Not Without Honor: The History of American Anticommunism

History professor Powers's interpretation of anticommunism in American politics proposes a fundamental distinction between the movement's democratic character-represented by Robert LaFollette, Sydney Hook, and Congress for Cultural Freedom-and the better-known ""countersubversive"" right, which included J. Edgar Hoover, Sen. Joseph McCarthy, and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). This work's appeal consists in recalling the forgotten integrity of the democratic elements, while its novelty lies in the author's argument that the ""countersubversive"" excesses of the 1950s justified the democrats' demise. As a result, the communists found a comfortable niche in the new left of the 1960s, leading to the ""great irony"" that liberals blundered into Vietnam without the ""principles, values, and goals of [democratic] anticommunism."" Fortunately, liberals' estrangement from anticommunists did not inhibit conservatives from expressing the movement's ""culmination"" through Ronald Reagan. The obvious controversy implied should not detract from Powers's painstakingly erudite detail and deep respect for his subject. Recommended for all academic and public libraries.-Zachary T. Irwin, Pennsylvania State Univ., Erie