DARK DAYS IN THE NEWSROOM DARK DAYS in the NEWSROOM McCarthyism Aimed at the Press EDWARD ALWOOD TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PRESS Philadelphia Temple University Press 1601 North Broad Street Philadelphia PA 19122 www.temple.edu/tempress Copyright © 2007 by Edward Alwood All rights reserved Published 2007 Printed in the United States of America Text design by Lynne Frost The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Alwood, Edward. Dark days in the newsroom : McCarthyism aimed at the press / Edward Alwood. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 13: 978-1-59213-341-3 ISBN 10: 1-59213-341-X (cloth: alk. paper) ISBN 13: 978-1-59213-342-0 ISBN 10: 1-59213-342-8 (pbk.: alk. paper) 1. Anti-communist movements—United States—History—20th century. 2. McCarthy, Joseph, 1908–1957—Relations with journalists. 3. Journalists— United States—History—20th century. 4. Journalists—United States— Political activity—History—20th century. 5. Press and politics—United States—History—20th century. 6. United States—Politics and government— 1945–1953. 7. United States—Politics and government—1953–1961. I. Title. E743.5.A66 2007 973.921—dc22 2006034205 2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1 In Memoriam Margaret A. Blanchard Teacher, Mentor, and Friend Do the people of this land . desire to preserve those so carefully protected by the First Amendment: Liberty of religious worship, freedom of speech and of the press, and the right as freemen peaceably to assemble and petition their government for a redress of grievances? If so, let them withstand all beginnings of encroachment. For the saddest epitaph which can be carved in memory of a vanished liberty is that it was lost because its possessors failed to stretch forth a saving hand while yet there was time. — Supreme Court Justice Owen Josephus Roberts, Associated Press v. National Labor Relations Board, 301 U.S. 103 (1937) Contents Preface xi Acknowledgments xiii Introduction 1 CHAPTER ONE Awakening the Newsroom 12 CHAPTER TWO The Politics of Anticommunism 24 CHAPTER THREE Prelude to an Investigation 40 CHAPTER FOUR Reds in the Newsroom 51 CHAPTER FIVE The Specter of McCarthy 65 CHAPTER SIX Dark Clouds over the Newsroom 80 CHAPTER SEVEN The Investigation 95 CHAPTER EIGHT Deeper Trouble 108 CHAPTER NINE Journalists and the First Amendment 122 CHAPTER TEN Living with the Legacy 138 Epilogue 149 Notes 155 Selected Bibliography 191 Index 195 Preface HEN THE SENATE Internal Security Subcommittee launched its investigation of Communists in the press in 1955, I was W about to enter the fi rst grade. Although I was too young to understand the fear of communism, I was keenly aware of the anxiety sur- rounding me. I have vivid memories of classroom drills that taught us to “duck and cover” beneath our school desks in the belief that the fl imsy desks would somehow shield us from the ravages of nuclear fallout. I also remember wailing air-raid sirens that interrupted quiet days as they were being tested in anticipation of war with the Soviet Union. The frequent reminders of the dangers of the 1950s helped sustain public tensions about political confl ict. By the time I reached college age, people were less willing to accept government claims of a Communist threat. Social turmoil brought on by the civil rights movement, urban rioting, the Vietnam War, and Watergate all fed growing doubts about government policies and how those policies were being implemented. Each succeeding crisis seemed to weaken the credibility of government offi cials and boost public suspicions. When I began my career as a journalist in the early 1970s, skepticism was a driving force in reporting and explaining the news. It is from this life experience that I approach the McCarthy era. While the pressures of conformity made it unthinkable for any patriotic Ameri- can to question government authority during the fi fties, events of the sixties and seventies provided the basis for understanding the power of xii PREFACE government offi cials to defi ne the world in a manner that fi ts their own interests. This was certainly true of the anti-Communist campaign that convinced society to suspend the civil liberties of innocent people during the late 1940s and 1950s in the interest of national security. It is also true of those who defi ned the First Amendment—publishers of newspapers, the Supreme Court, and members of Congress. Although freedom of the press is regarded as a bedrock of American democracy, this book shows that First Amendment protection is not without limits and should not be taken for granted. It must be fought for and vigorously defended, else it is lost. All the questions surrounding the hunt for Reds in newspaper newsrooms may never be answered, but I hope that refl ection on its causes and an understanding of where it has led may help us to prevent it from happening again—but we can do that only if we recognize what happened the fi rst time. Although the investigations of teachers, lawyers, union offi cials, and