CONTROLLING CONTAGION: POLICING AND PRESCRIBING SEXUAL AND POLITICAL NORMALCY IN COLD WAR CANADA A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy In the Department of History University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By: FRANCES V. REILLY © Frances Vija Reilly, June 2016. All rights reserved. i Permission to Use In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis. Request for permission to copy or to make other use of material in this thesis in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of History Room 522, Arts Building 9 Campus Drive University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A5 ii Abstract This dissertation examines the Cold War fear of infiltration and the ‘enemy within.’ While several Cold War histories examine the culture of anxiety, few consider how the larger fears of nuclear weaponry and radiation influenced Canada’s perception of the enemy as contagion during the 1950s and 1960s. This study of Cold War political and sexual policing addresses the various ways in which disaster and destruction of social and sexual norms were anticipated in the atomic age. The efforts to control the enemy, whether domestic communism or sexual ‘deviancy,’ were indicative of how the contemporary threat was likened to disease. Divided into two case studies, Operation Profunc and Cold War sexual psychiatry, this dissertation examines fear and efforts to control fears of potential destruction through containment and surveillance. This is the first historical study of Operation Profunc, a Canadian plan to intern domestic communists in the event of war or communist attack. Between 1948 and 1983, the RCMP, with support from the Department of National Defence and the Ministry of Justice, monitored hundreds of Canadian leftists. Plans for reception centres and internment camps persisted over three decades in anticipation of a potential national emergency. The fear of contagion and culture of anxiety was also evident in psychiatry, a field that was becoming more standardized in classifying mental disorder through the 1950s. At this time, homosexuality was equated to character weakness, social destruction, and anxiety. Indicative of the era’s efforts to control disorder was the 1956 establishment of the forensic clinic for so-called “sexual deviates” at the Toronto Psychiatric Hospital. As with the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM, the forensic clinic worked to codify and control ‘deviant’ sexuality in an effort to maintain safety in a period of insecurity. Combining these separate histories of national defence and psychiatric nomenclature, this dissertation examines how the two fears of contamination reflected the broader anxieties of the era. In the atomic age the homefront was the battlefield. The Cold War was a conflict that saw the transference of the global divide between superpowers to the individual. Fear of contagion was one that united self with society. iii Acknowledgements Quite often graduate degrees are perceived as merely transitional experiences. In many ways they are, but it is important to remember that the process is a significant experience in itself. The years spent researching, writing, and basically surviving as a student are not merely for the purpose of obtaining a well-sought status. Six and a half years is a long time to work on a project and, for someone from the West Coast, the Saskatchewan prairies can be an alien place. But I have truly enjoyed this process – Saskatoon was my home and, at the risk of sounding clichéd, I truly understood the importance of community, friendship, and support through the course of this program. I have to acknowledge my committee, their expertise, and their advice and influence over the years. Despite the anxiety of defence I could not help but enjoy their kindness, their enthusiasm, and the depth and range of their knowledge. Dr. Martha Smith-Norris has provided me concrete counterpoints to my more theoretical pursuits. I appreciated both her encouragement and her tough questions throughout the writing and examination process. Quite simply I would not have done this degree if it were not for Dr. Erika Dyck, her enthusiasm for the history of medicine, and her resourcefulness. She is largely responsible for my interest in the intricacies of health, medicine, and society. Dr. Todd Morrison provided a view of psychology to this history of medicalization that otherwise would have missed. Dr. Steve Hewitt, with his expertise on police history and surveillance in Canada was an ideal external examiner. As a historian that I admire, I was honoured that he agreed to be the external for the exam and greatly value his advice. Finally, I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Valerie Korinek, for her hard work. I cannot say how fortunate I feel to have had the chance to work with Valerie, a historian who I greatly respect. Her frankness, encouragement, and humour kept me going. She remained hands-off but was always available for help, advice, and compassion. The University of Saskatchewan’s History Department has been incredibly supportive. When I arrived in 2009, Linda Dietz, Nadine Penner, and Ingrid McGregor made me feel at home and made my experience as a student, TA, and, later, sessional enjoyable. I would like to thank the Department of History for the funding and experience it provided me through TA-ships and senior teaching fellowships as well as travel funding for research and conferences. I would like to draw particular attention to the editing fellowship for Folklore Magazine provided by the Department of History in conjunction with the ICCC and the Saskatchewan History and Folklore Society. Two years of editing for this journal and working with the Sask History and Folklore Society was a wonderful experience, providing me with a better understanding of Saskatchewan as a province and history as a professional discipline. I would also like to thank the CGSR for their funding in a time of need. In terms of archival research, this project provided several opportunities to visit a variety of archives and collections including Library and Archives Canada, which provided the material on Operation Profunc. I would like to thank Jon Court at the CAMH archives for years of correspondence, assistance, and advice. The CAMH Hewton Bursary was also enabled me to iv conduct further research of the history of sexual psychiatry Los Angeles. The staff at UCLA were very helpful and the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives extremely accommodating. Neil Richards has been an incredible fount of knowledge and I would like to thank him for his help and expertise on the subject of gay and lesbian pulp literature. His archive of pulp novels at the University of Saskatchewan Special Collections is the most extensive in Canada and a joy to visit. I would also like to thank Doug Beaton for his assistance and the materials he provided through 2011 and 2012. His collection at the Diefenbunker in Carp, Ontario was very fun to visit and I hope to return. I have met many delightful, intelligent, and fascinating people at the University of Saskatchewan. The process of researching and writing is an isolating one – support and community are crucial to survival. Long walks, good beer, and compelling café conversations have been integral. First of all I would like to thank Vickie Lamb Drover, Sara Roberts, Erin Spinney, Glenn Iceton, Paul Burrows, and Jason Underhill for hours of conversation. Laura Larsen, Adam Montgomery, and Corey Owen performed the amazing feat of reading through the entire thesis and provided invaluable advice and edits. I would also like to thank Margaret Orlowski, my father Sean Reilly, and my partner Amir massoud Farahmand, who provided writing advice and emotional support throughout. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the help of Sean Waldbillig, Brianne Collins, Lucas Richert, and Heather Stanley in navigating the history of psychiatry and sexual pathologization. My sister, Patricia Reilly, was a valuable research assistant and a fun travelling companion in Los Angeles, and is irreplaceable in every other way. The hospitality and kindness of Michelle Desveaux, and Katayoon Navabi and Ehsan Sherbati, who housed me when I reached the nomadic stage in the last year, was crucial to the completion of this project. And finally I must acknowledge the patience and understanding of my mother Laura Reilly who through hours of discussion and verbal processing, particularly during one visit to the GP airport, helped me piece this together. It is often difficult to explain to those not in the heat of it all what completing a doctoral degree is like, but my family, both immediate