Saying No To Power, for
publication in November
1999, by Creative Arts, Berkeley
"Born NYC June 4, 1917. At age 10, spent week-end
in subway collecting money for
starving children of Appalachian coal miners on strike. Graduated from
high school,
1931, and went to Moscow with father, a civil engineer. Attended Moscow
University
one semester, aiming at genetics.
Entered CCNY in New York fall 1932. Expelled spring 1933 due to part in
anti-ROTC
demonstration. Refused to apologize. Not readmitted. Met Tanya, same
age, at 17.
Living together since we were 18. At that age, became teacher of
Marxism in
Communist Party's Workers' School in New York. At Party's request, went
to Cleveland
to run its bookstore and head statewide circulation of its newspaper.
Later headed
Young Communist League, chiefly African-American, in Akron. Returned to
New York in
1939. Daughter, Phyllis, born that year.
1940 became research assistant at American Russian Institute, New York,
thanks to
knowledge of Russian language. First published article 1941. First
published book, The
Soviet Far East And Central Asia, 1944.
United Press (UPI) Expert on Russia in World War II. Second book, A
Guide To The
Soviet Union,1946, was one of first two texts on that country used in
American higher
education. Although without formal education, invited to post-doctoral
fellowship at
Hoover Institution, Stanford University, 1947. Was professional
lecturer. Taught at
Syracuse University for U.S. Army Specialized Training Program, 1944.
Two books written under contract never published because Cold War made
works not
hostile to Soviet Union unacceptable. Called before U.S. Senate
Internal Security
(McCarran) Committee 1952, U.S. Senate (Joe) McCarthy Committee 1953,
House Committee on Un-American Activities 1960.
1949, member of defense force for Paul Robeson at Peekskill Concert
stoned by
2,000 fascists. 1950 broke concert blacklist against Robeson by
converting own final
Congressional campaign rally into Robeson concert.
1951, participated in "premature" Freedom Ride, mass mixed-race attempt
in South to
save seven Black men from execution.
Blacklisted from publishing 18 years, from professional lecturing 12
years, from paid
academic employment 22 years, from salaried journalism permanently.
Began broadcasting on KPFA (Pacifica) 1958, and continued 37 years.
Also carried on
WBAI (NYC) and KPFK (Los Angeles) from their founding in 1960,
lintermittently for 30
and 20 years respectively.
Russia Re-Examined published 1964, British revised ed., 1965, U.S. 2nd
revised ed.,
1967. As with all his books, this was used in higher education. 1964-5,
member
Executive Committee, Free Speech Movement, U.C. Berkeley, due to
popularity
resulting from HUAC testimony of 1960. Taught at U.C. under various
arrangements
latter half of decade. Formal appointment in Sociology Dept. in 1969.
Also taught at
San Francisco State U., San Jose State U., Law School of Golden Gate
University,
San Francisco.
Soviet Women published by Doubleday-Anchor 1975, Soviet But Not Russian,
University of Alberta Press and Ramparts Press, 1985.
1987-90. Participated in annual U.S.-Soviet citizen-diplomacy Peace
Walks in Russia,
Ukraine, and in Kazakhstan to nuclear test site. Visited USSR 20 times
in all, including
all 15 of the republics of that country.
On radio, re-inventor of talk show format, because only Pacifica would
accept the idea,
in the early post-McCarthy years, of allowing listeners to speak
uncensored.
At KPFA, demanded, on air, initiation of women's programming, which
began shortly
thereafter. Initiated invitation of young broadcasters in 1964, when
almost none were
under 40. Facilitated initiation of people-of-color broadcasting by
surrendering own
prime-time slot when staff "could not find time slots" for such
broadcasters.
Analyzed and denounced Pacifica's proposed Strategy for National
Programming,
1992, as move to make stations a slightly more liberal version of NPR.
Marked for
dismissal. Excuse used, 1995, was that he did a broadcast supporting
affirmative action
instead of talking about Russia, although he had digressed from that
subject one or
more times every year that he was on the air.
A month later, was dismissed from his remaining show for informing
listeners of this, a
violation of the gag rule, although he had deliberately violated that
rule every year
since its institution because he believes it has no place on free
speech radio.
1999. Author of an autobiography, Saying No To Power, for publication
in November
1999, by Creative Arts, Berkeley. $18.50." History
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