and, along with that, population control, specifically of those who were not white. This, along with him finding the novel The Camp of the Saints, caused him to become an anti-immigration activist.[2]
WITAN MEMO[edit]
Quite possibly the most infamous episode in Tanton's life involved a 1988 incident that saw some highly questionable memos being released. These memos are called the WITAN memos, and they were written by Tanton and his collogues for their fellow insiders.[2] These documents show that "Tanton had made explicitly racial arguments that large-scale Hispanic migration threatened the foundations of American society," and were made all the more damning through them being leaked just before a referendum in Arizona which would have made English the official language of the state, which Tanton had gotten large amounts of publicity for, along with some high-profile supporters. The Michigan Daily News notes that his campaign had "several high-profile backers, including former California Republican Sen. Ichiye Hayakawa — who was born in Canada and was of Japanese descent — and former CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite he helped launch the advocacy group U.S. English to accomplish this, initially by forcing ballot referendums on the issue in states such as California and Arizona."[5]
Most infamously, the memo warns of a South Africa style apartheid occurring in California:
Is apartheid in Southern California’s future? The democraphic picture in South Africa now is startlingly similar to what we’ll see in California in 2030. In Southern Africa, a White minority owns the property, has the best jobs and education, has the political power, and speaks one language. A non-White majority has poor education, jobs and income, owns little property, is on its way to political power and speaks a different language. (The official language policy in South Africa is bilingualism -- the Blacks are taught in Zulu and related tongues.)
In California of 2030, the non-Hispanic Whites and Asians will own the property, have the good jobs and education, speak one language and be mostly Protestant and "other." The Blacks and Hispanics will have the poor jobs, will lack education, own little property, speak another language and will be mainly catholic. Will there be strength in this diversity? Or will this prove a social and political San Andreas Fault?[6]
This bizarre attempt to appear like they are helping the oppressed is common throughout this memo, which also wonders "Will Blacks be able to improve (or even maintain) their position in the face of the Latin onslaught?"[6] The phrase "Latin onslaught" being a rather infamous racist statement used in the document.
Racism[edit]
Tanton had a history of making incredibly racist statements over the course of his life. One 1996 letter saw him wondering “whether the minorities who are going to inherit California (85% of the lower-grade school children are now ‘minorities’ – demography is destiny) can run an advanced society,” for example.[1]
Eugenics[edit]
Tanton endorsed eugenics over the course of his life, once authoring a paper called “The Case for Passive Eugenics.”[7]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 JOHN TANTON SPLC
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 JOHN TANTON IS THE MASTERMIND BEHIND THE ORGANIZED ANTI-IMMIGRATION MOVEMENT SPLC
- ↑ John Tanton, architect of anti-immigration and English-only efforts, dies at 85 The Washington Post
- ↑ The Unrealized Horrors of Population Explosion The New York Times
- ↑ John Tanton, the nativist next door The Michigan Daily
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 'WITAN MEMO' III SPLC
- ↑ Ties Between Anti-Immigrant Movement and Eugenics ADL