History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Stalin's Secret Pogrom: The Postwar Inquisition of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee (Annals of Communism)

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Powerful, definitive account of Soviet anti-semitism
Important documentation of Soviet horror under Stalin

Stalin's Secret Pogrom: The Postwar Inquisition of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee (Annals of Communism)
Laura E. Wolfson
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0300084862

Book Description

In the spring and summer of 1952, fifteen Soviet Jews, including five prominent Yiddish writers and poets, were secretly tried and convicted; multiple executions soon followed in the basement of Moscow's Lubyanka prison. The defendants were falsely charged with treason and espionage because of their involvement in the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee, and because of their heartfelt response as Jews to Nazi atrocities on occupied Soviet territory. Stalin had created the committee to rally support for the Soviet Union during World War II, but he then disbanded it after the war as his paranoia mounted about Soviet Jews.

For many years, a host of myths surrounded the case against the committee. Now this book, which presents an abridged version of the long-suppressed transcript of the trial, reveals the Kremlin's machinery of destruction. Joshua Rubenstein provides annotations about the players and events surrounding the case. In a long introduction, drawing on newly released documents in Moscow archives and on interviews with relatives of the defendants in Israel, Russia, and the United States, Rubenstein also sets the trial in historical and political context and offers a vivid account of Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign.

Customer Reviews:

Powerful, definitive account of Soviet anti-semitism.......2004-03-15

Mr. Rubenstein has done an outstanding job as a researcher and writer in giving us this gripping record of Stalin's purge in 1950-52 of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee. The JAC had been active during WWII in organizing international aid to the besieged Soviets. Despite their vigorous efforts in the struggle against the Nazis, some of the most respected Russian Jewish poets, writers, and cultural figures associated with the JAC were eventually imprisoned on blatantly fabricated charges of espionage, then executed in 1952. Using recently-opened soviet files, he and Mr. Vladimir Naumov have carefully and authoritatively documented this sordid chapter in recent Soviet history.

Important documentation of Soviet horror under Stalin.......2003-11-15

This book documents just one of the horrors of the Soviet regime. While Stalin murdered millions of innocent people who were unlucky enough to have been citizens under his rule, this book tells of the way this evil regime turned on fifteen people whose crime was being Jewish and wanting to examine the Nazi atrocities in the portions of the USSR they occupied.

It is a particularly poignant telling because the authors provide us with excerpts from the transcripts of the trial so you hear the victims and their accusers in their own words. These people were destroyed by the system they tried to serve and help largely because Stalin decided to use the Jews and the fear of paranoid Zionist conspiracies as the Nazis had done.

This is a very valuable book and I am glad it is in print. As part of the Annals of Communism series it provides important and permanent testimony of the criminality of the USSR that had been lied about and hidden for too long.

Thanks to the authors.

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Definitive Warhammer 40,000.

The best of WH40k fiction

A long journey into nowhere

Plot fizzles

Mostly Holds Up Over The Years

The Inquisition War (Warhammer 40,000 Novels)
Ian Watson
Manufacturer: Games Workshop
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Eisenhorn (A Warhammer 40,000 Omnibus)

Ravenor Returned (Warhammer 40,000)

Dark Adeptus (Grey Knights)

Fulgrim (The Horus Heresy)

Daemonifuge (Warhammer 40,000)

ASIN: 1844161382

Book Description

In the aftermath of the bloody suppression of an alien-influenced rebellion, Inquisitor Jaq Draco discovers a bizarre entity that may prove to be the salvation of mankind or be the means of it's destruction. Declared a renegade of the Imperium Draco, his assassin consort and a Space Marine trek the galaxy in search of the mysterious Black Library and information that can overcome the conspiracy around them.

Customer Reviews:

Definitive Warhammer 40,000........2006-03-28

A collection of the three most difficult and atmospheric Warhammer 40,000 (or, `40k') novels, the Inquisition War series echoes the creative energy of the original 1987 setting.

