Red Commissar
16th October 2010, 22:48
I saw this pop up on Leftist Trainspotters list, I thought it would be interesting to share with the rest of you:
http://library.bloomu.edu/Archives/SC/RadicalNewsletters/newsletters.htm
These are a series of publications, ranging from the far-right, to various anti-Communist publications, and finally various left-wing publications in the US during the 1930s.
The first is the Nazi American Bulletin, collecting a series of issues from the publication dealing with the court trial of a racist demagogue in New York, Raymond J. Healey, for inciting violence. Front and center in these publications is what we come to expect from Nazis during this time- blaming everything on a Jewish conspiracy to undermine the United States, and bring that back to the Bolsheviks. The newspaper essentially parrots the NSDAP's platform, domestic and foreign, to its readers, including the ever common statements of how "National Socialism" is different from Marxism. The publication was aimed at rural communities in New York and Pennsylvania.
It gives commentary on American domestic concerns, mostly over the New Deal (which it creatively terms "The Jew Deal":rolleyes:). Unsurprisingly it glorifies the achievements of Germany under Nazi rule, calls FDR a communist, and the usual ranting. The September 18th, 1935 issue is devoted solely to the assassination of Huey Long, which it attributes to a Jewish conspiracy, once again.
A very interesting thing in this far-right nonsense was the publication's stance towards Fascist Italy. Apparently it also accused Italy of falling under the sway of the Jews and condemned Italy for being too brutal (!) in Ethiopia. It sees the Ethiopian War, once again, as a Jewish plot.
The following two are anti-Communist publications that started appearing after WW II in the early phases of the Cold War.
The first batch- The Network- was published in late 1944 by a German emigre warning about Soviet plans in the aftermath of the war, mostly in regards to Germany but also warns about Soviet-backed movements in western states.
The second batch is probably more well-known- Counterattack. Counterattack could be viewed as the Cold War equivalent of Jihad Watch. It was staffed by former FBI officials and was published by American Business Consultants, a front funded by the anti-Communist Alfred Kohlberg. It was active in the early years of the Cold War and essentially lashed out at any perceived Communist subversion in the United States.
The rest of the nonsense is the same- ranting over people's political leanings and exposing the "evil" of Communists. The problem this paper caused was a blatant violation of personal privacy and rampant libel. Being former members of the FBI, the editors had access to the HUAC hearings and subversives listed in the FBI, and then threw these into the public light, making accusations with out much evidence.
It is an interesting look on the hysteria developing in the issues from the late 1940s, very much foreshadowing of the red-baiting that would become common tactics in Senator McCarthy's witchhunts in the State Department and HUAC's investigation of Hollywood in the House. It is important to note that Counterattack would come into infamy by a publication of a special issue in 1950- "Red Channels"- which it exposed what it described to be Communist subversion in the media, notably Hollywood. It listed 151 names that HUAC was investigating in the entertainment industry, for the public's "knowledge". Some of those in the list were already blacklisted, and others in the process of being blacklisted.
The last batch come from left-wing groups.
The first is The Bulletin of the Marxist Policy Committee, a group whose only focus seemed to be attacking "ultra-leftists", mostly Trotskyists, in the United States. Most of it was directed those who read The Appeal, a Trotskyist publication that followed the eponymous grouping in the SPUSA that was attempting entryism. It seems to be more or less sectarian in nature and blasts at any opportunity the "Trotsky-Cannon" bloc.
The group shared stances with Hugo Oehler, a Communist who was originally in the Workers Party of the United States, but left when the party voted to do entryism into the SPA. The Marxist Policy group was originally separate from Oehler, but funding problems and not many real differences between the two would lead the MPC to Oehler's Revolutionary Workers' League.
Beyond this, again, it doesn't seem to be much more than a sectarian hack, but it is interesting to see a perspective in the US left during the so-called "French Turn" in the Trotskyist movement. The ranting on the Spanish Civil War is amusing too.
The next piece is the Socialist Monthly, a publication of the Libertarian Socialist League. The selections unsurprisingly have perspective on current events critical of both the United States and the Soviet Union, and the usual calls for the working class to unite and fight exploitation. It decries the collapse in workers' rights and attacks left-wing groups in the United States, ML or Trots, for their complicity.
There is not much else unique here, but it is a look into the Libertarian Socialist mindset in the 1950s, often overlooked in the hectic Cold War Era.
The next is the Left Wing Caucus of the Young Socialist League. The notable call is in the first issue for "Unity to the Left", and the call for a robust Third Camp between the ML groups and reformists and capitalists. It calls out the reformist tendencies that the Schachtman group was showing as well as calls for working with groups they deemed reformist or bourgeois.
The Negro Labor News Service, while not advocating anything particularly radical, shows a light on the Civil Rights movement in 1931, not often shown in history. It makes commentary on domestic and economic issues, as well as foreign ones, one of interest is its coverage of discontent from African natives in South Africa.