government employees were more widespread and affected thousands of ordinary people, the investigation of journalists directly affected only a few newspapers, and only a handful of journalists lost their jobs. None served a lengthy prison sentence and none took their own lives a result—as some had in connection with other investigations. Yet, for the those whose lives were touched by it, the investigation of the press carried a heavy price, ruining careers, depleting personal savings, crushing friendships, and pub- licly humiliating people who had committed no crime. For journalists caught in the anti-Communist furor, the episode marked the point where the Cold War became more than a story in a distant land. It marked the point where the campaign against domestic communism crept into news- rooms. This study represents my attempt to understand this period, how it infl uenced journalism as a profession, and how it affected the press as a democratic institution. To be sure, the events of 1955–56 provide a commentary on the prac- tices of the McCarthy era and the Communist Party in the United States. I focus on the intersection of communism, anticommunism, and American journalism. What I learned has important implications for journalists— reporters, editors, and publishers—and for people who rely on journalism to understand events beyond their personal experience. Acknowledgments ANY INDIVIDUALS contributed thoughts, documents, and memorabilia that helped to make this book possible. I am par- M ticularly indebted to faculty and colleagues at the University of North Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communication whose scholarship provided a guiding light for beginning this study. Individuals who generously provided personal accounts and private documents that enriched the text include Russell Baker, Michael Barnet, Joan Barnet, James Benet, Richard Burdett, Michael T. Kaufman, Albin Krebs, Anthony Lewis, Barry Lipton, Herbert Mitgang, William E. Rowley, Nora Sayre, Edgar H. Scott, Julien G. Sourwine, Victor Stewart, and Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr., and Joan Whitman. Others who patiently read drafts and offered helpful comments included John Beresford, Chris Hanson, Jarice Hanson, Daniel Leab, and James Startt. I wish to thank many scholars of the Communist Party, anticommu- nism, the Newspaper Guild, and the McCarthy era for their perseverance in helping to illuminate a darkly complex period of American social and political history. Likewise, I want to thank the archivists and librarians who provided invaluable guidance to important and enlightening documents: John Earl Haynes at the Library of Congress; Charles St. Vil at the New York Times Archives; Barbara Samanche at the Park Library of the Univer- sity of North Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communication; Janet Greene at the Tamiment Library of New York University; Mattie Sink at the Mitchell Memorial Library of Mississippi State University; Jennifer S. xiv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Lukomski at the Western Historical Manuscript Collection at the State Historical Society of Missouri in Columbia; Tad Bannicoff at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library at Princeton University; Richard Salvato at the New York Public Library; Harold L. Miller at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin; Paula P. Hinton, Riddley R. Kessler, Maureen St. John-Breen, and Becky Breazeale at the Walter Royal Davis Library of the University of North Carolina; Larkie Gildersleeve at the Newspaper Guild; William LeFevre at the Walter Reuther Library of Wayne State University; Alysha Black, Katherine Mollan, and Charles E. Schamel at the National Archives; Janet Linde at the American Civil Liberties Union Archives; Carmen Hen- dershott and Leslie Meyers at the Fogelman Social Science and Humanities Library of New School University; the Special Collections staff at the Duke University Library; and Debbie Falvey at the Yale University Library. I also wish to thank members of the FBI public affairs staff, particularly Linda Kloss and Tina Mavin, who patiently processed numerous Freedom of Information Act requests. Research support came from the Roy H. Park Foundation, Minnie S. and Eli A. Rubinstein Foundation, Quinnipiac University Research Com- mittee, and David Donnelly. Lisa Burns, William Dunlap, and Carol Marro provided valuable editorial assistance. Students who provided comments on early drafts were Tom Ballou, Patricia Bennett, Matthew Lissauer, and Susan Shultz. Colleagues and friends who encouraged and assisted me along the way include Jim Anderson, Michael Barnett, Robin Gallagher, Brian James, Kathy Olson, John Plank, and Larry Reynolds. This book would not have been possible without the encouragement and patience of my editor, Micah Kleit, whose enthusiasm and unwavering support brought the idea to life. I also wish to thank Janet Francendese and the other members of the Temple University Press Editorial Review Board.