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  • The Day Wall Street Exploded: A Story of America in Its First Age of Terror
  • David Edger
The Day Wall Street Exploded: A Story of America in Its First Age of Terror Beverly Gage New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. 416 pages. $27.95, ISBN 978-0-19-514824-4.

Beverly Gage has presented a readable, detailed, and enlightening history of the Wall Street bombing of 16 September 1920, the worst terrorist act in the United States until the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995. The similarities between this bombing and later attacks in New York are obvious, but several significant aspects of this first car bombing in history merit study, including the abuse of intelligence, the suspension of constitutional safeguards in the name of patriotism, and the trajectory of radical movements. The ability of a small and still unidentified group to affect politics, business, and public confidence dramatically through the use of a simple but well-placed and highly effective explosive is unarguable, even today.

The book provides a scholarly and detailed discussion of terrorist incidents and government reactions that led up to the Wall Street bombing as well as a penetrating analysis of the colorful key players on both the radical and the law enforcement sides. Gage places the event in national and international context, and helps the reader understand why some regrettable decisions were made. Her writing style is clear and brings the reader into the plotting, [End Page 159] investigating, and general thrashing around that inevitably follow a major terrorist event.

Anarchist groups, labor movements, and socialist and communist parties are placed in juxtaposition to the domestic political and economic conditions of the period. Gage discusses the formation, leadership, and development of the movements, their shifting alliances, and their eventual fate following intense government repression. The roles of foreign-born and homegrown radical leaders and the fascination of their groups with dynamite as the chosen tool for "propaganda by deed" are succinctly described. Far less is revealed about the underlying motives that drove many Americans to join these movements and that led some Americans to undertake violent action. The author cites familiar causes such as horrible labor conditions, disenchantment with government, and antiwar sentiments, but does not give a more in-depth reading of personal and social factors that lead to the radicalization of so many, probably because there is no real historical record that treats this issue.

Readers are treated to a fascinating portrayal of the publicity-hungry "great detectives," both public and private, who unsuccessfully attempted to identify and capture the bombers. The investigative record of the bombing paints a clear and disturbing picture of how police intelligence operations, conducted by either city or federal departments, can lead to mistakes, violations of human rights, and enormous efforts spent trying to prove half-baked theories about who is responsible. Pressure to find speedy answers and the desire for positive publicity caused the agencies in question to direct intelligence collection to confirm their preexisting theories rather than letting the intelligence product lead them toward the truth behind the events. Using official documents provided under the Freedom of Information Act, the author unveils details about certain key informants who fabricated information that caused the government to make erroneous arrests and that diverted attention from other clues. These historic revelations will seem quite modern to those who have studied intelligence mistakes in recent years and could be used as case studies by officials who must use intelligence techniques to understand subversive or radical groups.

Also included is an excellent analysis of the anarchist laws and the espionage act that resulted in human rights violations, deportations, and punishment of free speech in the name of patriotism. The political underpinnings of the controversial policies and the radical groups' responses are described clearly. [End Page 160] The text makes clear how singular events like the New York bombing become the basis for exaggerated fears and estimations of the real threat such attacks represent.

The Day Wall Street Exploded will be the definitive text for anyone who wants to understand fully the 1920 bombing and the investigation and political fallout that resulted. It is also a significant contribution to the study...

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