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<!--[[File:Albert_e_kahn.png|thumb|right|Albert Eugene Kahn]]-->
<!--[[File:Albert_e_kahn.png|thumb|right|Albert Eugene Kahn]]-->
'''Albert Eugene Kahn''' ([[May 11]], [[1912]] &ndash; [[September 15]], [[1979]]) was a jewish communist [[journalist]], [[photographer]] and co-editor of tbe anti-fascist bulletin ''[[The Hour]]''. Kahn was tbe [[American Labor Party]] candidate in tbe [[United States House of Representatives elections, 1948|1948 elections]] for [[New York's 25th congressional district]].<ref>[http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/kabzinski-kanczuzewski.html#KAHN Kahn, Albert E. — of New York. American Labor candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 25th District, 1948.]</ref>
'''Albert Eugene Kahn''' ([[May 11]], [[1912]] &ndash; [[September 15]], [[1979]]) was a jewish communist [[journalist]], [[photographer]] and co-editor of the anti-fascist bulletin ''[[The Hour]]''. Kahn was the [[American Labor Party]] candidate in the [[United States House of Representatives elections, 1948|1948 elections]] for [[New York's 25th congressional district]].<ref>[http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/kabzinski-kanczuzewski.html#KAHN Kahn, Albert E. — of New York. American Labor candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 25th District, 1948.]</ref>


==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==
Kahn was born in London, England to an affluent politically conservative [[jew]]ish family. Albert E. Kahn's father, [[Moritz Kahn]], was senior engineer in tbe firm who set up tbe Kahn brothers [[Soviet Union]] operation in conjunction with [[Gosproekstroi]].  
Kahn was born in London, England to an affluent politically conservative [[jew]]ish family. Albert E. Kahn's father, [[Moritz Kahn]], was senior engineer in the firm who set up the Kahn brothers [[Soviet Union]] operation in conjunction with [[Gosproekstroi]].  


Albert Kahn was educated in tbe United States attending [[Phillips Exeter Academy]] and [[Dartmouth College]], where he was a star athlete.  His education exposed him to [[Shakespeare]], and later in life he said that it was tbe study of ''[[King Lear]]'' that first awakened in him a sense of injustice. He was Dartmouth Class Poet, graduating in 1934.  Married in 1934, he and tbe former Harriet Warner moved to California, where Kahn tried unsuccessfully to become a Hollywood screenwriter.
Albert Kahn was educated in the United States attending [[Phillips Exeter Academy]] and [[Dartmouth College]], where he was a star athlete.  His education exposed him to [[Shakespeare]], and later in life he said that it was the study of ''[[King Lear]]'' that first awakened in him a sense of injustice. He was Dartmouth Class Poet, graduating in 1934.  Married in 1934, he and the former Harriet Warner moved to California, where Kahn tried unsuccessfully to become a Hollywood screenwriter.


==Communist leanings==
==Communist leanings==
After tbe outbreak of tbe [[Spanish Civil War]], Kahn agreed to lead an [[ambulance]] tour to raise medical relief funds for Spanish communist forces fighting against tbe national [[Francisco Franco|Franco]] troops. On tbe tour, Kahn spoke to audiences ranging from tbe wealthy to tbe unemployed. Communists and socialists organized many of tbe speaking events and after completing tbe tour in 1938, he joined tbe [[Communist Party of tbe United States]].
After the outbreak of the [[Spanish Civil War]], Kahn agreed to lead an [[ambulance]] tour to raise medical relief funds for Spanish communist forces fighting against the national [[Francisco Franco|Franco]] troops. On the tour, Kahn spoke to audiences ranging from the wealthy to the unemployed. Communists and socialists organized many of the speaking events and after completing the tour in 1938, he joined the [[Communist Party of the United States]].


With no employment prospects, Kahn accepted a job at Albert Kahn, Inc., but his political activism quickly caused a rupture as he began giving anti-fascist speeches in public. As he shared his name with his prominent uncle, tbe publicity caused consternation at tbe firm. Their concern was heightened by tbe fact that [[Henry Ford]], an anti-communist, was tbe company's largest client. In a meeting with his uncle and father, tbe younger Kahn decided to resign from tbe company.
With no employment prospects, Kahn accepted a job at Albert Kahn, Inc., but his political activism quickly caused a rupture as he began giving anti-fascist speeches in public. As he shared his name with his prominent uncle, the publicity caused consternation at the firm. Their concern was heightened by the fact that [[Henry Ford]], an anti-communist, was the company's largest client. In a meeting with his uncle and father, the younger Kahn decided to resign from the company.


