It wasn’t a shock when Dad confirmed to the F.B.I. agents what we had long suspected: his membership in the Communist Party, dating back to the years between 1946 and 1950. We, his children, had even teased him about being “the last Stalinist,” a playful jab at his unwavering tales of Soviet valor at Stalingrad and his persistent belief, almost to his last breath in 2010, that the Rosenbergs were victims of a miscarriage of justice.
The revelation of his F.B.I. file painted a picture of how he landed on the bureau’s radar. It began with a tip from a local police chief, and was subsequently fueled by intelligence from five informants. While two names remained hidden, the identities of three others emerged from the report, prompting me to delve into their backgrounds. One was the postmaster of Stelton, a man of multiple facets – an amateur boxer, a war veteran – who funneled a constant stream of names to the bureau, including Dad’s, simply for receiving mail from both Communist and pacifist groups.
The other two informants, a married couple, might have been more than just casual acquaintances; they might have known Dad personally. One was pursuing advanced studies in mathematics at Rutgers, while the other worked as a child psychologist. Their shared political leanings were evident in their late 1940s campaigns for public office under the Progressive Party, the same party championed by one of my father’s political idols, Henry Wallace, who ran for president in 1948.
Speculation arises: did this couple betray Dad to protect themselves from scrutiny, or were they, from the outset, embedded F.B.I. operatives? Regardless of their motivations, their testimony to the bureau placed my father within the ranks of a John Reed Club chapter, remnants of the Communist Party.
The timing of the F.B.I.’s confrontation in the spring of 1957 placed my father in a vulnerable position. Although the peak of the Red Scare might have subsided, the political atmosphere remained charged. Playwright Arthur Miller’s contempt of Congress conviction in late May, for refusing to name names to the House Un-American Activities Committee, served as a stark reminder of the risks. The committee’s 1957 hearings investigating alleged Communist infiltration in the Newark area, spearheaded by the Newark F.B.I. field office, were the very forces now bearing down on my father.
This Father’s Day, perhaps consider the gift of understanding – understanding your father’s story, his history. For dads who appreciate history and personal narratives, exploring their past could be the most meaningful gift of all. As you consider Fathers Day Gifts 2024, remember that sometimes the most valuable presents are not material, but rather the intangible connections we forge through shared stories and understanding.
