Insidious foes
Subtitle: the Axis Fifth Column and the American home front
By: Francis MacDonnell.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 1995
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 244
Subjects: Subversive activities -- United States -- History -- 20th century.; Espionage -- United States -- History -- 20th century.; World War, 1939-1945 -- Secret service -- United States.; Spies -- United States -- History -- 20th century.
Description: In this book, Francis MacDonnell examines the origins and consequences of America's Fifth Column panic and its manifestations in political and cultural life. He argues that conviction and expedience encouraged President Roosevelt, the FBI, Congressmen, Churchill's government, and Hollywood to legitimate and exacerbate Americans' fears.

Gravely weakening the isolationists, fostering Congress's role in rooting out Un-American activities, and instigating the creation of the modern intelligence establishment, the Fifth Column scare did far more than sell movie tickets, comic books, and pulp fiction. Insidious Foes traces the panic from its foundation, as reasonable Americans saw the vulnerability of their open society to encroaching totalitarianism.

Probing the intersections between domestic politics, popular culture, and foreign policy, MacDonnell provides a glimpse of a crucial moment in the history of American anxiety.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [229]-238) and index.