In this Book
- Legacy of a False Promise: A Daughter's Reckoning
- Book
- 2017
- Published by: The University of Alabama Press
summary
The compelling story of a teenage girl caught up in the throes of the McCarthy era.
Margaret Fuchs was thirteen in June 1955 when she learned that her parents had been Communists while working for the U.S. government in the 1930s and '40s. This book chronicles the years during which her parents were exposed and her father was subpoenaed before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Eventually he named names, and subsequently lost his job as a law professor at American University, and was blacklisted from teaching ever again. Legacy of a False Promise also details the author's quest as an adult to learn whether or not her parents ever spied for the Soviet Union.
Based on eight years of research using family records, FBI files, American University archives, personal interviews, and the recently declassified Venona cables, Legacy of a False Promise offers unique insights into the McCarthy Era. Most "red-diaper babies" who have written on the subject had parents who refused to give in to HUAC's demands. Singer's work instead recounts the shame and series of betrayals that her father's decision to name names brought to her family. Furthermore, it explores the campaign of the liberal anti-Communist movement to publicize its political position while defending a fired ex-Communist professor, the nature and activities of secret Communist underground cells, and the motivation of New Deal government workers who spied for the Soviets.
This is a poignant meditation on family secrets, father-daughter relationships in times of crisis, teenage loneliness in the midst of trauma, and the effects of parents' actions on the lives of their children. It also serves as a timely reminder of the dangers of sacrificing civil liberties in the name of national security.
Margaret Fuchs was thirteen in June 1955 when she learned that her parents had been Communists while working for the U.S. government in the 1930s and '40s. This book chronicles the years during which her parents were exposed and her father was subpoenaed before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Eventually he named names, and subsequently lost his job as a law professor at American University, and was blacklisted from teaching ever again. Legacy of a False Promise also details the author's quest as an adult to learn whether or not her parents ever spied for the Soviet Union.
Based on eight years of research using family records, FBI files, American University archives, personal interviews, and the recently declassified Venona cables, Legacy of a False Promise offers unique insights into the McCarthy Era. Most "red-diaper babies" who have written on the subject had parents who refused to give in to HUAC's demands. Singer's work instead recounts the shame and series of betrayals that her father's decision to name names brought to her family. Furthermore, it explores the campaign of the liberal anti-Communist movement to publicize its political position while defending a fired ex-Communist professor, the nature and activities of secret Communist underground cells, and the motivation of New Deal government workers who spied for the Soviets.
This is a poignant meditation on family secrets, father-daughter relationships in times of crisis, teenage loneliness in the midst of trauma, and the effects of parents' actions on the lives of their children. It also serves as a timely reminder of the dangers of sacrificing civil liberties in the name of national security.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Title Page, Copyright Page
- pp. i-vi
- List of Illustrations
- pp. ix-x
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xi-xii
- Part I. Moral Dilemma
- pp. 1-2
- 2. Paranoia
- pp. 7-10
- 3. The Subpoena
- pp. 11-14
- 4. The Word Is Out
- pp. 15-21
- Part II. Betrayals
- pp. 29-30
- 6. Catch-22
- pp. 31-34
- 7. About-face
- pp. 35-39
- 8. Awaiting the Board's Decision
- pp. 40-52
- 9. Public Hearing, Private Coping
- pp. 53-73
- Part III. Discovery
- pp. 87-88
- 11. Breaking Away
- pp. 89-95
- 12. Red Diaper Babies
- pp. 96-103
- 13. "Fancy Naming a Baby 'Herbert"
- pp. 104-115
- 14. Secret Cells
- pp. 116-126
- 15. "But What about Your Mother?"
- pp. 127-139
- 16. Too Close for Comfort
- pp. 140-150
- 17. Harry Magdoff: Larger than Life
- pp. 151-160
- 18. The FBI
- pp. 161-170
- Part IV. Reckoning
- pp. 171-172
- 19. Naming Names
- pp. 173-184
- 20. Remembering Them
- pp. 185-194
- 21. Healing: Old Friends/New Family
- pp. 195-202
- 22. Legacy of a False Promise
- pp. 203-212
Additional Information
ISBN
9780817386375
Related ISBN(s)
9780817316747, 9780817357290
MARC Record
OCLC
1017609627
Pages
262
Launched on MUSE
2018-01-03
Language
English
Open Access
No
Copyright
2009