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Few people remember James Kutcher, the World War II veteran who lost both his legs in battle and returned home to be persecuted by the American government for his political beliefs Discrediting the Red Scare is the story of Kutcher s ten-year struggle to reclaim his name, his job, and his home. In portraying an overly zealous national security bureaucracy and a court system that initially did little to help but ultimately upheld American values, Robert Goldstein illuminates the way societal hysteria can impact individual citizens and implicitly suggests a lesson for today. Philippa Strum, author of Speaking Freely: Whitney v. California and American Speech Law

Convincing, disturbing, and impressive. History News Network The case of James Kutcher, the legless veteran, is all but forgotten today, but it deserves to be a reminder of the mass hysteria that overtook the country during the Red Scare of the 1940s and 1950s. Robert Goldstein's prodigious research and careful analysis do not hide the anger that he and we should feel about this case. It is a brilliant indictment of a country that forgot what the Bill of Rights meant, as well as the story of an ordinary man who showed extraordinary courage. --Melvin I. Urofsky, author of Dissent and the Supreme Court: Its Role in the Court's History and the Nation's Constitutional Dialogue The celebrated--Arthur Miller, Lillian Hellman, and J. Robert Oppenheimer--as well as ordinary librarians, teachers, and bus drivers--all suffered through the anti-communist hysteria of the Truman-McCarthy-Eisenhower years. Robert Goldstein's well-researched and lively monograph helps to rescue two of the unsung heroes of this tragic era who stood up against the government witch-hunters: James Kutcher, the legless World War II veteran and outspoken Trotskyite, who triumphed over the loyalty machinery of the Veterans Administration, and his redoubtable lawyer, Joseph L. Rauh, Jr., who made that victory possible. --Michael E. Parrish, Distinguished Professor of History, Emeritus, University of California - San Diego James Kutcher is the odd man out in the story of radical resistance during the witch-hunt years. He wanted publicity, forthrightly defended his revolutionary Marxist convictions, and won. In an arresting account of this once famous political case, Robert Justin Goldstein skillfully propels a nearly forgotten hero back into historical memory. It is a story that transcends its context and resonates on a higher level as a rebuke to the overlooking of those who fought for the rights we cherish today. --Alan Wald, author of American Night: The Literary Left in the Era of the Cold War Few people remember James Kutcher, the World War II veteran who lost both his legs in battle and returned home to be persecuted by the American government for his political beliefs Discrediting the Red Scare is the story of Kutcher's ten-year struggle to reclaim his name, his job, and his home. In portraying an overly zealous national security bureaucracy and a court system that initially did little to help but ultimately upheld American values, Robert Goldstein illuminates the way societal hysteria can impact individual citizens and implicitly suggests a lesson for today. --Philippa Strum, author of Speaking Freely: Whitney v. California and American Speech Law The US Government tried to take James Kutcher's job with the Veterans Bureau, his apartment, even the disability pension earned by losing two legs on the Italian front! Against these outrages Kutcher and his allies waged and won an eight-year battle. Robert Goldstein vividly limns a tale abounding in pathos, absurdity, cruelty and low humor. This case, worthy of Kafka, was the reductio ad absurdum of America's cold-war loyalty and security state. --Richard M. Fried, author of Nightmare in Red: The McCarthy Era in Perspective A detailed examination of how political witch hunts can affect the individual citizen. Set