UpDate - Vol. 13, No. 32, Page 3
May 19, 1994
McCarthy era revisited; Historian's new book on un-American activities

     In his latest book, Un-American Activities: The Trials of William
Remington, historian Gary May focuses again on the McCarthy era, charting
the rise and fall of a high government official accused of being a
Communist and Soviet spy and sent to prison for perjury, where he was
murdered by anti-Communist zealots.
     While researching this book, May himself made history as the first
historian in the country to successfully petition for the unsealing of
grand jury records.
     He received help from the Public Citizen Litigation Group in this
effort, which May calls "important as a precedent for other historians to
have access to such records when appropriate."
     May's research revealed that, while Remington was no hero, the
government, which brought about his downfall, bent and broke the law to
convict him and then failed to adequately protect him in prison, where he
was beaten to death at the age of 37.
     Kirkus Reviews cites May's book for its "meticulous research and lucid
presentation (which) set a formidable standard for future scholars aiming
to uncover government secrets."
     Robert H. Ferrell, author of Harry S Truman and the Modern American
Presidency, calls the book "utterly convincing, beautifully brought
together, impeccably researched."
     In his book, May says Remington was "no political innocent duped by
the Communists" nor was he a "pro-Soviet automaton." Even the FBI did not
consider him a Russian spy, May said. "Ultimately he remains a mystery."
     May's research for Un-American Activities took him all over the
country, where he interviewed Remington's family members, including his
first wife who still is bitter toward him and those whose testimony helped
incriminate him. May also interviewed Remington's friends from high school,
college and later in his life, and he studied FBI and lawyers' files.
     In his research, May discovered several irregularities in Remington's
two trials. For example, John Brunini, the foreman of the grand jury that
indicted Remington, had a close relationship with Elizabeth Bentley, a
former Communist who testified against Remington. Brunini was ghostwriting
a book for her and expected to make money from the project.
     "The government denied this was true, the judge thought it unimportant
and the jury was confused," May said.
     A member of the War Production Board from 1942-33, Remington had given
records on airplane production to Bentley, who in turn gave them to the
Soviets.
     Remington said he knew her only as a journalist, but his own
handwritten notes indicate he knew she was a Communist with Soviet ties,
May said. Remington's big mistake, according to his biographer, was lying
about his past, which led to his conviction for perjury.
     The government characterized Remington's eventual murder in prison as
non-political, even though he was beaten to death by an anti-Communist
zealot and other fellow prisoners in the honors quarters at Lewisburg, Pa.
prison. The assassins were eventually paroled after plea bargaining.
     While painting a portrait of Remington, the book also provides insight
into the social and political climate of the time as well as the people
involved in Remington's life and legal struggles.
     Un-American Activities: The Trials of William Remington is published
by the Oxford University Press.
     May also looked at the McCarthy era in his award-winning, first book,
China Scapegoat: The Diplomatic Ordeal of John Carter Vincent.
     The lives of the period's other spies, such as Alger Hiss, Whittaker
Chambers and the Rosenbergs, have been fully documented, May said, so he
decided to write a biography of Remington to complete the saga of that
phase of recent American history.
     May, an associate professor of history at the University, joined the
faculty in 1975. He received his bachelor's and doctoral degrees from the
University of California, Los Angeles.
                                                  -Sue Swyers Moncure