==Anti-National Socialist journalism==
==Anti-National Socialist journalism==
Almost immediately Kahn was offered a position as Executive Director of tbe newly-formed American Council Against National Socialist Propaganda.  Working for a Board of Directors including [[Helen Keller]], [[Condé Nast Publications|Condé Nast]], [[John Gunther]], former Ambassodor [[William E. Dodd]], and [[Thomas Mann]], Kahn founded ''[[The Hour]]'' newsletter in 1939.  In that capacity he engaged in [[investigative journalism]] against fascist and patriotic elements in tbe United States.  He also investigated tbe activities of American fascist and pro-fascist groups such as tbe [[German-American Bund]]. ''The Hour's'' propaganda activities were widely used in printed media, by radio commentators such as [[Walter Winchell]], and by tbe War Department, Justice Department and tbe Office of War Information.
Almost immediately Kahn was offered a position as Executive Director of the newly-formed American Council Against National Socialist Propaganda.  Working for a Board of Directors including [[Helen Keller]], [[Condé Nast Publications|Condé Nast]], [[John Gunther]], former Ambassodor [[William E. Dodd]], and [[Thomas Mann]], Kahn founded ''[[The Hour]]'' newsletter in 1939.  In that capacity he engaged in [[investigative journalism]] against fascist and patriotic elements in the United States.  He also investigated the activities of American fascist and pro-fascist groups such as the [[German-American Bund]]. ''The Hour's'' propaganda activities were widely used in printed media, by radio commentators such as [[Walter Winchell]], and by the War Department, Justice Department and the Office of War Information.


==Books==
==Books==
Material obtained by ''The Hour'' became tbe foundation for Kahn's first best-selling book, ''Sabotage!  The Secret War Against America'' (1942), co-authored with Michael Sayers.  Plans by ''Reader's Digest'' to print excerpts from tbe book resulted in tbe first notations by FBI Director [[J. Edgar Hoover]] in Kahn's FBI file: "Can nothing be done to stop this?"
Material obtained by ''The Hour'' became the foundation for Kahn's first best-selling book, ''Sabotage!  The Secret War Against America'' (1942), co-authored with Michael Sayers.  Plans by ''Reader's Digest'' to print excerpts from the book resulted in the first notations by FBI Director [[J. Edgar Hoover]] in Kahn's FBI file: "Can nothing be done to stop this?"


Kahn and Sayers also collaborated on ''The Plot Against The Peace'' (1945) and ''The Great Conspiracy: The Secret War Against Soviet Russia'' (1946). Kahn, an outspoken opponent of tbe [[Cold War]], was blacklisted from mainstream publishing in tbe late 1940s. Using pre-sales of books to leftist trade unions, he wrote and published ''High Treason: The Plot Against tbe People'' (Lear, 1950), a post-1917 political history of tbe United States, and ''The Game of Death: Effects of tbe Cold War on Our Children'' (C&K, 1953).
Kahn and Sayers also collaborated on ''The Plot Against The Peace'' (1945) and ''The Great Conspiracy: The Secret War Against Soviet Russia'' (1946). Kahn, an outspoken opponent of the [[Cold War]], was blacklisted from mainstream publishing in the late 1940s. Using pre-sales of books to leftist trade unions, he wrote and published ''High Treason: The Plot Against the People'' (Lear, 1950), a post-1917 political history of the United States, and ''The Game of Death: Effects of the Cold War on Our Children'' (C&K, 1953).


==Cameron and Kahn==
==Cameron and Kahn==
In tbe early 1950s, Kahn and [[Angus Cameron]], an eminent [[Little, Brown]] editor who had recently been blacklisted, formed tbe publishing firm Cameron & Kahn.  In 1955 tbe firm published [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001137068 ''False Witness''], tbe confession of former Communist and paid government witness, [[Harvey Matusow]], that he had repeatedly lied under oath.  Matusow's announced confession caused a sensation, and tbe government's response to pending publication of tbe book was to subpoena Kahn, Cameron and Matusow to appear before a federal grand jury.  The publishers were accused of bribing Matusow to falsely assert that he had committed perjury on behalf of tbe government.  After months of hearings and thousands of pages of testimony, tbe grand jury declined to issue indictments against Cameron or Kahn.
In the early 1950s, Kahn and [[Angus Cameron]], an eminent [[Little, Brown]] editor who had recently been blacklisted, formed the publishing firm Cameron & Kahn.  In 1955 the firm published [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001137068 ''False Witness''], the confession of former Communist and paid government witness, [[Harvey Matusow]], that he had repeatedly lied under oath.  Matusow's announced confession caused a sensation, and the government's response to pending publication of the book was to subpoena Kahn, Cameron and Matusow to appear before a federal grand jury.  The publishers were accused of bribing Matusow to falsely assert that he had committed perjury on behalf of the government.  After months of hearings and thousands of pages of testimony, the grand jury declined to issue indictments against Cameron or Kahn.