For those unfamiliar with 40k, this series may prove interesting. Readers who enjoy a thematically heavy, if loosely written fable (echoing Moorcock) will find this book to be evocative and rampantly creative. As with the first few years of 40k game products, the setting takes strong cues from Heinlein's "Starship Troopers"; the Elric saga's amoral, supernatural, Chaos; and a legion of other inspirations, fantastic, historical, and literary. In the tradition of good sci-fi and fantasy these disparate concepts are digested and become a unique, complex whole, all glued together with a healthy dose of particularly British black humor. The Inquisition War series is just as much about this setting as it is the main characters, weaving a hypnotic tale of 40k's unique brand of facism, warfare, and absurdity.

Watson's work is also quite ambitious here, as the series is written as a story within a story (as an example, it's somewhat similar to Conrad's "Heart of Darkness"), with the protagonist, Jaq Draco, recording his personal account in a "less egotistical" (as he puts it) third-person fashion. The end result is a narration without all the "I's" and "My's" that creates a sort of in-story "fourth wall". As Draco's situation and mind evolve, so does the writing, giving a unique layer of insight into his character. It does make for a somewhat difficult read as the narration becomes much less coherent by the climax. While this does lend the series a rushed or unfinished feeling, it sets it well apart from the 40k novel or sci-fi bunch, and makes for an interesting second or third read.

For 40k fans, this book is just as challenging. It stands at the opposite of the "Abnettization" of the setting; rather than making it more digestible to our modern mind, it paints a bizarre picture of a galaxy gone mad. While Dan Abnett is a fine author, his vision (and, to be fair, that of most mid-nineties and later 40k material) greatly simplifies the setting. His Chaos, the great enemy, isn't a personification of man's flaws, it's the Evil Villain. His Guardsmen aren't executed by a totalitarian Imperium for witnessing dark truths and supernatural beings. His 40k universe isn't straining at the seams in a reality gone insane, material Law bending under bloated Chaos. It's simply an epic war story of Good and Evil. Not bad, but I certainly prefer the older vision.

Overall, this is a series as challenging as it is rewarding for fans of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, or not. I would recommend it for anyone interested in the roots of the 40k setting or rich, thematic fantasy. For everyone else I'd urge caution; if you're not into dissecting the story, characters, and background, this may prove a long, nonsensical, and ultimately frustrating read. Quite rewarding if you let it run with its own madness and follow with no expectations

The best of WH40k fiction.......2005-12-11

Of all the Warhammer 40,000 stories, The Inquisitor War is unquestionably the best. Ian Watson, as a writer, is head and shoulders above Ben Counter, Graham McNeill and yes, even Dan Abnett (the only other GOOD 40k writer). But be forewarned, these stories are not intended for fans of the decidedly low brow actionfests produced by the aforementioned authors. Fans of Michael Moorcock and Gene Wolfe are the intended audience. Ian Watson takes his time developing the plot and his characters. For once, they aren't generic faceless Marines chasing after yet another galaxy changing, Imperium threatening THING. And no, Watson doesn't produce any over-the-top cheesiness so common in 40k fiction either. The story itself is compelling, only made more enjoyable by Watson's thoughtful use of the rich 40k background. Though originally written over 15 years ago, this still remains the best 40k fiction to date.

A long journey into nowhere.......2005-07-27

I have only read a few of the Warhammer 40k Universe stories, primarily the Dan Abnett works, and only picked this up because I was out of town and just finished the Isenhorn trilogy. I was very hopeful that this would provide an incite into the world of the Inquisition.

The first portion of this trilogy began to go in that direction but quickly lost focus. I applaud some of the choices the author made in an attempt to show the mind ravaging effect Chaos can have on an untrained mind, and occasionally a trained mind. I was also interested in see more information on the Eldar and the craftworlds, however the author was able to veer off course again just before the story may have become interesting again.

Then after hours of ponderous reading, in the span of a few pages the author wrapped up the story like he realized he had reached his pre-arranged page limit and didn't want to go back and rework previous paragraphs to bring the story to a smooth conclusion. I don't mind what happened to the main character in the end; I liked the authors choice, but the brevity of how the author got to the conclusion made the whole journey seem like it could have been told in about 50 pages.

Plot fizzles.......2005-07-05

Painfully long. I read this long compilation and was disappointed. If one divides the book into it's original three books, I would have stopped after the way through the 1st book (or 150 pages into this compliation as it started to seriously drag and become dull). The characters and storyline simply go on a tangent and the fighting between the different factions of the Inquisition do not become apparent or lead anywhere. The whole main storyline remains unresolved. The series is very unfulfilling. I did not feel any sympathy towards the main character and the secondary characters felt more like a cartoon from a D&D campaign rather than a Warhammer 40k genre.