in the context of the Red Scare of the late 1940s and the 1950s, it is also the story of a courageous fight waged by an ordinary man and an organization against such witch hunts. . . . Goldstein's study serves as both a textbook case and an inspiration. --CounterPunch Goldstein's depiction of 'the case of the legless veteran' is a compelling story, both about the man himself and about the constitutional abuses that ultimately discredited the Red Scare in the eyes of the nation. --Harvard Law Review Convincing, disturbing, and impressive. --History News Network Few people remember James Kutcher, the World War II veteran who lost both his legs in battle and returned home to be persecuted by the American government for his political beliefs Discrediting the Red Scare is the story of Kutcher's ten-year struggle to reclaim his name, his job, and his home. In portraying an overly zealous national security bureaucracy and a court system that initially did little to help but ultimately upheld American values, Robert Goldstein illuminates the way societal hysteria can impact individual citizens and implicitly suggests a lesson for today. --Philippa Strum, author of Speaking Freely: Whitney v. California and American Speech Law James Kutcher is the odd man out in the story of radical resistance during the witch-hunt years. He wanted publicity, forthrightly defended his revolutionary Marxist convictions, and won. In an arresting account of this once famous political case, Robert Justin Goldstein skillfully propels a nearly forgotten hero back into historical memory. It is a story that transcends its context and resonates on a higher level as a rebuke to the overlooking of those who fought for the rights we cherish today. --Alan Wald, author of American Night: The Literary Left in the Era of the Cold War The celebrated--Arthur Miller, Lillian Hellman, and J. Robert Oppenheimer--as well as ordinary librarians, teachers, and bus drivers--all suffered through the anti-communist hysteria of the Truman-McCarthy-Eisenhower years. Robert Goldstein's well-researched and lively monograph helps to rescue two of the unsung heroes of this tragic era who stood up against the government witch-hunters: James Kutcher, the legless World War II veteran and outspoken Trotskyite, who triumphed over the loyalty machinery of the Veterans Administration, and his redoubtable lawyer, Joseph L. Rauh, Jr., who made that victory possible. --Michael E. Parrish, Distinguished Professor of History, Emeritus, University of California - San Diego Convincing, disturbing, and impressive. --History News Network The case of James Kutcher, the legless veteran, is all but forgotten today, but it deserves to be a reminder of the mass hysteria that overtook the country during the Red Scare of the 1940s and 1950s. Robert Goldstein s prodigious research and careful analysis do not hide the anger that he and we should feel about this case. It is a brilliant indictment of a country that forgot what the Bill of Rights meant, as well as the story of an ordinary man who showed extraordinary courage. Melvin I. Urofsky, author of Dissent and the Supreme Court: Its Role in the Court s History and the Nation s Constitutional Dialogue The celebrated Arthur Miller, Lillian Hellman, and J. Robert Oppenheimer as well as ordinary librarians, teachers, and bus drivers all suffered through the anti-communist hysteria of the Truman-McCarthy-Eisenhower years. Robert Goldstein s well-researched and lively monograph helps to rescue two of the unsung heroes of this tragic era who stood up against the government witch-hunters: James Kutcher, the legless World War II veteran and outspoken Trotskyite, who triumphed over the loyalty machinery of the Veterans Administration, and his redoubtable lawyer, Joseph L. Rauh, Jr., who made that victory possible. Michael E. Parrish, Distinguished Professor of History, Emeritus, University of California - San Diego Convincing, disturbing, and impressive. History News Network

