Loyalties (memoir)
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Founder | Carl Bernstein |
| Products | Autobiographical book |
| Parent | Simon & Schuster |
Loyalties: A Son's Memoir is a 1989 autobiographical work by journalist Carl Bernstein that chronicles his family’s experiences during the McCarthy period of the 1940s and 1950s. Bernstein’s parents, Sylvia and Alfred, were affiliated with the American Communist Party and faced testimony before both the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and the United States Senate Subcommittee on Internal Security. Their lives were closely monitored by the FBI for over forty years.
Background
Bernstein embarked on writing Loyalties in 1977, soon after releasing The Final Days, his second book on the Watergate scandal, coauthored with Bob Woodward, and stepping down from The Washington Post. Originally intending to produce an article for The New Yorker with editor William Shawn, he instead secured a $400,000 advance from Simon & Schuster to develop a manuscript initially titled Progressive People. In 1978, he interviewed his parents, who were hesitant to revisit their history. Concurrently, Bernstein submitted FOIA requests to obtain FBI records amassed about his family over many years. After encountering difficulties with the draft, he paused the project in 1980. Motivated by encouragement from author Joan Didion during a period of personal and professional difficulty, he resumed work in 1984. By 1986, Bernstein had negotiated a new $1 million deal with Simon & Schuster for two books. Loyalties was completed in January 1988, followed by an additional year dedicated to revisions.
Content
Loyalties details the Bernstein family’s experiences throughout the 1940s and 1950s, concentrating on his parents’ involvement in leftist activism and labor unions, which attracted attention from both the FBI and Congressional bodies. Alfred Bernstein held a leadership role within the United Federal Workers of America (later known as the United Public Workers of America) from 1937 until 1950. In 1947, President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9835, which established loyalty boards tasked with investigating and dismissing federal employees suspected of disloyalty. The Attorney General’s office also designated numerous left-wing organizations as subversive, making previous associations grounds for scrutiny. Alfred Bernstein acted as defense counsel in approximately 500 loyalty board hearings, reportedly achieving an 80% success rate.
Both Sylvia and Alfred Bernstein acknowledged joining the American Communist Party in 1942 but asserted they ceased active participation after 1947. Bernstein examines their mixed feelings toward the party and how this affected their family dynamics. This disclosure came as a surprise to some observers, including FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, who had not publicly confirmed their membership.
Through his FOIA inquiries, Bernstein uncovered an extensive 2,500-page FBI dossier on his parents dating back to 1938. The bureau kept close watch on their everyday routines, including significant events such as their son’s bar mitzvah, as well as those involving their progressive contacts. Informants identified both Bernsteins as members of the Communist Party, resulting in Alfred testifying before the Senate Subcommittee on Internal Security in 1951 and Sylvia appearing before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1954.
During the research for Loyalties, Bernstein spoke with Clark Clifford, who served as President Truman’s White House Counsel from 1946 to 1950. Clifford acknowledged that there was little genuine threat of communist infiltration; rather, the loyalty program was primarily intended to counter Republican claims that Democrats were lenient on communism.
Reception
Loyalties garnered a range of responses, from mixed to favorable. Publishers Weekly characterized it as a "heartfelt, deeply emotional, and poignant narrative" detailing Bernstein's parents' experiences amid President Truman's loyalty investigations. The Chicago Tribune described the work as both "remarkable and deeply moving." According to The Buffalo News, the book not only explores Bernstein's personal and career challenges but also exposes a troubling facet of American democracy, comparing its significance to that of Watergate.
In a nuanced critique for The Washington Post, Martin Duberman recognized the book's contribution in illustrating the human consequences of the McCarthy period but felt it struggled to balance between detached historical account and intimate memoir, ultimately not excelling in either. The New York Times commended Bernstein's recollections of his youth and his portrayal of the Jewish community in Washington, yet found his political and historical insights somewhat insufficient. Historian Eric Foner, writing for the Los Angeles Times, viewed Loyalties as unsuccessful both as an autobiography and as a piece of political commentary, though he praised Bernstein for highlighting the Communist Party’s role within the broader context of American radicalism rather than reducing it to a mere espionage entity.