This is not at the same quality of Dan Abnett, Ben Counter, or William King. They provide excellent fast paced storylines, vivid characters, and engage the reader.

Unfortunately, this book (or rather series) was disappointing.

Mostly Holds Up Over The Years.......2004-10-26

I'd first read this series of 3 books when they first came out in the late 80s and early 90s. At the time, especially as it was the only 40K fiction in existence, I enjoyed them thoroughly.

When I heard that a collected 3-in-1 edition was on the way, I was overjoyed that I'd have a chance to reread something from my early adult years, but also a little nervous, as some of the things I enjoyed back then don't necessarily stand up well to a decade or two of more discriminating tastes and learning. This omnibus edition also includes 2 "linking" short stories in addition to the original 3 books.

The author's introduction says a lot about the work, especially his intent to "go completely over the top in style and also in content - to be lurid and brooding and hyperbolic and generally crazy, although in an elegant, ornate way where a dark beauty pervades the atmosphere as in a painting by Gustave Moreau."

The characters (which include Captain Lex D'Arquebus, Imperial Fists Space Marine; Grimm, Squat warrior; Meh'Lindi, Callidus assassin; Jaq Draco, Malleus Inquisitor; and a host of smaller, supporting roles) are well thought out, with believable motivations. The narration mirrors the state of mind of the individual.

So, how does it hold up? Surprisingly well, with a few exceptions: [1] Reading all 3 books at once exposes some repetition in M. Watson's descriptions and writing tools. [2] The history of the 40K universe has diverged fairly significantly over the last 20 years from M. Watson's vision (but that's hardly his fault). [3] The finale of the plot is weak.

The pros: [1] Well written, with consistent style and engaging narrative. [2] Illuminates aspects of the 40K universe that typically lay untouched in many of its fiction works. [3] M. Watson's imagination is phenomenal, and has driven Games Workshop's development for years after his departure. [4] One of the few "canon" references to the Illuminati, Sensei, and Star Child, as they pertain to 40K.

In conclusion: not flawless, but well worth reading if you're interested in 40K fiction.

American Inquisition: Justice and Injustice In the Cold War

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American Inquisition: Justice and Injustice In the Cold War
Stanley I. Kutler
Manufacturer: HILL AND WANG
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OKJRUA

The American Inquisition: Justice and Injustice in the Cold War

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Excellent peek into less known parts of McCarthyism

The American Inquisition: Justice and Injustice in the Cold War
Stanley I. Kutler
Manufacturer: Hill & Wang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

Excellent peek into less known parts of McCarthyism.......1997-11-10

This is a great look into some of the less noted incidents of
suppression of civil rights and liberties that took place during the
McCarthy era. The author brings to light many of the demigods
running the government. He takes you through the maze of the govt agencies interrelations
and shows the attitudes towards protecting the security of America verses individual rights.

Book Description

When the U.S. government forced 70,000 American citizens of Japanese ancestry into internment camps in 1942, it created administrative tribunals to pass judgment on who was loyal and who was disloyal. Muller relates the untold story of exactly how military and civilian bureaucrats judged these tens of thousands of American citizens during wartime. This is the only study of the Japanese American internment to examine the complex inner workings of the most draconian system of loyalty screening that the American government has ever deployed against its own citizens. At a time when our nation again finds itself beset by worries about an "enemy within" considered identifiable by race or religion, this volume offers crucial lessons from a recent and disastrous history.

The Books of the Black Current (The Book of the River, The Book of the Stars, The Book of Being)

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The Books of the Black Current (The Book of the River, The Book of the Stars, The Book of Being)
Ian Watson
Manufacturer: DAW Books, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000M9MKVG