Convincing, disturbing, and impressive. History News Network

Convincing, disturbing, and impressive. History News Network The case of James Kutcher, the legless veteran, is all but forgotten today, but it deserves to be a reminder of the mass hysteria that overtook the country during the Red Scare of the 1940s and 1950s. Robert Goldstein's prodigious research and careful analysis do not hide the anger that he and we should feel about this case. It is a brilliant indictment of a country that forgot what the Bill of Rights meant, as well as the story of an ordinary man who showed extraordinary courage. --Melvin I. Urofsky, author of Dissent and the Supreme Court: Its Role in the Court's History and the Nation's Constitutional Dialogue Few people remember James Kutcher, the World War II veteran who lost both his legs in battle and returned home to be persecuted by the American government for his political beliefs Discrediting the Red Scare is the story of Kutcher's ten-year struggle to reclaim his name, his job, and his home. In portraying an overly zealous national security bureaucracy and a court system that initially did little to help but ultimately upheld American values, Robert Goldstein illuminates the way societal hysteria can impact individual citizens and implicitly suggests a lesson for today. --Philippa Strum, author of Speaking Freely: Whitney v. California and American Speech Law James Kutcher is the odd man out in the story of radical resistance during the witch-hunt years. He wanted publicity, forthrightly defended his revolutionary Marxist convictions, and won. In an arresting account of this once famous political case, Robert Justin Goldstein skillfully propels a nearly forgotten hero back into historical memory. It is a story that transcends its context and resonates on a higher level as a rebuke to the overlooking of those who fought for the rights we cherish today. --Alan Wald, author of American Night: The Literary Left in the Era of the Cold War The celebrated--Arthur Miller, Lillian Hellman, and J. Robert Oppenheimer--as well as ordinary librarians, teachers, and bus drivers--all suffered through the anti-communist hysteria of the Truman-McCarthy-Eisenhower years. Robert Goldstein's well-researched and lively monograph helps to rescue two of the unsung heroes of this tragic era who stood up against the government witch-hunters: James Kutcher, the legless World War II veteran and outspoken Trotskyite, who triumphed over the loyalty machinery of the Veterans Administration, and his redoubtable lawyer, Joseph L. Rauh, Jr., who made that victory possible. --Michael E. Parrish, Distinguished Professor of History, Emeritus, University of California - San Diego Convincing, disturbing, and impressive. --History News Network The case of James Kutcher, the legless veteran, is all but forgotten today, but it deserves to be a reminder of the mass hysteria that overtook the country during the Red Scare of the 1940s and 1950s. Robert Goldstein s prodigious research and careful analysis do not hide the anger that he and we should feel about this case. It is a brilliant indictment of a country that forgot what the Bill of Rights meant, as well as the story of an ordinary man who showed extraordinary courage. Melvin I. Urofsky, author of Dissent and the Supreme Court: Its Role in the Court s History and the Nation s Constitutional Dialogue The celebrated Arthur Miller, Lillian Hellman, and J. Robert Oppenheimer as well as ordinary librarians, teachers, and bus drivers all suffered through the anti-communist hysteria of the Truman-McCarthy-Eisenhower years. Robert Goldstein s well-researched and lively monograph helps to rescue two of the unsung heroes of this tragic era who stood up against the government witch-hunters: James Kutcher, the legless World War II veteran and outspoken Trotskyite, who triumphed over the loyalty machinery of the Veterans Administration, and his redoubtable lawyer, Joseph L. Rauh, Jr., who made that victory possible. Michael E. Parrish, Distinguished Professor of History, Emeritus, University of California - San Diego Convincing, disturbing, and impressive. History News Network

James Kutcher is the odd man out in the story of radical resistance during the witch-hunt years. He wanted publicity, forthrightly defended his revolutionary Marxist convictions, and won. In an arresting account of this once famous political case, Robert Justin Goldstein skillfully propels a nearly forgotten hero back into historical memory. It is a story that transcends its context and resonates on a higher level as a rebuke to the overlooking of those who fought for the rights we cherish today. <b>Alan Wald</b>, author of <i>American Night: The Literary Left in the Era of the Cold War</i>

The case of James Kutcher, the legless veteran, is all but forgotten today, but it deserves to be a reminder of the mass hysteria that overtook the country during the Red Scare of the 1940s and 1950s. Robert Goldstein's prodigious research and careful analysis do not hide the anger that he and we should feel about this case. It is a brilliant indictment of a country that forgot what the Bill of Rights meant, as well as the story of an ordinary man who showed extraordinary courage. --<b>Melvin I. Urofsky</b>, author of <i>Dissent and the Supreme Court: Its Role in the Court's History and the Nation's Constitutional Dialogue</i>

Author Information

Robert Justin Goldstein is professor emeritus of political science at Oakland University. His many books include Flag Burning and Free Speech: The Case of Texas v. Johnson and American Blacklist: The Attorney General’s List of Subversive Organizations, both from Kansas.

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