J. B. Matthews
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Joseph Brown "Doc" Matthews Sr. (1894–1966), best known as J. B. Matthews, was an American
linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
, educator, writer, and political activist. A committed
pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...
, he became a self-described " fellow traveler" of the
Communist Party USA 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 ...
in the mid-1930s, achieving national prominence as a leader of a number of the party's so-called " mass organizations". Disillusionment with
communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...
led to
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 ...
testimony before the Dies Committee in 1938. He then served as chief investigator for the
House Committee on Un-American Activities The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloyalty an ...
, headed by Martin Dies Jr., consultant on Communist affairs for the
Hearst Corporation Hearst Corporation, Hearst Holdings Inc. and Hearst Communications Inc. comprise an American multinational mass media and business information conglomerate owned by the Hearst family and based in Hearst Tower in Midtown Manhattan in New York ...
, and by June 1953 research director for
Joseph McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican United States Senate, U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death at age ...
's
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), stood up in March 1941 as the "Truman Committee," is the oldest subcommittee of the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (formerly the Committee on Govern ...
of the
United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
. When Matthews published claims that the
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
clergy comprised a base of support of the American Communist movement, he was forced to resign. This was regarded as McCarthy's first big defeat, signaling that his position was starting to weaken among his colleagues.


Background

Joseph Brown Matthews was born on June 28, 1894, in Hopkinsville,
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
, of French
Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...
, Scottish, and English ancestry. Matthews' paternal grandfather was killed fighting for the Confederacy during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, with his father subsequently
orphan An orphan is a child whose parents have died, are unknown, or have permanently abandoned them. It can also refer to a child who has lost only one parent, as the Hebrew language, Hebrew translation, for example, is "fatherless". In some languages ...
ed shortly after the war and left to fend for himself at a very young age. He was raised as a
fundamentalist Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that are characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishin ...
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
. His father was the initiator of a local
Sunday school ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...
that was serviced twice a month by one of the church's Circuit rider (religious), circuit riders. Matthews later recalled that the
world-view A worldview (also world-view) or is said to be the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the whole of the individual's or society's knowledge, culture, and point of view. However, when two parties view the sa ...
of his early years was a simple one: "I knew nothing about class struggle, conscious race prejudice, economic royalists, or maladjusted personalities. Everything dark was simple as sin, and men needed only to repent and be saved in order to set everything right." In 1910, Matthews enrolled in Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky, from which he graduated in 1914. During these undergraduate years, Matthews majored in
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
and
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
, although he later recalled that he was more preoccupied with extra-curricular activities such as sports, music, debate, college publications, and literary societies. Following graduation, Matthews spent six years in
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
, part of today's
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, where he taught in one of the Chinese Nationalist schools established there after the fall of the Manchu dynasty in 1911. Matthews saw this experience as pivotal for his own intellectual development, writing in his memoirs:
My real education began in Java. Java introduced me to ethnology, anthropology, the cultural pluralism of the race, the history and varied institutions of religions, and a serious study of languages.
While in Java, Matthews spent the bulk of his free time working seriously at linguistics, soon mastering the
Javanese language Javanese ( , , ; , Aksara Jawa, Javanese script: , Pegon script, Pegon: , IPA: ) is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language spoken primarily by the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, Indones ...
. He became the editor of a Javanese-language newspaper while there, as well as editing the Methodist Hymnal into that language, contributing over 100 of his own translations. Upon his return to the United States, Matthews enrolled in
Drew University Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey, United States. It has a wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three schools. While affiliated with the Methodism, Me ...
, a private United Methodist–affiliated institution in
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 ...
, where he studied languages at the graduate level, including Arabic,
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
,
Aramaic Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, and Eastern Arabia, where it has been continually written a ...
,
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
, and Persian. During this interval, Matthews was influenced by the
social gospel The Social Gospel is a social movement within Protestantism that aims to apply Christian ethics to social problems, especially issues of social justice such as economic inequality, poverty, alcoholism, crime, racial tensions, slums, unclean en ...
movement in American
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
, which emphasized the application of
Christian ethics Christian ethics, also known as moral theology, is a multi-faceted ethical system. It is a Virtue ethics, virtue ethic, which focuses on building moral character, and a Deontological ethics, deontological ethic which emphasizes duty according ...
towards the solution contemporary social problems. It was through this searching for answers to the social issues of the day, such as
militarism Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...
,
poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...
, and
racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
, that Matthews was exposed to the ideas of political radicalism for the first time. In 1923, Matthews graduated from Drew with a
Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...
degree. In 1924, he obtained a
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
degree the next year at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. He also earned a
Master of Theological Studies The Master of Arts (MA) in a religious discipline is a graduate degree, offered in seminary or other graduate school, which gives students a basic understanding in theological disciplines. It is often pursued by individuals interested in academi ...
degree in 1924 from Union Theological Seminary, affiliated with Columbia, from which he graduated ''
magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...
''.


