Michael Conde McGinley (October 13, 1890 – July 2, 1963) was an American publisher. From 1948 until his death in 1963, he was the editor and publisher of the semi-monthly newspaper ''Common Sense'', which reached a paid circulation of more than 100,000 by the mid-1950s. While initially

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 ...

in orientation, the newspaper later developed into a pro-Nazi and antisemitic broadsheet. McGinley gained attention due to his campaign against the nomination of

Anna M. Rosenberg Anna Marie Rosenberg (née Lederer; July 19, 1899 – May 9, 1983), later Anna Rosenberg Hoffman, was an American public official, advisor to four presidents, and businesswoman. During the early 1950s, she served as an Assistant Secretary of Defen ...

as assistant secretary of Defense in the administration of President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

. This campaign led to an investigation by the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 19 ...

Early life

Born in

Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, 3rd most populous city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,026 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the most populous city and the county seat of Clevel ...

, the eldest of three surviving children of Irish Catholic immigrant Connell B. McGinley (1852 – 1941) and his wife, Catherine. McGinley preferred to be known by his middle name Conde. He married Celia Brown around 1918. Around this time he claimed that he was "Secretary of the Grady County Highway Association" in

Chickasha, Oklahoma Chickasha is a city in and the county seat of Grady County, Oklahoma, Grady County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 16,051 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 0.1% increase from 2010. The city is named for and strongly ...

. He moved with his parents to the

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, area, where his daughter Nona was born in 1927, and where his father died in 1941.

Career

Common Sense

McGinley moved to

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

in 1929, opening a chain of restaurants along the shore. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he worked as an inspector in a defense plant. In 1946, he began editing a weekly paper in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, called variously ''Think'', ''The Think'' and ''Think Weekly''. By June 1947, it was issued as ''Common Sense''. In November 1947, the headquarters were transferred to

Union Township, Union County, New Jersey Union Township is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In the 18th century, the area that is now Union was then called Connecticut Farms. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 59,728, an ...

. The paper became semi-monthly in 1948. Although the first issues were

, it later developed into a mostly

anti-Semitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

broadsheet, produced by himself, with his son and daughter-in-law. Around 1948, he sued ''

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

'' magazine and others (including

Walter Winchell Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was a syndicated American newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and c ...

) for

libel Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...

, and the case dragged on for about seven years. In one issue of 1948, a major part of the paper was taken up by support for Robert Best, who had been convicted of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

(broadcasting Nazi propaganda from Germany during World War II). In the July and August 1949 issues, W. Henry MacFarland Jr.'s name appears as associate editor. "At the time Conde was planning to combine forces with MacFarland's Nationalist Action League, as well as with the Loyal American Group, headed by William J. O'Brien." O'Brien later joined the paper's staff. The paper carried articles by

Eustace Mullins Eustace Clarence Mullins Jr. (March 9, 1923 – February 2, 2010) was an American white supremacist, antisemitic conspiracy theorist, propagandist, Holocaust denier, and writer. A disciple of the poet Ezra Pound, * * * * * * * * * * * * h ...

starting September 1951. In 1953, he became a writer on staff. In addition, articles were written by Frederick C. F. Weiss, Kurt Mertig (founder of the National Renaissance Party),

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 ...

, Lyrl Clark Van Hyning, Gen. George Van Horn Moseley, Col. Eugene N. Sanctuary and Charles B. Hudson. In April 1942, Charles B. Hudson was sentenced to 90 days in jail for

contempt of court Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the co ...

for refusing to answer questions from a special grand jury investigating Nazi propaganda and agents in the United States. He was released from jail after serving five days, after agreeing to cooperate. The paper's contributor, Col. Eugene Sanctuary, had, among other things, written a pamphlet, ''Is the New Deal Communist?'', in which he made a 35-point comparison of

The New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression, which had started in 1929. Roosevel ...

Karl Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...

's 1848 program. He also wrote an editor's note in I. B. Pranaitis' '' The Talmud Unmasked: The Secret Rabbinical Teachings Concerning Christians'' (1939).

Involvement with the House Un-American Activities Committee

At the confirmation hearings for

Anna Rosenberg Anna Marie Rosenberg (née Lederer; July 19, 1899 – May 9, 1983), later Anna Rosenberg Hoffman, was an American public official, advisor to four presidents, and businesswoman. During the early 1950s, she served as an Assistant Secretary of Defen ...

, McGinley and others associated with him were prominently figured, including

Benjamin H. Freedman Benjamin Harrison Freedman (October 4, 1890 – May 1984) was an American businessman, Holocaust denier, and vocal anti-Zionist. Born in a Jewish family, he converted from Judaism to Roman Catholicism. Outside of political activism, Freedman ...

, who had partially financed ''Common Sense''. The fallout of this dispute brought him into the sights of

, which issued a 1954 report condemning his propaganda: In response, "Conde McGinley of Common Sense urged the committee to hold a public hearing and 'if we cannot prove our statements we'll be very willing to cease publication'."

Christian Education Association

In 1954, McGinley formed the

Christian Education Association A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words ''Christ'' and ''Chr ...

with himself as president, his son as secretary/treasurer and Alex Jefimow as vice-president. The operation was at 530 Chestnut Street in Union, a building owned by Katherine Lettig, who was also a volunteer for the paper. The group also operated the ''Union Patriotic Press'', whose officers were Charles Kane, John J. Reynolds and Edward J. Byrne. In 1955, he was sued for $250,000 in punitive damages, for libel, by Rabbi

Joachim Prinz Joachim Prinz (May 10, 1902 – September 30, 1988) was a German-American rabbi who was an outspoken activist against Nazism in Germany in the 1930s and later became a leader in the civil rights movement in the United States in the 1960s. As a ...

(1902-1988) in Superior Court in

. McGinley had published that Prinz was "expelled in 1937 from Germany for revolutionary communistic activities". McGinley was defended by three attorneys, including Albert Dilling, former husband of Elizabeth Dilling Stokes, and their son, Kirkpatrick Dilling. The jury awarded Prinz $30,000, agreeing that "the biweekly publication was lying when it characterized him as a 'Red Rabbi'".

Death

McGinley died of cancer on July 2, 1963, at his home in Union, New Jersey, aged 72. He was survived by his wife, two sons, and two daughters.

Closure of ''Common Sense''

In a display ad in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' on June 16, 1972, it is stated that although ''Common Sense'' had a May issue, it is "now defunct".''New York Times'', 16 Jun 1972

Footnotes

References

*1900-1930 Federal U.S. Census *World War I Draft Registration Card *Texas Birth Index, Texas Death Index
Preliminary Report on Neo-Fascist and Hate Groups
(PDF file, 3 Meg), Committee on Un-American Activities, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 1954

External links

*

Conde McGinley's

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

files, obtained under the FOIA and hosted at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...