John T. Flynn
Encyclopedia
John Thomas Flynn was an American
journalist
best known for his opposition to President Franklin D. Roosevelt
and to American entry into World War II
.
, he chose a career in journalism. He started at the New Haven Register, but eventually moved to New York; there he was financial editor of the New York Globe. During the 1920s and 1930s, he wrote articles for such leading publications as The New Republic
, Harper's Magazine
, and Collier's Weekly
. He became one of the best-known political commentators in the United States. Like Oswald Garrison Villard
, another key figure in the Old Right
, Flynn was a leftist with populist
inclinations during this period. He supported Franklin D. Roosevelt
for president but criticized the New Deal
. In 1939, he predicted that Social Security would be under water by 1970, and insolvent by 1980.
, which investigated the role of the so-called "merchants of death" (munitions manufacturers and bankers) in leading to U.S. entry into World War I.
By 1936, Flynn had publicly broken with Roosevelt. He was already drawing comparisons between the centralist features of the New Deal on the one hand, and Benito Mussolini
's policies on the other: "We seem [he wrote] to be not a long way off from the kind of Fascism
which Mussolini preached in Italy before he assumed power; and we are steadily approaching the conditions which made Fascism possible."
Flynn was one of the founders of the America First Committee
which opposed Roosevelt’s foreign policy. Eventually he became head of the New York City chapter, which claimed a membership of 135,000. The Committee charged that Roosevelt was using lies and deception to ensnare the United States into another war. It mounted campaigns against Lend-Lease
, the Selective Service
, and other initiatives by Roosevelt.
Although Flynn distanced the Committee from the claims of extremist and anti-Semitic groups, such as the National Union for Social Justice
, his old pro-war leftist allies cut him off, and The New Republic pulled his regular column, "Other People’s Money." His 1940 book, Country Squire in the White House "placed [Flynn] on the White House enemies list."
, and Flynn turned increasingly against New Deal liberalism, which he regarded as a "degenerate form of socialism and debased form of capitalism." In 1944 he wrote a sharp critique of the American drift toward statism: As We Go Marching. This essay warned of an unholy alliance influencing U.S. foreign policy, and included these words:
Four years later, Flynn followed As We Go Marching with another and rather similar book, The Roosevelt Myth. By 1950 he was describing himself as a liberal in the classical liberal
tradition of small government and free markets.
period, Flynn continued his opposition to interventionist foreign policies and militarism. An early (and in many ways prophetic) critic of American involvement in the affairs of Indo-China, he maintained that sending U.S. troops would "only be proving the case of the Communists against America that we are defending French imperialism."
Flynn became an early and avid supporter of Senator Joseph McCarthy
. This was in part because Flynn (despite his early left-wing views) had always been firmly anti-Communist, and in part because McCarthy shared Flynn's dislike for the Washington/New York political axis.
In 1955, Flynn had a formal falling-out with the new generation of Cold War conservatives when William F. Buckley, Jr.
, rejected one of his articles for the new National Review
. This submission had attacked militarism as a "job-making boondoggle." Flynn retired from public life in 1960. During his last years (he died in 1964) some of his books were promoted and reprinted by the John Birch Society
.
For many years Flynn made his home in Bayside, New York
in a large compound overlooking Little Neck Bay, with a house and a separate building he used as a broadcasting studio. He was a neighbor and friend of Mrs. James J. Corbett, the widow of boxing champion "Gentleman Jim" Corbett
.
His son, Thomas Flynn, was an influential figure credited with helping to save New York City from bankruptcy in the 1970s.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
best known for his opposition to President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
and to American entry into World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Career
Although Flynn graduated from Georgetown Law SchoolGeorgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
, he chose a career in journalism. He started at the New Haven Register, but eventually moved to New York; there he was financial editor of the New York Globe. During the 1920s and 1930s, he wrote articles for such leading publications as The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
, Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
, and Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
. He became one of the best-known political commentators in the United States. Like Oswald Garrison Villard
Oswald Garrison Villard
Oswald Garrison Villard was an American journalist. He provided a rare direct link between the anti-imperialism of the late 19th century and the conservative Old Right of the 1930s and 1940s.-Biography:...
, another key figure in the Old Right
Old Right (United States)
The Old Right was a conservative faction in the United States that opposed both New Deal domestic programs and U.S. entry into World War II. Many members of this faction were associated with the Republicans of the interwar years led by Robert Taft, but some were Democrats...
, Flynn was a leftist with populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
inclinations during this period. He supported Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
for president but criticized the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
. In 1939, he predicted that Social Security would be under water by 1970, and insolvent by 1980.