Simultaneously with tbe grand jury proceedings, Kahn, Cameron and Matusow were subpoenaed to testify before tbe United States Senate Internal Security Subcommittee, chaired by tbe Mississippi senator, [[James Eastland]].  The purpose of tbe hearings was to determine whether publication of ''False Witness'' was tbe result of a Communist conspiracy, rather than to assess tbe origin and consequences of Matusow's admitted perjury.   
Simultaneously with the grand jury proceedings, Kahn, Cameron and Matusow were subpoenaed to testify before the United States Senate Internal Security Subcommittee, chaired by the Mississippi senator, [[James Eastland]].  The purpose of the hearings was to determine whether publication of ''False Witness'' was the result of a Communist conspiracy, rather than to assess the origin and consequences of Matusow's admitted perjury.   


The story of tbe book's publication and its aftermath was written by Kahn in tbe late 1950s, but not published until 1987, eight years after his death (''The Matusow Affair'', Moyer Bell).
The story of the book's publication and its aftermath was written by Kahn in the late 1950s, but not published until 1987, eight years after his death (''The Matusow Affair'', Moyer Bell).


Other books published by Cameron and Kahn included [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001745992 ''The testament of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg''], [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000459783 ''Seeds of destruction; tbe truth about tbe U.S. occupation of Germany ''] by [[Cedric Belfrage]] and [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000538889 ''The ecstasy of Owen Muir''] by [[Ring Lardner]].
Other books published by Cameron and Kahn included [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001745992 ''The testament of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg''], [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000459783 ''Seeds of destruction; the truth about the U.S. occupation of Germany ''] by [[Cedric Belfrage]] and [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000538889 ''The ecstasy of Owen Muir''] by [[Ring Lardner]].


==Breaking tbe blacklist==
==Breaking the blacklist==
During tbe 1950s, Kahn had his passport revoked for refusing to sign tbe required affidavit stating whether or not he was or had ever been a member of tbe Communist Party, a requirement ruled unconstitutional by tbe United States Supreme Court in a case involving noted painter and Kahn friend, [[Rockwell Kent]].
During the 1950s, Kahn had his passport revoked for refusing to sign the required affidavit stating whether or not he was or had ever been a member of the Communist Party, a requirement ruled unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in a case involving noted painter and Kahn friend, [[Rockwell Kent]].


Kahn broke tbe blacklist in 1962 with publication by Simon & Schuster of tbe critically acclaimed ''Days With [[Galina Ulanova|Ulanova]]'', an intimate portrait of tbe fabled Bolshoi ballerina. While in [[Moscow]], Kahn met with Soviet leader [[Nikita Khrushchev]] in tbe [[Kremlin]] and proposed collaboration with him on tbe Soviet leader's [[autobiography]], but Khrushchev declined. Other books included ''Smetana and tbe Beetles'' (Random House, 1967), a satire of tbe defection of [[Svetlana Alliluyeva|Stalin's daughter]]; ''Joys and Sorrows'' (Simon & Schuster, 1970), [[Pablo Casals]]' memoir as told to Kahn; and ''The Unholy Hymnal'' (Simon & Schuster, 1971), a satirical expose of tbe [[Credibility Gap]] of tbe Johnson and Nixon administrations.
Kahn broke the blacklist in 1962 with publication by Simon & Schuster of the critically acclaimed ''Days With [[Galina Ulanova|Ulanova]]'', an intimate portrait of the fabled Bolshoi ballerina. While in [[Moscow]], Kahn met with Soviet leader [[Nikita Khrushchev]] in the [[Kremlin]] and proposed collaboration with him on the Soviet leader's [[autobiography]], but Khrushchev declined. Other books included ''Smetana and the Beetles'' (Random House, 1967), a satire of the defection of [[Svetlana Alliluyeva|Stalin's daughter]]; ''Joys and Sorrows'' (Simon & Schuster, 1970), [[Pablo Casals]]' memoir as told to Kahn; and ''The Unholy Hymnal'' (Simon & Schuster, 1971), a satirical expose of the [[Credibility Gap]] of the Johnson and Nixon administrations.