Career

Following graduation, Matthews joined the faculty of Scarritt College, a Methodist training school for missionaries and Christian teachers located in
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
,
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
. During this time, Matthews was active in the independent presidential campaign of Robert M. La Follette—a progressive labor-oriented challenge to the more conservative candidates of the Republican and Democratic parties. Matthews addressed crowds throughout Tennessee in 1924 as one of the La Follette campaign's leading public speakers. Throughout the 1920s, Matthews served on the faculty of an array of church-oriented institutes and training schools, usually established for a short period during the spring and summer months. During these brief stints in front of fresh audiences, Matthews attempted to expound his beliefs in pacifism and improved race relations. He was ultimately forced to leave his permanent teaching post because of a "furor over an interracial party held in his home, at which whites were reported to have danced with Negroes."


Activism

In 1928, Matthews was one of approximately 500 delegates to the first World Youth Peace Congress, held in the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. He was elected as chairman of the gathering and later earned plaudits for his efficient conduct of the group's sessions. While Matthews' support of the 1924 La Follette presidential bid marked his first formal left-wing political activity, his real political career began in the summer of 1929 when he was named one of two Executive Secretaries of the pacifist
Fellowship of Reconciliation The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FoR or FOR) is the name used by a number of religious nonviolent organizations, particularly in English-speaking countries. They are linked by affiliation to the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR). ...
(FIR). Matthews continued to serve in this capacity until 1933. On November 6, 1929, Matthews joined the
Socialist Party of America The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of America ...
, effectively headed by
Norman Thomas Norman Mattoon Thomas (November 20, 1884 – December 19, 1968) was an American Presbyterian religious minister, minister, political activist, and perennial candidate for president. He achieved fame as a socialism, socialist and pacifism, pacifis ...
, himself a noted pacifist, former clergyman, and FIR associate He was a periodic contributor as a writer for the Socialist and pacifist press, publishing material in the New York weekly '' The New Leader'' and Norman Thomas's '' The World Tomorrow'', (where Esther Shemitz, wife of Whittaker Chambers worked). Among other pacifist activities, Matthews served as the Secretary of the Pacifist Action Committee, treasurer of the Joint Peace Council, and on the executive committee of the Emergency Peace Committee in addition to being a member of the Interorganizational Council on Disarmament and the Peace Patriots. He also spoke periodically to such groups as the National Council for Prevention of War, the Fellowship of Youth for Peace, and the War Resisters League. Matthews was involved in various
trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
activities as well. He was a member of A. J. Muste's Conference for Progressive Political Action and a speaker at Muste's Brookwood Labor College and sat on the governing body of the National Committee Against Labor Racketeering. Matthews also was active in the fight against racism as a member of the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...
and a speaker to the National Urban League. He advanced the cause of
free speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recognise ...
through membership in the
American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...
. In 1932, Matthews stood as the Socialist Party's candidate for the
New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...
for a district located in
Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
. He was an adherent of the Militant faction of the Socialist Party and was chairman of its Revolutionary Policy Committee and sat on the board of directors of the
League for Industrial Democracy The League for Industrial Democracy (LID) was founded as a successor to the Intercollegiate Socialist Society in 1921. Members decided to change its name to reflect a more inclusive and more organizational perspective. Background Intercollegiate ...
.


"Fellow traveler"