Product Description

From time immemorial, the Black Current has defined Yaleen's world. Separating the eastern bank from the unknown western side, it cuts the river - and the world - in half, a black strip running down the river's center, from the towering, unscalable Precipices where it seems to ooze out of solid rock, to the depths of the ocean; huge, mysterious. And alive. For like the goddess some believe it to be, the Black Current is aware. It allows men on the water only once; a second try invites madness and death. Only women are granted the freedom of the river, and Yaleen yearns to experience that freedom. So, in search of adventure, she drinks the black essence of the Current and joins the River Guild, beginning a series of voyages that will take her farther than she had ever imagined. For no one really knows what the Black Current is, and no one has ever crossed it. No one, that is, until Yaleen's brother Capsi discovers a way to get to the western side. The deadly consequences of that forbidden deed thrust Yalen into the center of a maelstrom of events that could end the world as she knows it. For the long silent Black Current has been watching, planning, growing into consciousness. Now, after patient eons, it is about to act. FROM THE BRILLIANT BRITISH AUTHOR IAN WATSON comes an exciting vision of a complex alien planet on which a young woman joins with an aspiring god...and becomes a partner in desperate battle to transform and protect a world.

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It was 1 of the worst Ive read
A disappointing yet ironic end
Warning warning - don't buy this book. Warning warning.
Emperor help us...
Makes a good sleep aid

Chaos Child (Inquisition War Trilogy)
Ian Watson
Manufacturer: Black Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 1841542563

Customer Reviews:

It was 1 of the worst Ive read.......2006-03-15

Utter misery to read this. I couldnt stand Dracos bemoaning and wanted him to hurry up and die. The plot could have had so much more with the depth of characters in the 40k universe. An utter insult to the readers of 40k universe.

A disappointing yet ironic end.......2005-12-06

The final part in Ian Watson's Inquisitor War series finds Inquisitor Draco and his warband traversing the Eldar webway to find the legendary Black Library and possibly the key to saving his love. Unfortunately, like Harliquen, Chaos Child falls utterly short of the wonderful work of sci-fi fantasy that is Draco. Fortunately, this third part of the series attempts to rise out of the valley and back up the hill of action and suspense. It does a valient attempt but stops abruptly short of the summit. The thing that bothered me the most was that you can see Draco already falling from grace long before even he knows it. But you have no choice (along with his naive warband) to follow along to see how far he will go down the path of Chaos and ruin all for love.

Out of the three it ranks 2nd. A bit drawn out but still readable. You want to see what happens, but when it does you want to forget about Inquisitor Draco and explore the travels and happenings of other characters. Unfortunately, Mr. Watson stopped writing for Games Workshop after this novel so we will never know.

Warning warning - don't buy this book. Warning warning........2005-06-24

Warning warning - don't buy this book. Warning warning. Donate your money to a worthy charity. On no account buy this book. Ostensibly written by Ian Watson who did such a astonishingly marvellous job with ''INQUISITOR'' (the 1st in this trilogy), ''Chaos Child'' (the 3rd book in this trilogy) does not have any meaningful plot, no action to speak of, no logical sequencing, just utter, utter inexplicable confusion. Its as if Ian Watson commissioned a ghost-writer who is unfamiliar with the rich and baroquely complex WH40K universe, then did nothing but proof-read spelling errors and lent his name to the titlepage. An utter utter waste of time and money for the reader. This is the first book EVER that I have reviewed that I use the term execrable. Its not even so bad that - sometimes - it became good. Its just bad. Avoid it like the plague. Ian, what happened??? I wished to give it ZERO star but was not allowed to do so by this website. B-(

Emperor help us..........2005-03-30

It pains me to think that there are others who even liked the series at all? This is quite possibly the worst book I have ever read...perhaps the worst series I have ever read. One of the other reviewers is spot-on when they mentioned something about Watson devalues the WH40K Universe... Draco is more a pot-bellied rogue clown dumbing his way through realms of the WH40K universe better authors respect...

Makes a good sleep aid.......2004-07-03

This book has put me to sleep every time I had picked it up and tried to read it. There was hardly any action in the book it seem like the author just ran out of good ideas and started to stretch out the plot of the book.