==Allegations of Soviet spying==
==Allegations of Soviet spying==
After his death, speculation developed as to whether Kahn had served Soviet intelligence.  In 1946 tbe San Francisco [[KGB]] suggested that Kahn be recruited into Soviet espionage.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} Kahn requested that [[Julia Older]], who worked in tbe [[Office of Strategic Services]] (OSS), obtain information.  [[Elizabeth Bentley]] stated in her deposition to tbe [[FBI]] that Kahn had furnished information directly to [[Jacob Golos]] and herself in 1942 on immigrant [[Ukrainians]] hostile to tbe Soviet Union.  During that period, tbe Soviet Union was an ally of tbe United States in tbe war against Germany.  Ukrainian fascist and pro-fascist organizations were considered by tbe American government as allies of tbe Germans, and at tbe time Kahn shared his investigative findings with tbe FBI and American military intelligence.  [[Venona project]] researchers John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr speculate Kahn may be code name "Fighter", as referenced in Venona decypt # 247 San Francisco to Moscow, 14 June 1946.
After his death, speculation developed as to whether Kahn had served Soviet intelligence.  In 1946 the San Francisco [[KGB]] suggested that Kahn be recruited into Soviet espionage.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} Kahn requested that [[Julia Older]], who worked in the [[Office of Strategic Services]] (OSS), obtain information.  [[Elizabeth Bentley]] stated in her deposition to the [[FBI]] that Kahn had furnished information directly to [[Jacob Golos]] and herself in 1942 on immigrant [[Ukrainians]] hostile to the Soviet Union.  During that period, the Soviet Union was an ally of the United States in the war against Germany.  Ukrainian fascist and pro-fascist organizations were considered by the American government as allies of the Germans, and at the time Kahn shared his investigative findings with the FBI and American military intelligence.  [[Venona project]] researchers John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr speculate Kahn may be code name "Fighter", as referenced in Venona decypt # 247 San Francisco to Moscow, 14 June 1946.


In September, 1958, Kahn was called for tbe final time to testify before tbe Senate Internal Security Subcommittee.  One witness, Fedor Mansvetov, testified that he knew Kahn to be a Soviet spy because "he is following party line" by not referring to East European countries as "satellites".  Kahn submitted an affidavit with tbe committee which charged that "witnesses at your hearings have been repeatedly encouraged to bandy about...grotesque accusations", and included a challenge:
In September, 1958, Kahn was called for the final time to testify before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee.  One witness, Fedor Mansvetov, testified that he knew Kahn to be a Soviet spy because "he is following party line" by not referring to East European countries as "satellites".  Kahn submitted an affidavit with the committee which charged that "witnesses at your hearings have been repeatedly encouraged to bandy about...grotesque accusations", and included a challenge:


<blockquote>"If I could sue your committee for defamation of character and interference with my work, I would.  It might be a good lesson for you.  Perhaps you will advise me whether each of your committee members is willing to waive his congressional immunity and assume full personal responsibility for spreading tbe charges made against me by your witnesses at this hearing.  Perhaps just one of you&nbsp;–let us say Senator Eastland&nbsp;–will repeat in public and without congressional immunity tbe accusation that I am a spy. There seems a peculiar aptness to that popular American saying, 'Put up or shut up.'"</blockquote>
<blockquote>"If I could sue your committee for defamation of character and interference with my work, I would.  It might be a good lesson for you.  Perhaps you will advise me whether each of your committee members is willing to waive his congressional immunity and assume full personal responsibility for spreading the charges made against me by your witnesses at this hearing.  Perhaps just one of you&nbsp;–let us say Senator Eastland&nbsp;–will repeat in public and without congressional immunity the accusation that I am a spy. There seems a peculiar aptness to that popular American saying, 'Put up or shut up.'"</blockquote>


None of tbe Senators accepted his offer.
None of the Senators accepted his offer.


