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American Blacklist: The Attorney General's List of Subversive Organizations
Resonating with disturbing implications for the present, American Blacklist is the only full-length study of the so-called Attorney General's List of Subversive Organizations (AGLOSO) and its critical role in the post-World War II Red Scare.
Although earlier versions of AGLOSO date back as far as 1903 and were wielded by the federal government during both the post-World War I Red Scare and World War II, they were not widely publicized. But beginning in December 1947, as part of the Truman administration's loyalty program, the federal government engaged in a massive effort to publicize the AGLOSO lists. In the process, it threatened, damaged, or destroyed nearly 300 organizations, all of which were listed without any notice, evidence, or hearings.
Drawing heavily on previously classified FBI, Justice Department, and other documents, Robert Goldstein demonstrates how the listed organizations and their members (including a large number of federal employees) came under suspicion, were investigated, and suffered numerous public and private penalties. These included the loss of federal tax-exempt status, the denial of passports, deportations and immigration exclusions, ejection from federally subsidized housing, and private employment bans. AGLOSO, which was dominated by J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, also placed a huge damper on political dissent throughout the nation.
After 1954, AGLOSO and the Red Scare both came under increasing attack as serious violations of American civil liberties. Indeed, AGLOSO's declining significance after 1954 reflected a more general decline in the postwar Red Scare campaign itself. Both gradually diminished in impact and importance, but they left a long-lasting legacy.
As Goldstein reveals, AGLOSO's final demise in 1974 resulted from congressional opposition to President Richard Nixon's attempt to revive it via a 1971 executive order, which was severely attacked as an abuse of executive authority and an attack on civil liberties. The subsequent controversy preceded by only three months the Watergate investigation and the collapse of the Nixon presidency, events that continue to leave their unsettling mark on an equally troubled present.
Although earlier versions of AGLOSO date back as far as 1903 and were wielded by the federal government during both the post-World War I Red Scare and World War II, they were not widely publicized. But beginning in December 1947, as part of the Truman administration's loyalty program, the federal government engaged in a massive effort to publicize the AGLOSO lists. In the process, it threatened, damaged, or destroyed nearly 300 organizations, all of which were listed without any notice, evidence, or hearings.
Drawing heavily on previously classified FBI, Justice Department, and other documents, Robert Goldstein demonstrates how the listed organizations and their members (including a large number of federal employees) came under suspicion, were investigated, and suffered numerous public and private penalties. These included the loss of federal tax-exempt status, the denial of passports, deportations and immigration exclusions, ejection from federally subsidized housing, and private employment bans. AGLOSO, which was dominated by J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, also placed a huge damper on political dissent throughout the nation.
After 1954, AGLOSO and the Red Scare both came under increasing attack as serious violations of American civil liberties. Indeed, AGLOSO's declining significance after 1954 reflected a more general decline in the postwar Red Scare campaign itself. Both gradually diminished in impact and importance, but they left a long-lasting legacy.
As Goldstein reveals, AGLOSO's final demise in 1974 resulted from congressional opposition to President Richard Nixon's attempt to revive it via a 1971 executive order, which was severely attacked as an abuse of executive authority and an attack on civil liberties. The subsequent controversy preceded by only three months the Watergate investigation and the collapse of the Nixon presidency, events that continue to leave their unsettling mark on an equally troubled present.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published October 2, 2008
About the author
Robert Justin Goldstein
26 booksRobert Justin Goldstein is professor emeritus of political science at Oakland University and currently a research associate at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.
He is the author of numerous books and articles focusing on the history of civil liberties in Western democracies, including controversies related to censorship and desecration of the flag.
He is the author of numerous books and articles focusing on the history of civil liberties in Western democracies, including controversies related to censorship and desecration of the flag.
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July 3, 2019
Goldstein wrote this book with access to more information on the AGLOSO than anyone before him, thanks in large part to copious FOIA requests. Because of this, the book is both the most complete ever written on the topic, and one which sometimes suffering from being overstuffed with detail, particularly when it comes to the minutiae of listed groups. (Also, no author has ever used the word "thus" more often.)
Those complaints aside, however, American Blacklist is definitely worth the time it takes to read it, particularly for those curious about what else falls under the giant umbrella we now simply label "McCarthyism". While I already had a fair amount of familiarity with the list and its impacts in the 1950s, the last 1/3 of the book -- particularly the sections about the Nixon administration -- were a delight to read, filled as they were with interesting court decisions, screaming ironies, and frustrated internal memos. That section of the book also flows more effectively, perhaps because it takes on a more narrative structure than the first 50%+ of Goldstein's work.
Those complaints aside, however, American Blacklist is definitely worth the time it takes to read it, particularly for those curious about what else falls under the giant umbrella we now simply label "McCarthyism". While I already had a fair amount of familiarity with the list and its impacts in the 1950s, the last 1/3 of the book -- particularly the sections about the Nixon administration -- were a delight to read, filled as they were with interesting court decisions, screaming ironies, and frustrated internal memos. That section of the book also flows more effectively, perhaps because it takes on a more narrative structure than the first 50%+ of Goldstein's work.
Displaying 1 of 1 review