What does 'bunds' here mean?
Taft feared the enemy within: as he said in 1938, there was “a good deal more danger of the infiltration of totalitarian ideas from the New Deal circle in Washington than there will ever be from any activities of the communists or the Nazi bunds.”

Thank you.

Question

What does 'bunds' here mean?
Taft feared the enemy within: as he said in 1938, there was “a good deal more danger of the infiltration of totalitarian ideas from the New Deal circle in Washington than there will ever be from any activities of the communists or the Nazi bunds.”

Thank you.

Answer

I believe he was referring to the German American Bund (Amerikadeutscher bund; Amerikadeutscher Volksbund). An American Nazi organization est. in 1936 that consisted only of American citizens of German descent. It focused on promoting -in the US- a favourable view of Nazi Germany.

Answer

"bunds" means something like a barrier made from the earth.  I think in this context, Taft was saying that people in Washington were more (ideologically) dangerous than communists or Nazis.  The word bunds is probably unnecessary but it adds a dramatic visualization of soldiers fighting for a cause, and still that is ineffective compared to those in the "New Deal" circle.

Answer

"Bund" is a German word -- the meaning in English is something like "association," "federation," "organization" or "league."