National Council of American Soviet Friendship
Encyclopedia
The National Council of American-Soviet Friendship (NCASF) was the successor organisation to the National Council on Soviet Relations (NCSR).
which revolved around the Friends of the Soviet Union, founded in 1929. One of the major goals of the movement was for the United States and the Soviet Union to form an anti-fascist
alliance. This eventually led to the foundation of the NCSR, which became the NCASF in 1941. The Council's membership was largely made up of professionals sympathetic to socialism
and communism
.
was one of the foundators and the first chairman of the council. Professor Ralph Barton Perry
of Harvard University
was vice-chairman of the council. Edwin Smith was the executive director of the council. Here's timeline of NCASF office holders:
was one of the sponsors when the founding of the council was announced in April 1943. when an “American – Soviet Friendship Rally” was held in Madison Square Garden
on 16 November 1944, a number of Hollywood movie stars — including Chaplin, John Garfield
, Rita Hayworth
, Orson Welles
, James Cagney
, Katharine Hepburn
, Gene Kelly
, and Edward G. Robinson
— signed a message in a gesture of support for it. The statement said that the artists added their voices in favor of the bond that existed between “our great country and our great Allies.” The message added: “In this friendship lies not only the hope but I he future of the world.”
initiated a formal inquiry into the NCASF. In 1947, charges were brought against the Council for failing to register with the Subversive Activities Control Board
.
and information regarding the state of American-Soviet relations. It ceased operations in 1991. The council was formed of several different branches and offices. Composer Aaron Copland was later questioned by Senator McCarthy regarding his membership on the Music Committee.
Foundation
The 1930s witnessed the birth of the politically radical American-Soviet friendship movementAmerican-Soviet friendship movement
The American–Soviet friendship movement arose during the late 1920s and early 1930s among American leftist intellectuals whose goals were to promote the establishment of a joint American-Soviet anti-fascist alliance...
which revolved around the Friends of the Soviet Union, founded in 1929. One of the major goals of the movement was for the United States and the Soviet Union to form an anti-fascist
Anti-fascism
Anti-fascism is the opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals, such as that of the resistance movements during World War II. The related term antifa derives from Antifaschismus, which is German for anti-fascism; it refers to individuals and groups on the left of the political...
alliance. This eventually led to the foundation of the NCSR, which became the NCASF in 1941. The Council's membership was largely made up of professionals sympathetic to socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
and communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
.
Key figures
Corliss LamontCorliss Lamont
Corliss Lamont , was a socialist philosopher, and advocate of various left-wing and civil liberties causes. As a part of his political activities he was the Chairman of National Council of American-Soviet Friendship starting from early 1940s...
was one of the foundators and the first chairman of the council. Professor Ralph Barton Perry
Ralph Barton Perry
Ralph Barton Perry was an American philosopher.-Career:...
of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
was vice-chairman of the council. Edwin Smith was the executive director of the council. Here's timeline of NCASF office holders:
| Name | Years in service |
|---|---|
| Corliss Lamont Corliss Lamont Corliss Lamont , was a socialist philosopher, and advocate of various left-wing and civil liberties causes. As a part of his political activities he was the Chairman of National Council of American-Soviet Friendship starting from early 1940s... |
1943–1947 |
| Reverend William Howard Melish | 1947–1951 |
| John Kingsbury | 1949–1956 |
| Rockwell Kent Rockwell Kent Rockwell Kent was an American painter, printmaker, illustrator, and writer.- Biography :Rockwell Kent was born in Tarrytown, New York, the same year as fellow American artists George Bellows and Edward Hopper... |
1957–1971 |
| Reverend William Howard Melish | 1971–1978 |
| Ewart Guinier | 1979–1984 |
| John Cherveny | 1985–1987 |
| John Randolph | 1988–1991 |
| Name | Years in service |
|---|---|
| Edwin Smith | 1944–1945 |
| Reverend Richard Morford | 1946–1981 |
| Reverend Alan Thomson | 1981–1991 |
| Roy Kaufman | 1991 |
Hollywood support
Charlie ChaplinCharlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
was one of the sponsors when the founding of the council was announced in April 1943. when an “American – Soviet Friendship Rally” was held in Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
on 16 November 1944, a number of Hollywood movie stars — including Chaplin, John Garfield
John Garfield
John Garfield was an American actor adept at playing brooding, rebellious, working-class character roles. He grew up in poverty in Depression-era New York City and in the early 1930s became an important member of the Group Theater. In 1937 he moved to Hollywood, eventually becoming one of Warner...
, Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth was an American film actress and dancer who attained fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars...
, Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
, James Cagney
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
, Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
, Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly
Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
, and Edward G. Robinson
Edward G. Robinson
Edward G. Robinson was a Romanian-born American actor. A popular star during Hollywood's Golden Age, he is best remembered for his roles as gangsters, such as Rico in his star-making film Little Caesar and as Rocco in Key Largo...
— signed a message in a gesture of support for it. The statement said that the artists added their voices in favor of the bond that existed between “our great country and our great Allies.” The message added: “In this friendship lies not only the hope but I he future of the world.”
Charges with failing to register
In 1946 the House Un-American Activities CommitteeHouse 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"...
initiated a formal inquiry into the NCASF. In 1947, charges were brought against the Council for failing to register with the Subversive Activities Control Board
Subversive Activities Control Board
The Subversive Activities Control Board was a United States government committee to investigate Communist infiltration of American society during the 1950s Red Scare....
.
Activity
During its years of operation the NCASF released numerous publications focusing upon daily life in the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and information regarding the state of American-Soviet relations. It ceased operations in 1991. The council was formed of several different branches and offices. Composer Aaron Copland was later questioned by Senator McCarthy regarding his membership on the Music Committee.