On what we don’t
know about two high-profile controversies—and why it doesn’t matter.
Few examples
better illustrate the stakes of historical interpretation and analysis than the
cases of Alger
Hiss and Julius
and Ethel Rosenberg. At one extreme—but, to be clear, an extreme that could
be argued within the bounds of serious historical inquiry—each case could be
seen as at least a partial vindication of McCarthyism,
as evidence that communist spies and sympathizers were indeed operating within
the U.S. government and society. At the other, equally arguable extreme, these
three Americans embody the worst of that era, and particularly its persecution
and destruction of innocent lives in service of paranoia, fear, and the creation
at all costs of the “us vs. them” mentality about which I wrote in Monday’s
post.
Perhaps in time
sufficient evidence will be unearthed or released that historians will be able
to come to more conclusive perspectives on one or both cases—although so far
key details have not only remained
secret but also have been legally
reinforced in that state. To date, at least as far as this AmericanStudier understands
it (and as I
analyzed from a different angle in this post), the available evidence seems
to implicate Julius Rosenberg, to cast serious doubt on the guilt of his wife
Ethel, and to remain entirely inconclusive when it comes to Hiss. Yet while the
guilt and innocence of these individuals are no small matters—not least because
the Rosenbergs were
executed for their alleged crimes, but Hiss lived the remaining
forty-five years of his life under the cloud of suspicion as well—it’s also
possible, and important, to analyze the cases in other contexts, to consider what
they can reveal even if their deepest secrets might never see the light of day.
To my mind, one
clear and important way to consider all three accused spies is to recognize the
range of American identities and experiences to which they connect: Julius for
example as the son of Jewish immigrants who settled in New York’s
East Side neighborhoods; Ethel for example as a New York New Woman
who initially pursued a career as an actress and singer; Hiss for example as the product of a declining Maryland
family, surrounded by tragedies including his father’s and sister’s
suicides, who worked his way to Harvard and a prestigious career in law and
politics. Which is to say, whether they spied or not, whether they were
traitors or victims, these are American stories and histories and identities,
lives and worlds no less (and no more) a part of our national narratives than
those of Joseph McCarthy, Richard Nixon, J. Edgar Hoover, and their other
accusers and adversaries. Whatever the truth, there simple fact is that there’s
no us vs. them—it’s all us.
Final Communist
connection tomorrow,
Ben
PS.
What do you think? Responses for the weekend post?
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