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Blair Coan (also written Coán) (1883–1939) was an American government agent under
US Attorney General The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. The attorney general acts as the principal legal advisor to the president of the ...
Harry M. Daugherty and
anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...
, known for his book ''The Red Web'' (1925) on early Soviet penetration in the US government, singling out US Senator
Burton K. Wheeler Burton Kendall Wheeler (February 27, 1882January 6, 1975) was an attorney and an American politician of the Democratic Party in Montana, which he represented as a United States senator from 1923 until 1947. Born in Massachusetts, Wheeler bega ...
. Coan's efforts followed the
First Red Scare The first Red Scare was a period during History of the United States (1918–1945), the early 20th-century history of the United States marked by a widespread fear of Far-left politics, far-left movements, including Bolsheviks, Bolshevism a ...
(1918–1920).


Career

In 1913, as an "investigator for the senatorial vice commission", Coan reported that the
Armory Show The 1913 Armory Show, also known as the International Exhibition of Modern Art, was organized by thAssociation of American Painters and Sculptors It was the first large exhibition of modern art in America, as well as one of the many exhibition ...
at the
Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...
showed female forms indecently. In 1922, as an "operative of the
Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
", Coan traveled to
Tampico, Mexico Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fifth ...
, where an American
Comintern The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internatio ...
agent described how Soviet agents were fomenting revolution in Mexico and the United States. In 1924–25, Wheeler faced investigation, without major impact, even despite publication of ''The Red Web: An Underground Political History of the United States from 1918 to the Present Time'' in 1925 by Coan, who fingered Wheeler as center of communist conspiracy. During that time, the
CPUSA The Communist Party USA (CPUSA), officially the Communist Party of the United States of America, also referred to as the American Communist Party mainly during the 20th century, is a communist party in the United States. It was established ...
newspaper the ''
Daily Worker The ''Daily Worker'' was a newspaper published in Chicago founded by communists, socialists, union members, and other activists. Publication began in 1924. It generally reflected the prevailing views of members of the Communist Party USA (CPU ...
'' called "M. Blair Coan" an "employee of the
Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...
" and reported that Coan was in
Great Falls, Montana Great Falls is the List of cities and towns in Montana, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Cascade County, Montana, Cascade County. The population was 60,442 according to the 2020 United States census, 2 ...
to investigate Wheeler. Coan accused Wheeler and other congressional representatives elected as part of the progressive movement who worked to undermine US Attorney Generals A. Mitchell Palmer and Harry M. Daugherty and took advantage of the
Teapot Dome scandal The Teapot Dome scandal was a political corruption scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Warren G. Harding. It centered on Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall, who had leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Do ...
to do so. According to historia
Richard Gid Powers
"Coan was a former operative in the Daugherty Justice Department who had been involved in efforts to frame its critics during the Teapot Dome." Primarily, Coan blamed Wheeler,
Robert M. La Follette Robert Marion La Follette Sr. (June 14, 1855June 18, 1925), nicknamed "Fighting Bob," was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Wisconsin in both chambers of Congress and served as the 20th governor of Wisconsin from 1901 to 1906. ...
, and Smith W. Brookhart as " pinks". In 1937, Coan worked with
Francis Townsend Francis Everett Townsend (; January 13, 1867 – September 1, 1960) was an American physician and political activist in California. In 1933, he devised an old-age pension scheme to help alleviate the Great Depression. Known as the "Townsend Pl ...
to promote his pension plan.


Legacy

In 1927, US Representative John B. Sosnowski stated "I would suggest you gentlemen read a book published by Blair Coan, entitled ''The Red Web''", as part of a long list of findings presented during a public congressional hearing. In 1946, writer
David George Plotkin David George Plotkin AKA "David George Kin" (April, 1899 – March 30, 1968)
Alex Jay, ''In ...
cited ''The Reb Web'' as an important sources and discussed it. In 1955, historian Robert K. Murray called the book "a very much exaggerated account of the Communist menace in the United States". In 1969, historians Michael P. Malone and Richard B. Roeder called the book "obviously biased but at least intelligible". In 1998, historian Richard Gid Powers quoted from the book and re-used its title as chapter title. Also in 1998, Beverly Merrill Kelley doubted the authenticity of Coan's initial
Comintern The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internatio ...
source. In 2014, historians Michael Kazin, Rebecca Edwards, and Adam Rothman cited Coan among "counter-subversive anti-Communists concocting fanciful red web smears" including Daugherty, Richard Whitney,
Nesta Helen Webster Nesta Helen Webster (née Bevan, 24 August 1876 – 16 May 1960) was an English author who revived conspiracy theories about the Illuminati.Who are the Illuminati? ''Independent on Sunday'' (London) 6 November 2005. She claimed that the sec ...
, Ralph Easley, and
Hamilton Fish Hamilton Fish (August 3, 1808September 7, 1893) was an American statesman who served as the sixteenth governor of New York from 1849 to 1850, a United States senator from New York from 1851 to 1857, and the 26th U.S. secretary of state from ...
. In 2016, historian Nick Fischer called Coan's ''The Red Web'' a "paranoid anticommunist tract".


Works

In 1925, Coan described US Senator
Burton K. Wheeler Burton Kendall Wheeler (February 27, 1882January 6, 1975) was an attorney and an American politician of the Democratic Party in Montana, which he represented as a United States senator from 1923 until 1947. Born in Massachusetts, Wheeler bega ...
as center of an international Soviet conspiracy to take over the United States in his book ''The Red Web''. * ''The Red Web: An Underground Political History of the United States from 1918 to the Present Time'' (1925) * ''Blood Money: A Narrative of Today'' (1927)


See also

*
Burton K. Wheeler Burton Kendall Wheeler (February 27, 1882January 6, 1975) was an attorney and an American politician of the Democratic Party in Montana, which he represented as a United States senator from 1923 until 1947. Born in Massachusetts, Wheeler bega ...
*
Elizabeth Dilling Elizabeth Eloise Kirkpatrick Dilling (April 19, 1894 – April 30, 1966) was an American writer and political activist.Dye, 6 In 1934, she published ''The Red Network—A Who's Who and Handbook of Radicalism for Patriots'', which catalogs over ...
*
David George Plotkin David George Plotkin AKA "David George Kin" (April, 1899 – March 30, 1968)
Alex Jay, ''In ...
*
Pinko {{Short description, American political insult for someone sympathetic to communism ''Pinko'' is a pejorative term for a person on the left of the political spectrum. The term has its origins in the notion that ''pink'' is a lighter shade of ''red,' ...
*
Red flag (politics) In politics, a red flag is predominantly a symbol of left-wing politics, left-wing ideologies, including socialism, communism, anarchism, and the labour movement. The originally empty or plain red flag has been associated with left-wing politi ...
*
Overman Committee The Overman Committee was a special subcommittee of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary chaired by North Carolina Democrat Lee Slater Overman. Between September 1918 and June 1919, it investigated German and Bolshevik elements ...


References


External links


Library of Congress
photo of Blair Coan dated April 25, 1924
Library of Congress
photo of Blair Coan et al. (undated) {{DEFAULTSORT:Coan, Blair 1883 births 1939 deaths United States Department of Justice officials American conspiracy theorists 20th-century American non-fiction writers category:American anti-communists