The Inquisition and the War Between Religion and Science

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The Inquisition and the War Between Religion and Science
Truth Seeker Company
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1425360572

Red Scare: Memories of the American Inquisition : An Oral History

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IN THE TIME OF THE THE AMERICAN INQUISITION
A timely work for own troubled times
Good First-Hand Accounts from an Era that lingers on
Is He Kidding?
Red Scare

Red Scare: Memories of the American Inquisition : An Oral History
Griffin Fariello
Manufacturer: W W Norton & Co Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

McCarthyism, The Great American Red Scare: A Documentary History

ASIN: 0393037320

Amazon.com

Red Scare is a vivid oral history of a time when subscribers to the Nation, devotees of foreign films, and even those who supported Franklin Roosevelt's fourth term came under suspicion of being Communists or fellow travelers, a time that Griffin Fariello likens to the Inquisition. The author talks with sources such as retired FBI agent M. Wesley Swearingen, who ferreted out suspected Reds in Chicago for nearly two decades; Harvey Matusow, a Communist who worked as a paid government informant; and blacklisted filmmaker Edward Dmytryk, who went on to direct Raintree County and The Caine Mutiny after enduring a government campaign of harassment.

Customer Reviews:

IN THE TIME OF THE THE AMERICAN INQUISITION.......2006-10-25

I have always been intrigued by the American Communist Party's ability up until the period of the "red scare" of the late 1940's and the 1950's to draw to and recruit a relatively large number of free-lance intellectuals and cultural workers. Whether the party could keep them over the long haul is a separate question. However, if one was to draw up a Who's Who of those members of the American intelligentsia who passed through the party's orbit during the first half of the 20th century one would find numbers far greater than would be indicated by the party's actual influence in American politics. The Red Scare obliterated that connection between the intellectuals and the working class and that connection has never been put back together in any radical form to this day. Left-wing politic life in particular, and political life in general, has suffered as a result. Here's the story, in their own voices, of a cross-section of those intellectuals, cultural workers, organizers and ordinary rank and file workers who got crushed by the juggernaut of the red scare-and it ain't pretty.

At the time of publication the book under review Mr. Fariello simply believed that he was unearthing a period in American history, the Red Scare of the late 1940's and 1950's, that had either been conveniently forgotten, dismissed as an important but episodic blemish on American democracy or had been reduced to the ` sound bite' ravings of one man-Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy. Reading this book in the post 9/11 anti- Islamic, anti-immigrant, anti-foreigner period in America made me realize that the author had rendered much more than a historical narrative of a particularly disturbing period. He has presented, in the form of interviews of the participants on both sides of the issue, a collectively compelling story that parallels the anxieties and fears of contemporary America. Despite differences of time, place and target it is hard to argue against the proposition that there is something endemic in the American experience that exhibits both a xenophobic and cruel streak that the rest of the world has come to fear. Make no mistake- it can and did happen here and it can happen again.

The author, painstakingly and systematically, interviewed whomever of the survivors of the red scare of the late 1940's and the 1950's, which in effect was the modern day American version of the Spanish Inquisition, that he could round up, This compilation is a grim reminder of the effective liquidation of the left-wing of the American working class and its allies in late 1940's and the 1950's. What clearly comes through after reading the interviews on both sides of the issue is that after the end of the World War II there was a serious class war going on not only in the Cold War internationally but also domestically in America - and the working class and its allies took a terrible beating. Why?

One can at least understand the motives of those who cleared out of the left-wing movement when the heat came down. One can understand, while at the same time condemning, those who sold out their friends and relatives under intense governmental pressure. One can even understand the actions of the various Roy Cohn-types looking to make a name for himself or herself or just plain make cash over the bodies of their political opponents. What is not understandable is the great mass of people who were not directly affected and who volunteered information to the government, who shunned former friends, who formed vigilante squads to root out their friends and neighbors. As that generation, my parents' generation, the ones who survived the Depression and fought World War II, dies out much ink has been spilled declaring that generation the `greatest generation'. No, a thousand times no. That generation sold its heritage out for a mess of pottage. For the most part, if they were not actively involved in the destruction of democratic rights when some people really tried to use them, they looked away while the nefarious deeds of other were being done. Read this book to find out what happened to their victims.

A timely work for own troubled times.......2004-02-14

With John Ashcroft claiming the right to lock up American citizens without benefit of counsel, habeas corpus, or even a trial, we should all take a hard look at the last time our civil liberties were sacrificed in the name of national security. Fariello's some seventy interviews (including a goodly sample of the red hunters themselves) provide a chilling portrayal of an era when the "Communist Menace" was used as a cudgel to ensure conformity to right-wing ideology in nearly every arena of American life -- labor unions, gov't workers, the entertainment industry, including folk singers, along with writers and publishers and artists, school teachers on all levels, even elementary school teachers, the civil rights movement, lawyers, doctors. Rich, poor, famous, or obscure -- if you didn't think "right," you were liable to be targeted, hauled before one investigating committee or another (and there were many, at every level of gov't), blacklisted, smeared as a dupe, a fellow-traveler, a traitor. The author attempts also to quantify the casualities -- the number of those blacklisted in each profession, those driven to suicide, imprisoned, even killed -- but readily admits the difficulties in uncovering the true numbers.