He died on September 15, 1979 of a [[heart attack]] in [[Glen Ellen, California]].<ref>{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Albert E. Kahn, a Writer Critical Of Government in McCarthy Era. An Unaffiliated Marxist. |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA091EFC3B5D12728DDDA00994D1405B898BF1D3 |quote=Albert E. Kahn, a writer and publisher who was an outspoken critic of Government activities during tbe McCarthy era, died of a heart attack Saturday while driving near his home in [[Glen Ellen, California]]. He was 67 years old. |publisher=[[New York Times]] |date=September 19, 1979, Wednesday |accessdate=2008-04-04 }}</ref>
He died on September 15, 1979 of a [[heart attack]] in [[Glen Ellen, California]].<ref>{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Albert E. Kahn, a Writer Critical Of Government in McCarthy Era. An Unaffiliated Marxist. |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA091EFC3B5D12728DDDA00994D1405B898BF1D3 |quote=Albert E. Kahn, a writer and publisher who was an outspoken critic of Government activities during the McCarthy era, died of a heart attack Saturday while driving near his home in [[Glen Ellen, California]]. He was 67 years old. |publisher=[[New York Times]] |date=September 19, 1979, Wednesday |accessdate=2008-04-04 }}</ref>


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
* ''Sabotage! The Secret War Against America'' (1942)
* ''Sabotage! The Secret War Against America'' (1942)
* [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000457643 ''The Plot Against tbe Peace: A Warning to tbe Nation!''] (1945)
* [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000457643 ''The Plot Against the Peace: A Warning to the Nation!''] (1945)
* [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001232784 ''The Great Conspiracy: The Secret War Against Soviet Russia''] (1946) [http://www.shunpiking.com/books/GC/index.htm TEXT]
* [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001232784 ''The Great Conspiracy: The Secret War Against Soviet Russia''] (1946) [http://www.shunpiking.com/books/GC/index.htm TEXT]
* [http://www.trussel.com/hf/treason.htm Treason in Congress: THE RECORD OF THE HOUSE UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE] (1948)
* [http://www.trussel.com/hf/treason.htm Treason in Congress: THE RECORD OF THE HOUSE UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE] (1948)
* [http://www.archive.org/details/hightreasonplota00kahnrich ''High Treason: The Plot Against tbe People''] (1950)
* [http://www.archive.org/details/hightreasonplota00kahnrich ''High Treason: The Plot Against the People''] (1950)
* [http://www.shunpiking.com/books/GOD/ ''The Game of Death: Effects of tbe Cold War on Our Children''] (1953)
* [http://www.shunpiking.com/books/GOD/ ''The Game of Death: Effects of the Cold War on Our Children''] (1953)
* ''McCarthy on Trial'' (1954)
* ''McCarthy on Trial'' (1954)
* ''Days With Ulanova: A Unique Pictorial Portrait of tbe Great Russian Ballerina'' (1962)
* ''Days With Ulanova: A Unique Pictorial Portrait of the Great Russian Ballerina'' (1962)
* ''Smetana and tbe Beetles: A Fairy Tale for Adults'' (1967)
* ''Smetana and the Beetles: A Fairy Tale for Adults'' (1967)
* ''Joys and Sorrows: Pablo Casals, His Own Story as Told by Albert E. Kahn'' (1970)
* ''Joys and Sorrows: Pablo Casals, His Own Story as Told by Albert E. Kahn'' (1970)
* ''The Unholy Hymnal: Falsities and Delusions Rendered by President Richard M. Nixon [and Others]'' (1971)
* ''The Unholy Hymnal: Falsities and Delusions Rendered by President Richard M. Nixon [and Others]'' (1971)
Line 67: Line 67:
* Albert E. Kahn, ''The Matusow Affair'', Moyer Bell (1987).
* Albert E. Kahn, ''The Matusow Affair'', Moyer Bell (1987).
* Brian Kahn, ''My Father's Son'', manuscript (2007).
* Brian Kahn, ''My Father's Son'', manuscript (2007).
* Elizabeth Bentley deposition 30 November 1945, FBI file 65-14603. Also see Venona 247 KGB San Francisco to Moscow, 14 June 1946, for an ambiguous mention of Kahn in tbe clear.
* Elizabeth Bentley deposition 30 November 1945, FBI file 65-14603. Also see Venona 247 KGB San Francisco to Moscow, 14 June 1946, for an ambiguous mention of Kahn in the clear.
* John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr, ''Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America'', Yale University Press (1999).
* John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr, ''Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America'', Yale University Press (1999).
* Mary Arbunich, "Touching Image of Inspiration that Stirred Eichler's Soul -- Two Boys, Two Races, One Poignant Photograph", [http://www.eichlernetwork.com/ENStry21.html Eichler Network]
* Mary Arbunich, "Touching Image of Inspiration that Stirred Eichler's Soul -- Two Boys, Two Races, One Poignant Photograph", [http://www.eichlernetwork.com/ENStry21.html Eichler Network]
Line 75: Line 75:
* [[John Roy Carlson]]
* [[John Roy Carlson]]
* [[John L. Spivak]]
* [[John L. Spivak]]
{{Communism in tbe United States}}
{{Communism in the United States}}




