Owen Lattimore and the Congressional Investigations of the Cold War
During the height of the early Cold War, the United States was gripped by a fear of internal subversion. One of the most prominent targets of this era was Owen Lattimore, a scholar and diplomat whose expertise in East Asian affairs made him a powerful figure in the State Department. Lattimore became a central figure in the political storms of the 1950s, facing accusations of being a Soviet agent and a secret Communist.
The campaign against Lattimore was driven largely by Senator Joseph McCarthy, who sought to prove widespread Soviet infiltration of the U.S. government. These investigations would span several years, involving multiple committees, high-profile witnesses, and a legal battle over perjury.
The Tydings Committee and Initial Accusations
In March 1950, during an executive session of the Tydings Committee—led by Senator Millard Tydings—Senator Joseph McCarthy accused Lattimore of being the top Soviet agent in the United States or the State Department. At the time, Lattimore was in Kabul, Afghanistan, on a cultural mission for the United Nations. He dismissed the claims as "moonshine" and returned to the U.S. to testify.
McCarthy argued that Lattimore, as the "architect" of U.S. Far Eastern policy, was using his influence to align American aims with those of Soviet Russia. However, McCarthy lacked evidence of specific espionage. To bolster his case, he called upon Louis F. Budenz, a former editor of the Communist Party's Daily Worker who had since become anticommunist.
Budenz's testimony was contradictory. Despite having previously told the FBI and State Department investigators that he recalled no instances of Lattimore being a Communist, he testified before the committee that Lattimore was a secret Communist. Budenz claimed Lattimore's value to the Soviets was his ability to promote Soviet policy using non-Soviet language. Ultimately, the Tydings Committee's majority report cleared Lattimore of all charges, though a minority report accepted Budenz's claims.
The Senate Internal Security Subcommittee (SISS)
The pressure on Lattimore intensified in February 1952 when he was called before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee (SISS), chaired by Senator Pat McCarran, an ally of McCarthy. Prior to the hearings, the SISS seized all records from the Institute of Pacific Relations (IPR), an organization focused on international relations in the Pacific region.
The twelve days of testimony were characterized by hostility and shouting matches. Senator McCarran used the seized IPR records to challenge Lattimore's memory on obscure details from decades prior. During these proceedings, Louis Budenz returned to testify, this time escalating his claim by asserting that Lattimore was both a Communist and a Soviet agent.
Academic Testimony and Ideological Disputes
The subcommittee also summoned other scholars to testify. Nicholas Poppe, a scholar of Mongolia and Tibet, criticized Lattimore's writings as superficial but refused to label him a Communist. More damaging was the testimony of Karl August Wittfogel and George Taylor from the University of Washington. Wittfogel, a former Communist, claimed Lattimore had given him a "knowing smile" that suggested a shared Communist background.
Lattimore countered that any such smile was a "non-Communist smile." The dispute extended to linguistics, with Wittfogel and Taylor arguing that Lattimore's use of the term "feudal" evidenced Marxist influence. Lattimore responded that Marxists did not hold a "patent" on the word.
The Final Report and Perjury Charges
After 17 months of study, 66 witnesses, and the review of thousands of documents, the McCarran Committee issued a 226-page unanimous report in 1952. The report concluded that Lattimore had been a "conscious articulate instrument of the Soviet conspiracy" since the 1930s and had been untruthful on at least five separate matters, including his association with Communist Frederick V. Field.
On December 16, 1952, Lattimore was indicted for perjury on seven counts. Six counts focused on discrepancies between his testimony and the IPR records, while the seventh accused him of attempting to deceive the SISS. Lattimore's lawyer, Abe Fortas, argued that these discrepancies were the result of McCarran asking questions about arcane matters from the 1930s.
Legal Resolution and Later Revelations
The legal battle ended when federal judge Luther Youngdahl dismissed the perjury charges on technical grounds. The judge ruled that four of the charges were insubstantial and that denying sympathy for communism was too vague a statement to be fairly answered. He noted that a jury would be unlikely to convict on matters of political judgment.
Years later, the validity of the accusations was further questioned. In his 1979 memoir, former FBI agent William C. Sullivan revealed that despite the relentless efforts of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, the bureau never found "anything substantial" and described the accusations against Lattimore as "ridiculous."
Key Facts
- Primary Accuser: Senator Joseph McCarthy initially accused Lattimore of being a top Soviet agent.
- Key Committees: The Tydings Committee (1950) and the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee (1952).
- The IPR: Records from the Institute of Pacific Relations were used by the SISS to challenge Lattimore's testimony.
- Legal Outcome: Lattimore was indicted on seven counts of perjury, but all were dismissed by Judge Luther Youngdahl.
- FBI Finding: Former agent William C. Sullivan later stated the FBI found nothing substantial to support the claims.
| Investigation/Event | Key Figure(s) | Primary Allegation | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tydings Committee (1950) | Sen. Joseph McCarthy | Top Soviet agent/spy | Majority report cleared Lattimore |
| SISS Hearings (1952) | Sen. Pat McCarran | Conscious instrument of Soviet conspiracy | Unanimous report against Lattimore |
| Perjury Trial (1952-1955) | Judge Luther Youngdahl | Seven counts of perjury | Charges dismissed on technical grounds |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Owen Lattimore?
Owen Lattimore was a scholar and diplomat specializing in East Asian affairs who held a position of significant influence within the U.S. State Department during the mid-20th century.
What was the role of Louis F. Budenz in the investigation?
Budenz, a former editor of the Communist Party's Daily Worker, testified that Lattimore was a secret Communist. However, his testimony was inconsistent with his previous statements to the FBI and State Department.
Why were the perjury charges against Lattimore dismissed?
Federal judge Luther Youngdahl dismissed the charges because some were too vague to be fairly answered, others were insubstantial, and some were based on political judgment rather than clear legal violations.
What did the FBI eventually conclude about Lattimore?
According to a 1979 memoir by former FBI agent William C. Sullivan, the FBI never found any substantial evidence to support the accusations, which Sullivan described as "ridiculous."
What was the significance of the Institute of Pacific Relations (IPR)?
The IPR was an organization whose records were seized by the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee to find discrepancies in Lattimore's testimony and to link him to Communist activities.