The Lattimore Story

New York: The Devin-Adair Company, 1953. First edition. Duodecimo. Wrappers. Minor scuffing to wrappers, else near-fine.. John T. Flynn's (1882-1964) account of the story of Owen Lattimore (1900-1989) and the alleged American betrayal of China and Korea into communism. Flynn was an American journalist, anti-communist, and the author of While You Slept (1951) in which he examined the various forces responsible for the Korean War. Flynn took an interest in the case of Owen Lattimore, a journalist and Asian policy scholar who was alleged to be a leading Soviet espionage agent in 1950. In the 1930s Lattimore served as editor of Public Affairs, a journal published by the Institute of Pacific Relations, and held professorships throughout his life, including at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Leeds. Lattimore also acted as an advisor to the American government during World War II with respect to its policy in Asia. In 1950 Senator Joseph McCarthy accused Lattimore of being an influential Soviet spy, allegations that were subsequently investigated by the Senate Judiciary Committee's Sub-Committee on Internal Security led by McCarthy's ally, Senator Pat McCarran. The sub-committee's Lattimore hearings proceeded from July 1951 to August 1952, and included testimony from over sixty-six witnesses and the examination of over twenty thousand documents. Flynn recites in The Lattimore Story that he read every line of Lattimore's testimony and, as a result of the information generated by the sub-committee's efforts, the truth of America's betrayal of China and Korea to communism has been revealed. The Lattimore Story offers Flynn's detailed account of the Lattimore hearings and investigation, and shows Flynn at the height of his journalistic powers.