Matthews' association with the Socialist Party and its auxiliaries proved to be short-lived, however. In 1933, he was a speaker at a rally at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
sponsored by the United States Communist Party as part of its
united front A united front is an alliance of groups against their common enemies, figuratively evoking unification of previously separate geographic fronts or unification of previously separate armies into a front. The name often refers to a political and/ ...
campaign, action which led to a reprimand and eventually to the suspension of Matthews for "conduct unbecoming a member" of the Socialist Party. Thereafter, he moved increasingly into the Communist Party's orbit, although he later claimed never to have been an official member of the CPUSA. Thereafter, he was named the head of the American League Against War and Fascism, a mass organization of the Communist Party derided by detractors as a so-called "
Communist front A communist front (or a mass organization in communist parlance) is a political organization identified as a front organization, allied with or under the effective control of a communist party, the Communist International or other communist organ ...
". Matthews helped to launch the American Friends of the Chinese People (AFCP). He also served on the national committee of the American Youth Congress (AYC) and the National Student League (NSL), two of the Communist Party's efforts to make inroads with American students. Matthews was also a speaker for the
Unemployed Leagues Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is the proportion of people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work dur ...
, the CPUSA-sponsored mass organization directed at the unemployed,
International Labor Defense The International Labor Defense (ILD) (1925–1947) was a legal advocacy organization established in 1925 in the United States as the American section of the Comintern's International Red Aid network. The ILD defended Sacco and Vanzetti, was active ...
, the party's legal defense organization, and the Teachers' Anti-War Conference, as well was a member of the national committees of the National Tom Mooney Council of Action and the National Scottsboro Committee of Action. Matthews visited the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
no fewer than five times during the late 1920s and early 1930s. He wrote extensively for the Communist press, contributing material to the '' Daily Worker'' (including a front page denial of the reality of the massive famine in
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
in 1932–33), '' Soviet Russia Today'' (edited by Jessica Smith, wife first of Harold Ware and then of John Abt), and '' The New Masses'' (whose editors included Whittaker Chambers. Matthews' participation in organizations closely linked to the Communist Party led Richard Rovere to derisively describe Matthews as "the world's champion fellow traveler, joining Communist fronts as compulsively as a pie-eating champion eats pies," according to Richard Rovere. Although conservative
public intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and Human self-reflection, reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the wor ...
William F. Buckley Jr. contended that J. B. Matthews himself coined the term "fellow traveler", in reality the phrase was an anglicization of a Russian word in common currency since the time of the
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...
of 1917 — ''poputchik'' (literally: "one who walks the same path"). Regardless of this misconception of the phrase's origin, Matthews unquestionably helped popularize the term in so describing himself in the title of his repentant 1938 memoir.


Anti-communism

Matthews became among the first anti-communist informers to testify before House Special Committee on Un-American Activities, commonly known as the Dies Committee.Victor Navasky, ''Naming Names.'' New York: Viking Press, 1980; pg. 86 Matthews went on to become the research director for the Dies Committee, opening up a new career for him as a professional anti-communist investigator. With the Dies Committee seemingly scheduled for termination in 1944, Matthews scrambled to preserve the material that he had compiled through an official committee publication. Over 2,100 pages were rushed to the printer and published in seven volumes, which together were known as ''Appendix IX'' of the committee's report. ''Appendix IX'' included a massive list of 22,000 names of individuals and their organizational connections to "subversive" organizations—many of whom were not themselves communist. Matthews was jubilant about his achievement, declaring ''Appendix IX'' to be "the most significant contribution ever made on the subject of communism." The raw and undifferentiated nature of Matthews' ''Appendix IX'', which listed communists alongside liberals and even centrists in a single list, led to a firestorm of criticism and a quick effort at the document's recall. The US Government Printing Office had already distributed a number of sets to members of the Dies Committee, government agencies, and private individuals, however, making the volume's complete suppression impossible. ''Appendix IX'' remains today a bibliographic rarity. He continued to work for the Committee on Un-American Activities until 1945, at which time he left to become a consultant for the
Hearst Corporation Hearst Corporation, Hearst Holdings Inc. and Hearst Communications Inc. comprise an American multinational mass media and business information conglomerate owned by the Hearst family and based in Hearst Tower in Midtown Manhattan in New York ...
. Matthews became a symbol of the repentant former Communist who rendered expert service to the US government in its crackdown against what it perceived to be a network of underground subversion. In his column of October 6, 1947, syndicated columnist George Sokolsky wrote:
I have among my friends and acquaintances literally dozens of men and women who during the Hitler-Stalin Alliance were so ashamed of Soviet cynicism that from ardent Communists they became ardent anti-Communists. Such a man was Dr. J.B. Matthews, while never a Communist, was associated with that party as a fellow traveler ... In fighting Communists, our Government is absolutely dependent upon the ex-Communists ... If the government is seriously trying to tackle the Communist menace, then the first step is to employ qualified experts.... Amateurs can bring only discredit upon the government. Every effort should be made to ensure the cooperation and protection of friendly witnesses....
In 1947 the state of Washington established its own Joint Legislative Fact-Finding Committee on Un-American Activities, established on the model employed previously in California. This so-called " Canwell Committee" took aim at proving the radical connections of such local figures and institutions as
Harry Bridges Harry Bridges (28 July 1901 – 30 March 1990) was an Australian-born American union leader, first with the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA). In 1937, he led several Pacific Coast chapters of the ILA to form a new union, the In ...
, the Seattle Labor School, the Seattle Repertory Playhouse, and various left-wing members of the faculty of the
University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...
. Matthews was among those national experts on communism brought into the state to give testimony before this committee. In 1951, Matthews published an influential article in the '' American Legion Magazine'' entitled "Did the Movies Really Clean House?" in which he asserted that a large cadre of Communist Party members and sympathizers remained in the ranks of the movie industry. Matthews listed some 66 examples in his article, including names and the movie with which each was associated—effectively "graylisting" each.