The 1930s
Consistently at all stages of his literary career, Flynn opposed militarism. He was a key advisor to the 1934 Nye CommitteeNye Committee
The Nye Committee, officially known as the Special Committee on Investigation of the Munitions Industry, was a committee of the United States Senate which studied the causes of United States' involvement in World War I...
, which investigated the role of the so-called "merchants of death" (munitions manufacturers and bankers) in leading to U.S. entry into World War I.
By 1936, Flynn had publicly broken with Roosevelt. He was already drawing comparisons between the centralist features of the New Deal on the one hand, and Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
's policies on the other: "We seem [he wrote] to be not a long way off from the kind of Fascism
Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
which Mussolini preached in Italy before he assumed power; and we are steadily approaching the conditions which made Fascism possible."
Flynn was one of the founders of the America First Committee
America First Committee
The America First Committee was the foremost non-interventionist pressure group against the American entry into World War II. Peaking at 800,000 members, it was likely the largest anti-war organization in American history. Started in 1940, it became defunct after the attack on Pearl Harbor in...
which opposed Roosevelt’s foreign policy. Eventually he became head of the New York City chapter, which claimed a membership of 135,000. The Committee charged that Roosevelt was using lies and deception to ensnare the United States into another war. It mounted campaigns against Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
, the Selective Service
Selective Service System
The Selective Service System is a means by which the United States government maintains information on those potentially subject to military conscription. Most male U.S. citizens and male immigrant non-citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 are required by law to have registered within 30 days of...
, and other initiatives by Roosevelt.
Although Flynn distanced the Committee from the claims of extremist and anti-Semitic groups, such as the National Union for Social Justice
Charles Coughlin
Father Charles Edward Coughlin was a controversial Roman Catholic priest at Royal Oak, Michigan's National Shrine of the Little Flower church. He was one of the first political leaders to use radio to reach a mass audience, as more than thirty million tuned to his weekly broadcasts during the...
, his old pro-war leftist allies cut him off, and The New Republic pulled his regular column, "Other People’s Money." His 1940 book, Country Squire in the White House "placed [Flynn] on the White House enemies list."
World War II
The America First Committee disbanded in 1941 after the Japanese attack on Pearl HarborAttack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, and Flynn turned increasingly against New Deal liberalism, which he regarded as a "degenerate form of socialism and debased form of capitalism." In 1944 he wrote a sharp critique of the American drift toward statism: As We Go Marching. This essay warned of an unholy alliance influencing U.S. foreign policy, and included these words:
The enemy aggressor is always pursuing a course of larceny, murder, rapine and barbarism. We are always moving forward with high mission, a destiny imposed by the DeityDeityA deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
to regenerate our victims, while incidentally capturing their markets; to civilise savage and senile and paranoid peoples, while blundering accidentally into their oil wells.
Four years later, Flynn followed As We Go Marching with another and rather similar book, The Roosevelt Myth. By 1950 he was describing himself as a liberal in the classical liberal
Classical liberalism
Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets....
tradition of small government and free markets.
Cold War
During the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
period, Flynn continued his opposition to interventionist foreign policies and militarism. An early (and in many ways prophetic) critic of American involvement in the affairs of Indo-China, he maintained that sending U.S. troops would "only be proving the case of the Communists against America that we are defending French imperialism."
Flynn became an early and avid supporter of Senator Joseph McCarthy
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957...
. This was in part because Flynn (despite his early left-wing views) had always been firmly anti-Communist, and in part because McCarthy shared Flynn's dislike for the Washington/New York political axis.
In 1955, Flynn had a formal falling-out with the new generation of Cold War conservatives when William F. Buckley, Jr.
William F. Buckley, Jr.
William Frank Buckley, Jr. was an American conservative author and commentator. He founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, hosted 1,429 episodes of the television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and was a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. His writing was noted for...
, rejected one of his articles for the new National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
. This submission had attacked militarism as a "job-making boondoggle." Flynn retired from public life in 1960. During his last years (he died in 1964) some of his books were promoted and reprinted by the John Birch Society
John Birch Society
The John Birch Society is an American political advocacy group that supports anti-communism, limited government, a Constitutional Republic and personal freedom. It has been described as radical right-wing....
.
For many years Flynn made his home in Bayside, New York
Bayside, Queens
Bayside is a suburban neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York, New York in the United States. Bayside is known as one of the most expensive areas to live in Queens, with well kept homes and landscaping...
in a large compound overlooking Little Neck Bay, with a house and a separate building he used as a broadcasting studio. He was a neighbor and friend of Mrs. James J. Corbett, the widow of boxing champion "Gentleman Jim" Corbett
James J. Corbett
James John "Gentleman Jim" Corbett was an Irish-American heavyweight boxing champion, best known as the man who defeated the great John L. Sullivan. He also coached boxing at the Olympic Club in San Francisco...
