Matt Cvetic
Encyclopedia
Matthew Cvetic was a Pittsburgh native who was asked by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
to join the Communist Party of the United States
(CPUSA) as an informant in the 1940s. He told his story in a series in the Saturday Evening Post, and his experiences were then fictionalized in the old time radio show I Was a Communist for the FBI
, adapted for a Warner Brothers motion picture in 1951. He testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee
in the 1950s.
In 1941, during World War II
, he volunteered to join the Army
but was rejected due to his short stature. He came to the attention of the FBI which offered him the opportunity to penetrate the American Communist Party which he did in 22 months.
Cvetic belonged to a Pittsburgh branch of the CPUSA, and later testified against party leader Steve Nelson
in Nelson's 1951 trial for sedition
. He also became nationally recognized for his testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee
. By the mid-1950s, however, Cvetic's personal life was in a shambles, as his wife had divorced him and most of his friends and family were alienated during his undercover years. He died in 1962.
presented I was a Communist for the FBI as a radio serial. The series had Dana Andrews
as the voice of Cvetic and also had a $12,000 budget which was a significant amount for a radio show.
The show had the tagline, "I'm a communist for the FBI, I walk alone."
In the series, Cvetic is an undercover agent of the FBI who infiltrates many Communist spy rings within the United States. Cvetic poses as a faithful party member to gain information on Communist plots designed to destroy America. Except for his superiors in the FBI, no one, not even members of Cvetic's family, knows that he is merely posing as a Communist.
on May 5, 1951. Although the story was highly fictionalized the film was nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Documentary".
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
to join the Communist Party of the United States
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
(CPUSA) as an informant in the 1940s. He told his story in a series in the Saturday Evening Post, and his experiences were then fictionalized in the old time radio show I Was a Communist for the FBI
I Was a Communist for the FBI
I Was a Communist for the FBI is the name of a series of stories written by Matt Cvetic that appeared in the Saturday Evening Post. The stories were later turned into a best-selling book, an American espionage thriller radio series and motion picture in the early 1950s.The story follows Cvetic, who...
, adapted for a Warner Brothers motion picture in 1951. He testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
in the 1950s.
Life
Matt Cvetic was born in 1909 to Slovenian immigrants living in Pittsburgh.In 1941, during 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...
, he volunteered to join the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
but was rejected due to his short stature. He came to the attention of the FBI which offered him the opportunity to penetrate the American Communist Party which he did in 22 months.
Cvetic belonged to a Pittsburgh branch of the CPUSA, and later testified against party leader Steve Nelson
Steve Nelson (activist)
Stjepan Mesaros, best known as Steve Nelson was a Croatian-born American political activist. Nelson achieved public notoriety as the political commissar of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War and a leading functionary of the Communist Party, USA...
in Nelson's 1951 trial for sedition
Sedition
In law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
. He also became nationally recognized for his testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
. By the mid-1950s, however, Cvetic's personal life was in a shambles, as his wife had divorced him and most of his friends and family were alienated during his undercover years. He died in 1962.
"I Was a Communist for the FBI"
On July 15, 22, and 29 of 1950 Cvetic published his story in serial format in the Saturday Evening Post. The serials were written by Pete Martin. They told the story of his life from his recruitment in 1941 and of his actions as a communist for the FBI.Radio Serial
In the Spring of 1952 Frederick W. Ziv CompanyFrederick Ziv
Frederick William Ziv was an American broadcasting producer and syndicator who is considered the father of television syndication and once operated the nation's largest independent television production company....
presented I was a Communist for the FBI as a radio serial. The series had Dana Andrews
Dana Andrews
Dana Andrews was an American film actor. He was one of Hollywood's major stars of the 1940s, and continued acting, though generally in less prestigious roles, into the 1980s.-Early life:...
as the voice of Cvetic and also had a $12,000 budget which was a significant amount for a radio show.
The show had the tagline, "I'm a communist for the FBI, I walk alone."
In the series, Cvetic is an undercover agent of the FBI who infiltrates many Communist spy rings within the United States. Cvetic poses as a faithful party member to gain information on Communist plots designed to destroy America. Except for his superiors in the FBI, no one, not even members of Cvetic's family, knows that he is merely posing as a Communist.
Film
Warner Bros. purchased rights to the Post story and released I Was a Communist for the FBII Was a Communist for the FBI
I Was a Communist for the FBI is the name of a series of stories written by Matt Cvetic that appeared in the Saturday Evening Post. The stories were later turned into a best-selling book, an American espionage thriller radio series and motion picture in the early 1950s.The story follows Cvetic, who...
on May 5, 1951. Although the story was highly fictionalized the film was nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Documentary".
Book
In November of 1959 the first editions of "The Big Decision" were published. This was Cvetic's personal account of his actions as a counterspy, many of the names in the story were changed to protect identities.Further reading
- Cvetic, Matt. (1959). The Big Decision.
- Leab, Daniel J. (1994). "I Was a Communist for the FBI": The Unhappy Life and Times of Matt Cvetic. Pennsylvania State University Press. ISBN 978-0271028125
- Payne, R. E. (2004) I Was a Communist for the FBI: Matt Cvetic: The True Life and Times of Undercover Agent Matt Cvetic. AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1418488437
External links
- Putnam, GeorgeGeorge Putnam (newsman)George Putnam was an American television news reporter and talk show host based in Los Angeles. He was known for his catchy phrase "See ya at ten, see ya then" intro prior to a broadcast of the news.-Biography:...
. (2002, December 20). One Reporter's Opinion: Going to the Matt. NewsMax.com. Retrieved July 28, 2008. - Matt Cvetic Memorial page with free downloads of his radio show.
- Matt Cvetic Biography