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This 1950 pamphlet, published by The American Legion’s National Americanism Commission, reflects the fervid anti-communist sentiment that gripped postwar America. Bearing a bold title—“HOW YOU CAN FIGHT COMMUNISM”—it outlines a call to arms for patriotic citizens, while offering dire warnings about supposed Communist “fronts” operating on U.S. soil. Throughout, the text blends conspiracy-like vigilance with practical tips on how individuals can spot and protest perceived subversive influences in media, labor, and public life.
Historical Context
By the late 1940s, the Cold War’s tensions—heightened by Soviet actions in Eastern Europe and the Chinese Revolution—stoked nationwide anxieties about potential communist infiltration. Congressional inquiries, state-level anti-subversive laws, and private campaigns surged in response. Groups such as The American Legion championed anti-communist activism among veterans and the public. They believed that if citizens remained vigilant—refusing to support “fellow travelers,” boycotting left-leaning cultural outputs, and prodding their representatives to enact stronger loyalty measures—communist expansion could be stymied at home.
The “How You Can Fight Communism” pamphlet emerged shortly after a sensational trial in 1949 convicted eleven top U.S. Communist Party leaders of advocating the violent overthrow of the government, marking a pivotal chapter of Red Scare legal proceedings. The American Legion trumpeted the convictions as proof of a communist conspiracy—and an opportunity to embark on a “nationally co-ordinated offensive.”
Strategy and Themes
- Identifying ‘Fronts’ and ‘Subversive Enterprises’
The text urges readers to track a wide network of groups accused of having communist ties—unions, cultural organizations, even certain publishing houses. By naming or hinting at “officially cited” subversive entities, the Legion encourages suspicion that any group with progressive stances might be part of a hidden communist apparatus. - Economic Warfare
Arguing that “most of it comes out of your pocket,” the pamphlet insists that everyday Americans—by purchasing entertainment, books, or services from individuals tied to communist sympathies—unwittingly finance subversion. It exhorts readers to boycott suspect businesses and refuse employment to “reds,” effectively urging an economic form of blacklisting. - Grassroots Mobilization
The guide repeatedly enjoins the average citizen to protest via phone calls, telegrams, and letters—to “let them know your reaction.” Whether directed at radio sponsors, congressmen, or local institutions, these direct actions reinforce the pamphlet’s message that the fight against communism is everyone’s responsibility. - Communism as a Moral and Patriotic Issue
By describing the Cold War battle lines in stark moral terms, the Legion presents activism against communism as part of a patriotic duty. Terms like “coddling” and “fifth column” underscore the notion that inactivity or tolerance equals complicity.
Language, Imagery, and Symbolism
- Striking Headline and Graphics:
“HOW YOU CAN FIGHT COMMUNISM” resonates with a punchy urgency, reminiscent of military instructions. Visuals like the hammer-and-sickle, as well as crowds of demonstrators, reinforce the notion of a lurking threat. - Referencing “The American Scene”:
The pamphlet’s table of contents highlights sections like “The World Communist Front,” “The Comintern Declares War on Tito,” and “Communism in Education, Religion, and Cultural Fields.” Such references paint a global conspiracy but emphasize direct infiltration into local, everyday spheres (schools, churches, cultural institutions). - Exhortation to ‘Buy American’:
Sprinkled throughout are calls for patriotic consumerism—shunning “commie coddler” content and “fellow traveler” performers. This approach frames the Cold War not just as an ideological clash but also an economic and cultural battleground.
Impact
For Legion members and other staunch anticommunists, pamphlets like this served as both a warning and a blueprint for local-level action. Many Americans, unsettled by the Soviet threat and sensational spy trials, found such guidance a logical extension of duty to country. Others, however, saw the pamphlet’s approach as fueling witch hunts and eroding freedoms—particularly in the cultural sphere, where blacklists and loyalty oaths stifled expression.
Notably, the references to forcing “housecleaning” at both state and federal levels helped lay groundwork for broader Red Scare policies, including the McCarran Internal Security Act (1950). In subsequent decades, critics would denounce such initiatives as overreaching and unconstitutional, tying them to broader patterns of paranoia and civil liberties violations.
Today, “How You Can Fight Communism” stands as an artifact of the early Cold War, capturing the intensity of popular anti-communist campaigns. Its instructions reveal how grassroots hostility to left-wing thought—bolstered by organizations like the American Legion—contributed to blacklisting and chilling effects across media and civic life.
While the immediate threat of communism in the U.S. has waned, the pamphlet’s legacy endures as a cautionary tale about the power of fear-based rhetoric to alter public policy and community relationships. It underscores the potency of patriotic appeals in mobilizing social suspicion—and the delicate balance democracies face between vigilance and preserving civil liberties.
Special thanks to the USC Digital Imaging Lab for their support in digitizing this item.