.
His son, Thomas Flynn, was an influential figure credited with helping to save New York City from bankruptcy in the 1970s.
Books by John T. Flynn
- God's Gold; the Story of Rockefeller and His Timeshttp://www.mises.org/books/gold.pdf (1932)
- Country Squire in the White Househttp://www.mises.org/books/countrysquire.pdf (1940)
- Men of Wealth; the Story of Twelve Significant Fortunes from the Renaissance to the Present Dayhttp://www.mises.org/books/menofwealth.pdf (1941)
- The Truth About Pearl Harbor and the Final Secret of Pearl Harbor (1944)
- Meet Your Congress (1944)
- As We Go Marchinghttp://www.mises.org/books/aswegomarching.pdf (1944)
- The Epic of Freedom (1947)
- The Roosevelt Mythhttp://mises.org/books/rooseveltmyth.pdfhttp://www.rooseveltmyth.com/book/hbzfrm.htm (1948/rev 1956)
- The Road Ahead; America's Creeping RevolutionThe Road Ahead; America's Creeping RevolutionThe Road Ahead; America's Creeping Revolution is John T. Flynn's treatise on the infiltration of Socialism into the politics of the United States. First published in 1949, it had at least three printings totaling over 500,000 copies...
http://www.mises.org/books/roadahead.pdf (1949) - Communists and the New Deal: Part II (1952)
- While You Slept: Our Tragedy in Asia and Who Made Ithttp://mises.org/books/whileyouslept.pdf (1953)
- America's Unknown War: The War We Have Not Begun to Fight (1953)
- McCarthy: His War on American Reds, and the Story of Those Who Oppose Him (1954)
- Betrayal at Yalta (1955)
- The Decline of the American Republic and How to Rebuild Ithttp://mises.org/books/decline.pdf (1955)
- Militarism: The New Slavery for America (1955)
- Fifty Million Americans in Search of a Party (1955)
- The Lattimore Story (1953)
- Forgotten Lessons: Selected Essays of John T. Flynnhttp://mises.org/books/forgotten_lessons_flynn.pdf (1996); posthumous essay collection
- Investment Trusts Gone Wrong! (Wall Street and the Security Markets)
- The Thought Police; an Episode in Radical Bigotry
See also
- Classical liberalismClassical liberalismClassical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets....
- Critics of the New DealCritics of the New Deal- From the Left :* Carter Glass, Senator from Virginia, came from his death bed to the 1940 Democratic Convention to nominate Franklin Roosevelt's campaign manager James Farley as the Democratic Party's candidate for the Presidency...
- MinarchismMinarchismMinarchism has been variously defined by sources. It is a libertarian capitalist political philosophy. In the strictest sense, it maintains that the state is necessary and that its only legitimate function is the protection of individuals from aggression, theft, breach of contract, and fraud, and...
- Old RightOld Right (United States)The Old Right was a conservative faction in the United States that opposed both New Deal domestic programs and U.S. entry into World War II. Many members of this faction were associated with the Republicans of the interwar years led by Robert Taft, but some were Democrats...
By John T. Flynn
- Guide to the John T. Flynn papers at the University of Oregon
- Archive at Mises.orgLudwig von Mises InstituteThe Ludwig von Mises Institute , based in Auburn, Alabama, is a libertarian academic organization engaged in research and scholarship in the fields of economics, philosophy and political economy. Its scholarship is inspired by the work of Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises...
- The Roosevelt Myth John T. Flynn's on-line book
- As We Go Marching John T. Flynn's on-line book
About John T. Flynn
- David T. BeitoDavid T. BeitoDavid T. Beito is a historian and professor of history at the University of Alabama. He is the author of Taxpayers in Revolt: Tax Resistance during the Great Depression ; From Mutual Aid to the Welfare State: Fraternal Societies and Social Services, 1890-1967 ; The Voluntary City: Choice,...
, "Happy Birthday, John T. Flynn," History News Network, October 25, 2005. - The Ideological Odyssey of John T. Flynn by John E. Moser
- Ronald RadoshRonald RadoshRonald Radosh is an American writer, professor, historian, former Marxist, and neoconservative. He is known for his work on the Cold War espionage case of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg and his advocacy of the state of Israel....
. Prophets on the right: Profiles of conservative critics of American globalism (1978) - Tribute to John T. Flynn by Adam Young