And last is the Socialist Youth Review, a publication of the Schachtman Workers' Party. They are long and mostly focus on theoretical concerns. The issue's look at the growing Italian cinema at the time, what we usually call Italian Neorealism, is worth a look for those of you who are familiar with it.
http://library.bloomu.edu/Archives/SC/RadicalNewsletters/newsletters.htm
These are a series of publications, ranging from the far-right, to various anti-Communist publications, and finally various left-wing publications in the US during the 1930s.
The first is the Nazi American Bulletin, collecting a series of issues from the publication dealing with the court trial of a racist demagogue in New York, Raymond J. Healey, for inciting violence. Front and center in these publications is what we come to expect from Nazis during this time- blaming everything on a Jewish conspiracy to undermine the United States, and bring that back to the Bolsheviks. The newspaper essentially parrots the NSDAP's platform, domestic and foreign, to its readers, including the ever common statements of how "National Socialism" is different from Marxism. The publication was aimed at rural communities in New York and Pennsylvania.
It gives commentary on American domestic concerns, mostly over the New Deal (which it creatively terms "The Jew Deal":rolleyes:). Unsurprisingly it glorifies the achievements of Germany under Nazi rule, calls FDR a communist, and the usual ranting. The September 18th, 1935 issue is devoted solely to the assassination of Huey Long, which it attributes to a Jewish conspiracy, once again.
A very interesting thing in this far-right nonsense was the publication's stance towards Fascist Italy. Apparently it also accused Italy of falling under the sway of the Jews and condemned Italy for being too brutal (!) in Ethiopia. It sees the Ethiopian War, once again, as a Jewish plot.
The following two are anti-Communist publications that started appearing after WW II in the early phases of the Cold War.
The first batch- The Network- was published in late 1944 by a German emigre warning about Soviet plans in the aftermath of the war, mostly in regards to Germany but also warns about Soviet-backed movements in western states.
The second batch is probably more well-known- Counterattack. Counterattack could be viewed as the Cold War equivalent of Jihad Watch. It was staffed by former FBI officials and was published by American Business Consultants, a front funded by the anti-Communist Alfred Kohlberg. It was active in the early years of the Cold War and essentially lashed out at any perceived Communist subversion in the United States.
The rest of the nonsense is the same- ranting over people's political leanings and exposing the "evil" of Communists. The problem this paper caused was a blatant violation of personal privacy and rampant libel. Being former members of the FBI, the editors had access to the HUAC hearings and subversives listed in the FBI, and then threw these into the public light, making accusations with out much evidence.
It is an interesting look on the hysteria developing in the issues from the late 1940s, very much foreshadowing of the red-baiting that would become common tactics in Senator McCarthy's witchhunts in the State Department and HUAC's investigation of Hollywood in the House. It is important to note that Counterattack would come into infamy by a publication of a special issue in 1950- "Red Channels"- which it exposed what it described to be Communist subversion in the media, notably Hollywood. It listed 151 names that HUAC was investigating in the entertainment industry, for the public's "knowledge". Some of those in the list were already blacklisted, and others in the process of being blacklisted.
The last batch come from left-wing groups.
The first is The Bulletin of the Marxist Policy Committee, a group whose only focus seemed to be attacking "ultra-leftists", mostly Trotskyists, in the United States. Most of it was directed those who read The Appeal, a Trotskyist publication that followed the eponymous grouping in the SPUSA that was attempting entryism. It seems to be more or less sectarian in nature and blasts at any opportunity the "Trotsky-Cannon" bloc.
The group shared stances with Hugo Oehler, a Communist who was originally in the Workers Party of the United States, but left when the party voted to do entryism into the SPA. The Marxist Policy group was originally separate from Oehler, but funding problems and not many real differences between the two would lead the MPC to Oehler's Revolutionary Workers' League.
Beyond this, again, it doesn't seem to be much more than a sectarian hack, but it is interesting to see a perspective in the US left during the so-called "French Turn" in the Trotskyist movement. The ranting on the Spanish Civil War is amusing too.
The next piece is the Socialist Monthly, a publication of the Libertarian Socialist League. The selections unsurprisingly have perspective on current events critical of both the United States and the Soviet Union, and the usual calls for the working class to unite and fight exploitation. It decries the collapse in workers' rights and attacks left-wing groups in the United States, ML or Trots, for their complicity.
There is not much else unique here, but it is a look into the Libertarian Socialist mindset in the 1950s, often overlooked in the hectic Cold War Era.
The next is the Left Wing Caucus of the Young Socialist League. The notable call is in the first issue for "Unity to the Left", and the call for a robust Third Camp between the ML groups and reformists and capitalists. It calls out the reformist tendencies that the Schachtman group was showing as well as calls for working with groups they deemed reformist or bourgeois.
The Negro Labor News Service, while not advocating anything particularly radical, shows a light on the Civil Rights movement in 1931, not often shown in history. It makes commentary on domestic and economic issues, as well as foreign ones, one of interest is its coverage of discontent from African natives in South Africa.
And last is the Socialist Youth Review, a publication of the Schachtman Workers' Party. They are long and mostly focus on theoretical concerns. The issue's look at the growing Italian cinema at the time, what we usually call Italian Neorealism, is worth a look for those of you who are familiar with it.