Joe Alsop's Cold War: A Study of Journalistic Influence and Intrigue

by Edwin M. Yoder Jr.

No newspaper columnist of the post-World War II period was more widely known than Joseph Wright Alsop, who, with his younger brother Stewart, wrote a thrice-weekly column for the "New York Herald Tribune" syndicate from early 1946 until 1958. During this period the craft of newspaper commentary stood at the pinnacle of its influence, and the Alsops, widely read by government officials, opinion leaders, and the public, helped shape the policies of the Cold War period. Drawing on his personal acquaintance with Joe Alsop and on manuscript sources and the reminiscences of family, friends, and associates, columnist Edwin Yoder chronicles a colorful and vital era in Washington journalism, framing the story of the Alsops' partnership within the turbulent 1950s. The Alsop brothers, he shows, were not only ultimate Washington insiders but diligent and imaginative reporters who relied on a vast network of sources for news that no one else reported. He combines the story of these two brilliant columnists with the story of a pivotal era in the life of the nation. from the book Now and then the words 'influential' and even 'powerful' are applied to journalists. Both adjectives were freely used, in their time, of both the Alsop brothers. . . . The Alsops thought of themselves primarily as investigative reporters and only secondarily as pundits. Their game, they insisted, was revelation--the fresher the better. One of their many rules was that every column they wrote must offer at least one 'new' fact that no one else had reported; no stand-alone opinionizing was allowed.

248 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1995

Reviews

[Sarah Hearn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a tough read. I took it on because I am about to start directing a production of David Auburn’s play, “The Columnist”, which is about Joe Alsop and I needed to understand where he was coming from. I’m about to loan my copy to the actor taking on the role of Joe, and I hope the man playing his brother, Stewart, will read it after that. The play is hard to define since it has no beginning, middle, and end but is rather about how a man as influential as Alsop becomes increasingly irrelevant as the 1960s progress. Reading this book, with the benefit of hindsight, it does strike one that Alsop was amazingly single-minded in his call to arms against Communism. On the other hand, while I was alive in the time period the play covers (1954-68), I am by no means an expert on the time period so this book gave me some context. Unfortunately for Alsop (and perhaps the author, Yoder), I did not come out the other end thinking any more highly of the man. I find people who are as single-minded as Alsop appears to have been, both annoying and alarming. Maybe I lack the same convictions he espoused.

Anyway, the book is a slog to read although the footnotes are often helpful. As a research piece, it served its purpose.

[Abby Reddig Moser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptional research. A window into the era when newspapers ruled the day, formed the opinion of the electorate. Great read for history buffs. Appreciated that this story is out there. Also a testament to how one voice can influence a nation, for good and ill.