Contrary to the assertions of the one negative review the book is extremely well-researched and heavily footnoted (at times correcting the assertions of interviewees, adding nuance, or addtional info). It also come with a extensive bibliography for those doubters to do their own homework. The section on Atomic spying deals honestly with the issue, quotes leading scientists and others, including Truman and Eisenhower, to the effect that there were no atomic "secrets" as such, but only hard-won developments stemming from basic theoretical research. Were the soviets aware of this research? Yes. Would they have developed their own weapon within a year or two? No doubt. Did they go ahead anyway and steal info from the Los Alamos project? Certainly, and Fariello's book is open and candid about that espionage.

If you're looking for the antidote to the neo-con effort to portray the Red Scare as a courageous battle against the forces of darkness then look no further. Joe McCarthy & his ilk were not misunderstood patriots, they were a danger to freedom.

Good First-Hand Accounts from an Era that lingers on.......2003-02-20

"[T]his book you're doing tends to serve the Communist purpose" announces Roy Brewer near the beginning of his interview transcript in Red Scare. America's anticommunist high-tide years remain a battleground of unresolved political conflicts still fresh in the minds of those who lived through them. Brewer's comment, prefacing a fervid account of his fight against Communists in Hollywood unions during the late 1940s, is just one indicator among many in the book that great care must be taken to explore the topic as history.
Griffin Fariello conducted almost 150 oral history interviews while preparing Red Scare, eventually selecting narratives from 71 individuals for inclusion and organizing these into 18 topical chapters. His stated purpose in writing Red Scare was to "rescue a chapter of history from our habitual `forgettery'" and the book is clearly directed at a public audience rather than an academic one. Fariello makes clear from the outset his agreement with a previous generation of revisionist historians that the Truman administration's commitment to an anticommunist agenda, starting with Truman's March 1947 Executive Order establishing the Federal Employees Loyalty Program and continuing with a wider and more insidious range of measures, was a disaster for American liberty. Fariello has no sympathy for the Communist Party of the United States, and in several passages he severely criticizes it as an undemocratic organization that repelled countless individuals initially attracted to it as a possible vehicle for pursuing radical goals that had been percolating in various ways for years. Yet he does not view the Party as having represented a threat to U.S. security at any point in its history.
The real focus of Fariello's book is the way communism was used as justification for the enactment of a new set of repressive laws and the establishment of government-sponsored bodies to pursue increasingly reactionary agendas, resulting in a witch hunt that profoundly affected the lives of thousands of people. To convey his themes in human terms, Fariello collected personal accounts from individuals who were forced out of jobs, subjected to multiple investigations, sent to prison, placed under continuous surveillance, blacklisted, and otherwise harassed in large and small ways. Red Scare includes chapters on some of the best-known episodes of the era - the 1949 Peekskill riot, the Hiss and Rosenberg cases, the Hollywood Ten - as well as chapters on teachers, unionists, entertainers, anti-segregationists, peace activists, and others.
One of Fariello's key themes in Red Scare is the way anticommunists in government rapidly achieved the legal authority to conduct highly intrusive investigations against individuals and organizations on the flimsiest of pretexts. The Executive Orders and laws enacted to fight communism accorded great power to investigating bodies and placed the burden of proof upon those accused of "subversive" activity. With such authority in hand, Congressional committees, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Executive branch Departments created an infrastructure for rooting out individuals suspected of possible "disloyalty," and this model was quickly adopted at the state government level, among educational authorities, and in various private industries.
As many of Fariello's subjects attest, once one came under the scrutiny of a loyalty investigation life could become quite difficult. Along with constant surveillance (including phone wiretaps) and the threat of imprisonment, those under scrutiny were usually identified as such to neighbors, friends, employers and co-workers. FBI officials exerted pressure on friends, relatives and associates to dissociate themselves from someone under investigation, often resulting in job loss and social ostracism. Blacklists functioned in various industries to prevent targeted individuals from obtaining new jobs, and public denunciation by an anticommunist organization could foment hate mail, threatening phone calls, and even violence.
Because Red Scare is not concerned with evaluating the impact of anticommunism in connection with the supposed threat of communism in the United States, Fariello does not take great pains to separate the narratives of admitted Communist Party members from those who denied membership or those for whom the question remains ambiguous. Historian Ellen Schrecker criticized Fariello for failing to press his subjects on this issue, arguing the Party's policy of demanding that members conceal their identity "gave its enemies the potent weapon of exposure and transformed the mere fact of belonging to the party into an unnecessarily sensitive issue." When this obfuscation is carried into historical work, Schrecker argues the result is a misleading portrait of the anticommunist endeavor that "makes it appear more random and unpredictable than it really was."
Fariello's portrait, however, may be more accurate than Schrecker suggests. If, as post-revisionist historians like Richard Gid Powers and John Earl Haynes now argue, a fair assessment of anticommunism must take account of its pluralism and acknowledge that there were many anticommunisms rather than portraying it as a monolith, then it is quite possible to see how a variety of agendas having little to do with communism could be pursued under the cloak of anticommunist inquiry. Communists were involved in labor organizing, struggles against segregation and racism, and peace activism, but they hardly constituted the largest or most important constituents for these movements. After World War II, however, government supporters of segregation, a larger military, and an anti-labor posture found it difficult to confront these movements directly or muster wide support for their positions without recourse to red-baiting. By including narratives from people who worked in each of these movements, Fariello cautions us against misusing the Communist Party's own history and policies to limit our understanding of McCarthyism.
While the book does not offer a complete portrait of the anticommunist crusade, it does provide the largest collection of personal accounts not taken under oath from those who experienced government persecution firsthand. Regardless of whether one agrees with Fariello's interpretation of the era, the stories in Red Scare should be read by anyone with a serious interest in the subject. With [people] like Paul Craig Roberts routinely drawing parallels between the Democratic Party and nazis, and bozos like Ann Coulter wanting us to believe Cold War liberals were engaged in "treason" for the last 50 years, you know we're not so far removed from the time of McCarthy.

