The Man under the Bed: J. Edgar Hoover's 1958 Book Masters of Deceit and the Revival of Anti-Communist Identity in America. Issue 1 (2nd January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cecil, Matthew
• Is Part Of: American journalism. Volume 34:Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 49
• Page End: 70
• Publication Date: 2017-01-02
• Subjects: Journalism -- United States -- History -- Periodicals; Journalism -- History -- Periodicals; Journalism -- United States -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 071.309
• DOI: 10.1080/08821127.2016.1275217
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0882-1127

Abstract

Abstract : Conceived by an FBI's public relations official as a "small book" on communism, J. Edgar Hoover'sMasters of Deceit: The Story of Communism in America and How to Fight It became a bestseller after its release in 1958. The book's arrival, at a time when the communist movement in the United States was in decline, helped revive slumbering American anti-communists. The book's sales were propelled by FBI promotional efforts and by ardent anti-communists who purchased dozens or even hundreds of copies to distribute to civic organizations and students across the country. An examination of the production, promotion, and defense ofMasters of Deceit reveals the power Hoover had to create relationships with similar-thinking Americans who identified strongly with him personally and with the FBI.