For Both Cross and Flag: Catholic Action, Anti-Catholicism, and National Security Politics in World War II San Francisco (review)

In For Both Cross and Flag William Issel accomplishes what he set out to do; he “restore[s] our appreciation of the impact of European political and religious rivalries in the political cultures of American cities in the first half of the twentieth century” (p. 2) by telling the story of Sylvester Andriano, a Catholic, Italian American lawyer living in San Francisco. Andriano’s story warrants attention, because in 1942 he was declared a security risk and prohibited from living on the West Coast by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and California’s Tenney Committee (TC), largely in response to the testimony of members of the Communist Party. Issel first encountered Andriano’s story when researching “competition between the Communist Party and the Catholic Church in San Francisco in the 1930s and 1940s” (p. 6). After working his way through the collections of papers, correspondence, and testimony related to the case, he concluded that Andriano was innocent of the charges against him and decided to tell his story. Issel wanted not only to correct the record but also “to demonstrate how international and national events impinged on the political culture of a major American city from World War I to World War II” (p. 6) and how “Andriano’s exclusion [from the West Coast] derived also from his militant Catholic activism” in promoting Catholic Action (p. 5). As seen, Andriano’s story is a complex one that encompasses religion, culture, immigration, World War II, and politics at the local, national, and international levels.

Beginning with the introduction, which presents an overview of the case, Issel skillfully guides the reader through the layers of Andriano’s story and presents his central point: that anti-Catholicism played a key role in the decision of the Communist Party and anti-Catholic fellow Italian immigrants to target him. Chapter 1 introduces the reader to Andriano, offering a brief biography of his family roots, immigration to the United States, education at Saint Mary’s College of California, and career as a lawyer. Then in chapters 2 through 9, Issel shifts his focus to Andriano’s leadership position in Catholic Action and prominence in San Francisco’s Catholic community. He presents Andriano’s work in the context of the religious and political movements, historical events, and cultural developments that put Andriano on a collision course with the Communist Party and eventually led to his ordeal with HUAC and TC. He makes it clear how Andriano’s close relationship with Archbishop John J. Mitty and Mayor Angelo Rossi, his contribution to settling the dock workers’ strike of 1934, and his work to promote Catholic Action drew the ire of the local Communist Party, which sought to undermine the Catholic Church’s influence among the workers. Consequently, when Issel covers the UAC and TC hearings in chapters 10 and 11, the reader clearly understands how Andriano found himself a casualty in the battle between the Communist Party and the Catholic Church in San Francisco.

Issel closes with an epilogue in which he presents a series of conclusions that draws his work together and returns the reader to his theses regarding immigrants, politics, and anti-Catholicism. He ends with a final note regarding the timeless importance of Andriano’s story, stating, “Few San Franciscans recall the name Sylvester Andriano, but his story is important because it serves as a cautionary tale about how easily government officials can make mistakes that lead to the abuse of citizenship rights during wartime” (p. 172). Issel has told a story whose importance lies in its cautionary nature and its reminder regarding the influence of immigrants’ homeland politics and religious affiliation in domestic politics.