Sergeant Red Dugan looked at the drink in front of him. He was a marine, on leave in South America with his friends: army private Whitey Smith and petty officer 'Bluey' Blue of the Navy. And what a leave it had been! On just the first day, they'd almost ruined an operation by secret agent Doris West, though they made up for it. West, either impressed or just because they knew too much, had insisted they join military intelligence; she would be their contact.
For now, though, the three chums were enjoying their leave; at the moment, they were in a restaurant, flirting with the waitresses and talking over old times; they'd grown up together in Oakville.
Suddenly, a man walked over to them. He was average height, with dark hair and grey eyes. He wore a green business suit, and a straw hat. What was most peculiar about him was his shirt—it was not normal shirt material, it was a grey denim shirt.
"Excuse me, gentlemen," he said, "are you in the United States Military?"
"Yes," Whitey said, "We're on leave."
"Can we do something for you?" asked Bluey.
"Yes, actually. You see, I am Professor Lebensraum, a speaker for a tourist group, and I want to make a demonstration, which would go best with military men. Would you like to volunteer."
"Sure," said Red, "when do we start?"
"As soon as you are ready."
They paid their bill and followed the strange man out. Their destination was a few blocks down the street, the professor told them, so they could walk.
"I don't trust this guy," Red whispered to his friends; they were keeping behind the professor by a few feet.
"Why not?" asked Whitey.
"Lebensraum is German for 'living quarters.' It's the philosophy Imperial Germany used and that Hitler uses to 'justify' their occupations of other countries."
"Are you saying this guy's a Nazi?" Bluey said, "are you sure we shouldn't call Doris?"
"Not yet, I think we'll be able to handle what happens. It might be nothing, but be careful."
They'd reach the store front that the Professor had indicated was their destination and entered. Inside they found an auditorium, with some fifty men of varying ages seated in front of a stage with three seats and a microphone. The professor led the enlisted men up the stage and took the microphone.
"Welcome," he said, "I am pleased to see so many fellow Americans on this vacation and am honored to be speaking to you. I will be discussing health and fitness, and these three men, will demonstrate the strength and abilities of the real American male."
That sounded fishy to Bluey, but he didn't say anything. He and the others just lifted dumbbells and raced around the stage and did the other tests the professor subjected them to. When they were finished, the crowd went wild.
"Thank you," the Professor said, "now let's get to know these men better. As I said, they're true Americans, and their ability to pass all these tests proves it. Now," turning to Whitey, "introduce yourself."
"I'm Whitey Smith," he said.
"Ah, a beautiful name. White, which you are, and of fine Germanic stock, I take it, from the name."
So that's his game, thought Red, well isn't he in for a surprise!
"It's more complicated than that," Whitey said, "You see they call me 'Whitey' 'cause I take after my father, who is, as you said, descended from German immigrants. But my mother is negro; they've been happily married for more than thirty years."
A few gasps erupted in the crowd. The professor looked slightly uncomfortable and shuffled along to the next up.
"I'm Red Dugan," he said, "Irish Catholic and proud of it!"
The professor shifted to the third person.
"I'm 'Bluey' Blue."
"Blue is a Scottish name, yes?" the professor asked.
"Yes, my great-grandfather was Scottish. My grandfather converted to Judaism, and most of my family is Jewish by now."
The professor was visibly annoyed. Taking up the microphone again, he said
"Obviously, these inferiors were able to cheat the tests. This is why when we return to the States you must support the Grey Shirts; only we have the determination to weed out their corrupting influences in society!"
"The only thing obvious," Red said, as he grabbed the mike and Bluey and Whitey grabbed the professor, "the only thing obvious is that you've been had. You saw us do all those tests and know we didn't cheat. You were cheering us on, and you didn't care one whit about our family backgrounds. We're American as much as anyone, because we believe in rights and freedom, democracy over tyranny. The tyranny that people like Hitler and this oaf want to impose on you!"
With that, they left, as the crowd settled down to murmur amongst themselves.
"'Grey Shirts'," Whitey said when they were back at their hotel, "weren't they the fascist party in 'The President Vanishes'?"
"You're right," Bluey said, "does this mean they're real?"
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Red said.
***Author's notes
Red, White, and Blue were a feature in the first years of All-American Comics, the magazine which later birthed the Green Lantern, the Atom, and the Red Tornado.
In general, for this story, I will assume that stories occurred five months before publication. All-American 1 came out in March of '39, for example, so it's stories occurred in October '38, with some exceptions that I'll note when I get to them