Phillip Deery. Red Apple: Communism and McCarthyism in Cold War New York.

Abstract

Phillip Deery's Red Apple: Communism and McCarthyism in Cold War New York reminds us of the devastating impact that domestic anticommunism had on its victims at the height of the Cold War. His narrative recaps the events of the Cold War era when Americans witnessed the greatest attacks on their civil liberties. “McCarthyism,” according to the author, “for at least a decade, disfigured the American political landscape” (p. 1). Red Apple makes an important contribution to the literature on domestic anticommunism by turning our attention to New York City. As Deery notes, New York City was the “epicenter” of American Communism (p. 3). By the 1950s the city became a major battleground between Communist and anticommunist forces. It was home to the largest number of Communist party members in the nation and many organizations affiliated with the party were headquartered in the city. In addition, some of the most noted anticommunist intellectuals from leftist anti-Stalinists to those on the Right made New York City their home. Several anticommunist organizations in a variety of fields including labor, academia, religion, civil rights, and business were located in the Big Apple. By the early 1950s thousands of Communists and anticommunists participated in Cold War struggles raising issues of academic freedom, freedom of opinion, and national security. These battles in the city reflected what was taking place throughout the entire country.