McCarthyism

In June 1953, Matthews was appointed as research director to Senator
Joseph McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican United States Senate, U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death at age ...
's Senate Committee on Government Operations and its
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), stood up in March 1941 as the "Truman Committee," is the oldest subcommittee of the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (formerly the Committee on Govern ...
. The choice was a controversial one given Matthews' high-profile role in exposing Communists, which had made him a target of many on the left. The appointment to the McCarthy committee's staff coincidentally coincided with the appearance of a provocative article by Matthews in the July 1953 issue of '' The American Mercury'', entitled "Reds in Our Churches". In this article, Matthews claimed "the largest single group supporting the Communist apparatus in the United States today is composed of Protestant clergymen." One of the clergymen attacked was the Methodist bishop of Washington DC, G. Bromley Oxnam, a friend of Harry Byrd. The Senate Minority Leader
Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after assassination of John F. Kennedy, the assassination of John F. Ken ...
told
Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American politician who served from 1965 to 1969 as the 38th vice president of the United States. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Minnesota from 19 ...
that attacking one of Byrd's friends would be the "beginning of the end for McCarthy. On the floor of the Senate Byrd demanded that Matthews "give names and facts to sustain his charges or stand convicted as a cheap demagogue. Other Southern Democrat members of the
conservative coalition The conservative coalition, founded in 1937, was an unofficial alliance of members of the United States Congress which brought together the conservative wings of the Republican and Democratic parties to oppose President Franklin Delano Rooseve ...
that controlled the Senate, such as Stennis and Maybank also attacked McCarthy. These published charges enraged the ranking Democratic member of McCarthy's committee, Senator John McClellan of
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
, who together with his colleagues, Stuart Symington and Henry "Scoop" Jackson, marched into McCarthy's office and demanded that Matthews be fired. McCarthy refused and reiterated his support for Matthews. The fight between Republican committee chair McCarthy and the Democrats over Matthews exploded into page one national news. Officials of the
National Council of Churches The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, usually identified as the National Council of Churches (NCC), is a left-wing progressive activist group and the largest ecumenical body in the United States. NCC is an ecumenical partners ...
, the United Lutheran Church, and the
Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Chr ...
issued statements denouncing the Matthews appointment, and letters and telegrams opposing Matthews began to pour into congressional offices. On July 7, 1953, the committee battled for 90 minutes over the appointment, with McCarthy refusing to back away from Matthews and claiming that he was a "non-professional" member of the staff that could be hired or fired at his sole discretion, while the Democratic minority cited the provisions of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, which placed the hiring and firing of committee staff within the purview of the majority of the committee. A deal was brokered by
Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
Richard M. Nixon, himself a veteran of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, in which Matthews would hand in his resignation in exchange for complete future authority for McCarthy to hire and fire committee staff. This arrangement proved acceptable to Democratic leaders and Matthews resignation was accepted on the evening of July 9, 1953. President
Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...
released the contents of telegraphic communications with religious leaders to the press (e.g., ''The New York Times'') in which the President acknowledged the validity of their criticism of Matthews' charges.


Personal life and death

In 1917, Matthews married Grace Ison. In 1923, he married Ruth E. Shallcross. In 1949, he married Ruth Inglis. Inglis was a fellow consultant for the Hearst Corporation. She was treasurer, assistant publisher, and trustee of
Consumers' Research Consumers' Research is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Established in 1929, it was a founding organization in the Consumer movement, consumer protection movement. It turned to the righ ...
. She was a professor of sociology at the
University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...
and research editor of ''Combat'', a subsidiary of ''
National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief is Rich L ...
''. She helped launch ''Deadline Data on World Affairs'' and she was a staff member of the US House Committee on Internal Security. Although he suffered from
Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...
during his last years, which was reported as the cause of death in an obituary published in ''The New York Times'', Matthews actually died of a
brain tumor A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the Human brain, brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign ...
in New York City on July 16, 1966, aged 72. Matthews outlived his son, who he named after himself. On April 12, 1959, J. B. Matthews Jr. murdered his three teenage children with a baseball bat at their
Springfield, Virginia Springfield is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The Springfield CDP is recognized by the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau with a population of 31,339 as of the 20 ...
home and seriously wounded his wife before killing himself with a knife.