Is He Kidding?.......2002-02-22

I would have given this book no stars if given the option. If you want to read about the Fifties Red Scare look somewhere else. This book is full of innuendos, unsubstantiated anecdotes, and blatant lies. Fariello will not even admit that there WERE atomic secrets during the forties and fifties. He consistently ignores any evidence of any wrongdoing by any leftist, Communist or fellow traveler. It seems that he would have the reader believe that there never was ANY espionage going on at this time. For a more interesting book-one backed up by thorough source material-read"Bombshell" by Albright and Kunstel.
There is no doubt that the hysteria that swept the country at this time was the cause of wrongful prosecutions and harrassment by government of those on the political left but this really is not the book to learn about these facts.

Red Scare.......2000-04-06

The oral history format is vivid, personal and enormously effective. Studs Terkel's "Working" for 20 years was at the top of the genre, and now Fariello's "Red Scare", personal histories of the effects on victims and relatives of victims of the so-called "American Inquisition", moves into the finals as contender.

San Francisco is the venue for some of the personal histories, and Fariello's assertions are thus possible to check. The son of Harry Bridges was a fellow longshoreman with this reviewer, as were other children of Mr. Bridges, and Ronnie Bridges' differences with his famous, beleagured father show up in his narrative.

A footnote that Jack and Bobby Kennedy had famously vowed to "get" Harry Bridges is tempered by the photograph this reviewer took of Teddy Kennedy and Harry Bridges head to head together on the stage at a campaign rally for Teddy's Preseidential candidacy in May, 1980 a few days before the California Presidential primary.

Fariello's narrative of the quest of Morton and Helen Sobell for Morty's freedom was verified to this reviewer by Mr. Sobell himself, who loaned his copy of "Red Scare" to me two days ago, with his own annotations.

More, Mr. Fariello, please. I would suggest the late Dr. Carlton Goodlett, progressive publisher for four decades in San Francisco, whose FBI file is in the possession of this reviewer; Dr. Goodlett's son lives in Iowa.

Michael Smith, M.A.; Teacher, San Francisco Public Schools

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