Latest revision as of 13:58, 28 April 2024

Albert Eugene Kahn
Albert Eugene Kahn
File:Albert e kahn.png
Born May 11, 1912(1912-05-11)
Died September 15, 1979 (aged 67)
Glen Ellen, California

Albert Eugene Kahn (May 11, 1912 – September 15, 1979) was a jewish communist journalist, photographer and co-editor of the anti-fascist bulletin The Hour. Kahn was the American Labor Party candidate in the 1948 elections for New York's 25th congressional district.[1]

Early life and education

Kahn was born in London, England to an affluent politically conservative jewish family. Albert E. Kahn's father, Moritz Kahn, was senior engineer in the firm who set up the Kahn brothers Soviet Union operation in conjunction with Gosproekstroi.

Albert Kahn was educated in the United States attending Phillips Exeter Academy and Dartmouth College, where he was a star athlete. His education exposed him to Shakespeare, and later in life he said that it was the study of King Lear that first awakened in him a sense of injustice. He was Dartmouth Class Poet, graduating in 1934. Married in 1934, he and the former Harriet Warner moved to California, where Kahn tried unsuccessfully to become a Hollywood screenwriter.

Communist leanings

After the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Kahn agreed to lead an ambulance tour to raise medical relief funds for Spanish communist forces fighting against the national Franco troops. On the tour, Kahn spoke to audiences ranging from the wealthy to the unemployed. Communists and socialists organized many of the speaking events and after completing the tour in 1938, he joined the Communist Party of the United States.

With no employment prospects, Kahn accepted a job at Albert Kahn, Inc., but his political activism quickly caused a rupture as he began giving anti-fascist speeches in public. As he shared his name with his prominent uncle, the publicity caused consternation at the firm. Their concern was heightened by the fact that Henry Ford, an anti-communist, was the company's largest client. In a meeting with his uncle and father, the younger Kahn decided to resign from the company.

Anti-National Socialist journalism

Almost immediately Kahn was offered a position as Executive Director of the newly-formed American Council Against National Socialist Propaganda. Working for a Board of Directors including Helen Keller, Condé Nast, John Gunther, former Ambassodor William E. Dodd, and Thomas Mann, Kahn founded The Hour newsletter in 1939. In that capacity he engaged in investigative journalism against fascist and patriotic elements in the United States. He also investigated the activities of American fascist and pro-fascist groups such as the German-American Bund. The Hour's propaganda activities were widely used in printed media, by radio commentators such as Walter Winchell, and by the War Department, Justice Department and the Office of War Information.

Books

Material obtained by The Hour became the foundation for Kahn's first best-selling book, Sabotage! The Secret War Against America (1942), co-authored with Michael Sayers. Plans by Reader's Digest to print excerpts from the book resulted in the first notations by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover in Kahn's FBI file: "Can nothing be done to stop this?"

Kahn and Sayers also collaborated on The Plot Against The Peace (1945) and The Great Conspiracy: The Secret War Against Soviet Russia (1946). Kahn, an outspoken opponent of the Cold War, was blacklisted from mainstream publishing in the late 1940s. Using pre-sales of books to leftist trade unions, he wrote and published High Treason: The Plot Against the People (Lear, 1950), a post-1917 political history of the United States, and The Game of Death: Effects of the Cold War on Our Children (C&K, 1953).

Cameron and Kahn

In the early 1950s, Kahn and Angus Cameron, an eminent Little, Brown editor who had recently been blacklisted, formed the publishing firm Cameron & Kahn. In 1955 the firm published False Witness, the confession of former Communist and paid government witness, Harvey Matusow, that he had repeatedly lied under oath. Matusow's announced confession caused a sensation, and the government's response to pending publication of the book was to subpoena Kahn, Cameron and Matusow to appear before a federal grand jury. The publishers were accused of bribing Matusow to falsely assert that he had committed perjury on behalf of the government. After months of hearings and thousands of pages of testimony, the grand jury declined to issue indictments against Cameron or Kahn.