Legacy

Matthews' papers are housed in Durham,
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
, at the
Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...
Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library. The papers include a massive 479 linear feet of material, consisting of 307,000 individual items. An on-line finding aid is available. Two additional accumulations of Matthews' papers may or may not be extant. In 1964, with his health in decline, Matthews left the employ of the Hearst organization and sold a substantial part of his files to the Church League of America based in Wheaton,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, before passing to
Jerry Falwell Jerry Laymon Falwell Sr. (August 11, 1933 – May 15, 2007) was an American Baptist pastor, televangelist, and conservatism in the United States, conservative activist. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch ...
's
Liberty University Liberty University (LU), known simply as Liberty, is a Private university, private Evangelicalism in the United States, evangelical Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservativ ...
in Lynchburg, Virginia. This material may today currently reside at the Tamiment Institute at
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
. A further group of papers were sold to the Freedom Foundation of
Valley Forge Valley Forge was the winter encampment of the Continental Army, under the command of George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. The Valley Forge encampment lasted six months, from December 19, 1777, to June 19, 1778. It was the t ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
, in 1972: the whereabouts of this latter material remain unknown.


Works

* ''Christianity The Way.'' Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Doran & Co., 1929. * ''Youth Looks at World Peace: A Story of the First World Youth Peace Conference (The Netherlands, 1928).'' New York: American Committee World Youth Peace Congress, 1929. * ''Traffic in Death: A Few Facts Concerning the International Munitions Industry.'' New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1934. * ''Fascism.'' With R.E. Shallcross. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1934. * "Must America Go Fascist?" ''Harpers'', June 1934, pp. 1–15. * ''Partners in Plunder: The Cost of Business Dictatorship'' (with R.E. Shallcross). Washington, NJ: Consumers' Research, 1935. * ''Guinea Pigs No More.'' Washington, NJ: Consumers' Research, 1936. * ''Odyssey of a Fellow Traveler.'' New York: Mount Vernon Publishers, 1938. —Memoir. *
Doctor Matthews' amazing statement : before the Dies' Committee investigating un-American activities
' New York : American Immigration Conference Board * Special Committee on Un-American Activities, House of Representatives, ''Investigation of Un-American Propaganda Activities in the United States: Appendix—Part IX, Communist Front Organizations, Second Section''. Washington: US Government Printing Office, 1944.—Prepared by Matthews. * "Did the Movies Really Clean House?
''American Legion Magazine'', December 1951
pgs. 12, 51–56, 93 * ''Tactics and Methods of Communism in America: A Harding College Freedom Forum Presentation''. Searcy, AR: National Education Program, Harding College, n.d.
952 Year 952 (Roman numerals, CMLII) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – At the Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire), Reichstag in Augsburg (assembled by King Otto I (Holy Roman ...
* "Communism and the Colleges", ''The American Mercury'', May 1953, pgs. 111–4 * "Reds and Our Churches", ''The American Mercury'', July 1953, pgs. 3–13 * "Moscow's Medicine Men," ''The American Mercury'', October 1953, pgs. 58–62 * "Red Infiltration of Theological Seminaries", ''The American Mercury'', November 1953, pgs. 31–6 * "Now They're for Stevenson", ''National Review'', February 1956, pgs. 20–1. * "Relief for America's Reds"
''American Legion Magazine'', October 1957, pgs. 14–5, 43–6
* ''Communism and the NAACP.'' Atlanta: Georgia Commission on Education, n.d. . 1958


References


External links

*
Finding Aid for the J. B. Matthews Papers, 1862–1986
Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Durham, NC.* Robert M. Lichtman, "J.B. Matthews and the 'Counter-subversives: Names as a Political and Financial Resource in the McCarthy Era,'" ''American Communist History'', vol. 5, no. 1 (June 2006), pp. 1–36.

''Time'', August 10, 1953. {{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Joseph Brown 1894 births 1966 deaths Asbury University alumni Columbia University alumni Drew University alumni Members of the Socialist Party of America American Christian socialists Methodists from Kentucky Deaths from brain cancer in New York (state) People from Hopkinsville, Kentucky Methodist pacifists Methodist socialists American Christian pacifists American anti-war activists Members of the House Un-American Activities Committee