1962 Persuasive Anti-Communist Cold War Pamphlet, 'The War Against America'

Spanning persuasive cartography, Cold War propaganda, and political broadsides, this work constituted the first (and seemingly only) issue of the Citizen's Intelligence Digest, a far-right anti-Communist publication prepared in 1962 by Robert E. Grigsby. It denounces Communist subversion within the United States and calls on citizens to fight for the defense of American values.

A Closer Look

The cover of the Digest depicts a map of the United States under attack from all directions by propaganda, economic warfare, nuclear blackmail, and other methods from the Soviet Union. Communism is also linked to multiple internal issues, including drugs, vice, and riots. Domestic leftist organizations, along with the media, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the U.S. government in general, are painted as internal enemies, contributing to the disorder and destruction of American values. The 'C.F.R.' (Council on Foreign Relations) is also singled out, part of a contemporary right-wing conspiracy theory that the organization constituted a shadowy cabal guiding U.S. government policy. The United Nations and the associated UNESCO and World Health Organization are seen as part and parcel of Soviet subversion efforts. Apathetic American citizens are called upon to act, lest the enemy succeed in destroying the American way of life.

Further illustrations emphasize different elements of this main message. A full-page illustration by Conrad N. Hilton of 'America on Its Knees' portrays Uncle Sam in that position, imploring God for assistance. This page focuses, in particular, on the role of Christianity in defending American values and fending off socialism. A double-page broadside takes aim at the United Nations, condemns its actions in Katanga (the Congo), and defines it as nothing more than a Communist conspiracy that contravenes the U.S. Constitution, violates U.S. sovereignty, and burdens U.S. taxpayers. UNESCO is labeled 'a great, sprawling octopus busily engaged in brainwashing the minds of millions of children throughout the world in the ideology of International Socialism.'

Conspiracy Theories

The map and associated materials reflect a worldview informed by contemporary right-wing conspiracy theories. These were partially rooted in truths, such as an extensive and well-funded Soviet political warfare campaign in the United States and other Western countries, including support for (generally unwitting) political organizations, especially the antiwar movement in the late 1960s. But Grigsby and his associates see Soviet designs behind a range of developments, including the Civil Rights Movement (implied by the 'spies' sneaking to the South to commit 'treason') and U.S. Supreme Court decisions that aided it. Particular ire is reserved for the United Nations, including the two-page broadside mentioned above. Not long after the publication of this work, Grigsby served as a board member of Liberty Lobby, an organization whose founder, Willis Carto, was known for antisemitic and white nationalist stances.

Publication History and Census

This issue of the Citizen's Intelligence Digest, its only issue, was prepared by Robert E. Grigsby, a retired Air Force officer based in Bakersfield, California. It is undated, but from context (it mentions 'the fiasco of the Cuba invasion') and comments in a later congressional testimony regarding Liberty Lobby, it can be dated to 1962. This work is fairly scarce, with examples held by Cornell University (the P.J. Mode Collection of Persuasive Cartography), the University of California Davis, California State University Fullerton, the University of Kansas, Boston Public Library, the Library of Congress, Stanford University (Radical Right Collection at the Hoover Institution), and the University of Iowa.