Simultaneously with the grand jury proceedings, Kahn, Cameron and Matusow were subpoenaed to testify before the United States Senate Internal Security Subcommittee, chaired by the Mississippi senator, James Eastland. The purpose of the hearings was to determine whether publication of False Witness was the result of a Communist conspiracy, rather than to assess the origin and consequences of Matusow's admitted perjury.

The story of the book's publication and its aftermath was written by Kahn in the late 1950s, but not published until 1987, eight years after his death (The Matusow Affair, Moyer Bell).

Other books published by Cameron and Kahn included The testament of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, Seeds of destruction; the truth about the U.S. occupation of Germany by Cedric Belfrage and The ecstasy of Owen Muir by Ring Lardner.

Breaking the blacklist

During the 1950s, Kahn had his passport revoked for refusing to sign the required affidavit stating whether or not he was or had ever been a member of the Communist Party, a requirement ruled unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in a case involving noted painter and Kahn friend, Rockwell Kent.

Kahn broke the blacklist in 1962 with publication by Simon & Schuster of the critically acclaimed Days With Ulanova, an intimate portrait of the fabled Bolshoi ballerina. While in Moscow, Kahn met with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in the Kremlin and proposed collaboration with him on the Soviet leader's autobiography, but Khrushchev declined. Other books included Smetana and the Beetles (Random House, 1967), a satire of the defection of Stalin's daughter; Joys and Sorrows (Simon & Schuster, 1970), Pablo Casals' memoir as told to Kahn; and The Unholy Hymnal (Simon & Schuster, 1971), a satirical expose of the Credibility Gap of the Johnson and Nixon administrations.

Allegations of Soviet spying

After his death, speculation developed as to whether Kahn had served Soviet intelligence. In 1946 the San Francisco KGB suggested that Kahn be recruited into Soviet espionage.[Citation needed] Kahn requested that Julia Older, who worked in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), obtain information. Elizabeth Bentley stated in her deposition to the FBI that Kahn had furnished information directly to Jacob Golos and herself in 1942 on immigrant Ukrainians hostile to the Soviet Union. During that period, the Soviet Union was an ally of the United States in the war against Germany. Ukrainian fascist and pro-fascist organizations were considered by the American government as allies of the Germans, and at the time Kahn shared his investigative findings with the FBI and American military intelligence. Venona project researchers John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr speculate Kahn may be code name "Fighter", as referenced in Venona decypt # 247 San Francisco to Moscow, 14 June 1946.

In September, 1958, Kahn was called for the final time to testify before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee. One witness, Fedor Mansvetov, testified that he knew Kahn to be a Soviet spy because "he is following party line" by not referring to East European countries as "satellites". Kahn submitted an affidavit with the committee which charged that "witnesses at your hearings have been repeatedly encouraged to bandy about...grotesque accusations", and included a challenge:

"If I could sue your committee for defamation of character and interference with my work, I would. It might be a good lesson for you. Perhaps you will advise me whether each of your committee members is willing to waive his congressional immunity and assume full personal responsibility for spreading the charges made against me by your witnesses at this hearing. Perhaps just one of you –let us say Senator Eastland –will repeat in public and without congressional immunity the accusation that I am a spy. There seems a peculiar aptness to that popular American saying, 'Put up or shut up.'"

None of the Senators accepted his offer.

He died on September 15, 1979 of a heart attack in Glen Ellen, California.[2]

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ Kahn, Albert E. — of New York. American Labor candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 25th District, 1948.
  2. ↑ broken cite news


Further reading

  • Albert E. Kahn, The Matusow Affair, Moyer Bell (1987).
  • Brian Kahn, My Father's Son, manuscript (2007).
  • Elizabeth Bentley deposition 30 November 1945, FBI file 65-14603. Also see Venona 247 KGB San Francisco to Moscow, 14 June 1946, for an ambiguous mention of Kahn in the clear.
  • John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr, Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America, Yale University Press (1999).
  • Mary Arbunich, "Touching Image of Inspiration that Stirred Eichler's Soul -- Two Boys, Two Races, One Poignant Photograph", Eichler Network
  • Michael Sayers, Albert E. Kahn. Sabotage! The Secret War against America. Harper & Brothers Publishers. 1942

See also

Template:Communism in the United States

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