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The FBI Files on John Steinbeck
The FBI Files on John Steinbeck
The FBI Files on John Steinbeck
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The FBI Files on John Steinbeck

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Ever since the 1939 publication of John Steinbeck's epic "The Grapes of Wrath," J. Edgar Hoover and his FBI were convinced Steinbeck was a communist. The FBI followed him for the rest of his life --the FBI files on Steinbeck grew and grew ---even after his death. During his life time, Steinbeck knew that the FBI was following him, but could not prove it. Eventually the FBI files were declassified and proved Steinbeck right-- the FBI had followed him for years--for no real reasons at all, just as Hoover's FBI followed many other notable Americans -and without cause.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherBookBaby
Release dateNov 25, 2014
ISBN9780990718185
The FBI Files on John Steinbeck
Author

Thomas Fensch

Thomas Fensch has published 40 books in the past 50 years--his first three were published in 1970. He has published five books about John Steinbeck; two about James Thurber; two about Dr. Seuss; the only full biography of John Howard Griffin, the author of Black Like Me, and a variety other titles.

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    The FBI Files on John Steinbeck - Thomas Fensch

    .

    Chronology:

    Key dates in the life of

    John Steinbeck

    The following is a general chronology of the career of John Steinbeck.

    1902—John Steinbeck born in Salinas, California.

    1920–1925—Steinbeck attends Stanford University, but fails to graduate.

    1926–1929—Steinbeck lives in California, writing stories and novels.

    1929—Steinbeck’s first novel, Cup of Gold, published by Robert M. McBride & Co.

    1932—Steinbeck’s second novel, The Pastures of Heaven, published by Brewer, Warren and Putnam.

    1933—Steinbeck’s third novel, To a God Unknown, published by Robert 0. Ballou.

    1935—Tortilla Flat is published by Covici-Friede. It won the Commonwealth Club of California Gold medal.

    1936—Covici-Friede publishes In Dubious Battle. It wins another Gold Medal from the Commonwealth Club of California.

    1937—Covici-Friede publishes Of Mice and Men as novel and play and The Red Pony.

    1938—Covici-Friede dissolved. Pascal Covici joins The Viking Press as senior editor. The Viking Press publishes The Long Valley.

    1939—The Viking Press publishes The Grapes of Wrath.

    1940—Steinbeck awarded a Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath.

    1941—The Viking Press publishes Sea of Cortez, by Steinbeck and Ricketts, and The Forgotten Village.

    1942—The Viking Press publishes Steinbeck’s The Moon Is Down and Bombs Away.

    1945—The Viking Press publishes Cannery Row.

    1947—The Viking Press publishes The Wayward Bus and The Pearl.

    1948—The Viking Press publishes A Russian Journal.

    1950—The Viking Press publishes Burning Bright as novel and playscript.

    1951—The Viking Press publishes Steinbeck’s The Log from the Sea of Cortez, with preface about Ed Ricketts.

    1952—The Viking Press publishes East of Eden.

    1954—The Viking Press publishes Sweet Thursday.

    1957—The Viking Press publishes The Short Reign of Pippin IV.

    1958—The Viking Press publishes Once There Was a War.

    1961—The Viking Press publishes The Winter of Our Discontent.

    1962—John Steinbeck wins The Nobel Prize for Literature. The Viking Press publishes Travels with Charley in Search of America.

    1964—Pascal Covici dies.

    1966—The Viking Press publishes America and Americans, edited by Thomas Guinzburg.

    1968—John Steinbeck dies.

    1969—The Viking Press publishes Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters.

    1975—The Viking Press publishes Steinbeck: A Life in Letters, edited by Elaine Steinbeck and Robert Wallstein.

    1976—Farrar, Straus and Giroux publishes Steinbeck’s The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights.

    Introduction

    The FBI Files on John Steinbeck is the seventh volume in the Top Secret Series of formerly-secret government files, published by New Century Books.

    This volume begins with a short memorandum from then Attorney General Francis Biddle, to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, with a note from Steinbeck:

    Do you suppose you could ask Edgar’s boys to stop stepping on my heels? They think I’m an enemy alien . . .

    This is nothing in the Steinbeck file prior to that memo from Biddle and the Steinbeck note, written in New York City, presumably just prior to Biddle’s memo to J. Edgar Hoover, which was dated May 11, 1942 (except for a clip about a California extortion attempt).

    J. Edgar Hoover steadfastly denied, over the years, that the FBI had ever investigated Steinbeck; Hoover’s denials were, at the very least disingenuous, at worst, an outright lie.

    Although there is nothing in the FBI files prior to the Biddle to Hoover memo in May, 1942, earlier letters, memos and records could have easily been discarded, to prove Hoover’s statement that the FBI had never investigated Steinbeck.

    In fact, the FBI may well have been involved in the investigation by the governmental agency, G-2, which formally stated that Steinbeck was unfit to be an officer in the U.S. Armed Forces. That decision was made despite the California agent-of-record’s recommendation that Steinbeck was of good character, intelligence and clearly capable of being an officer in the armed forces, during World War Two.

    Steinbeck may have known that G-2 was investigating him as an officer candidate and presumably believed the FBI was involved.

    (Steinbeck spent the war as a correspondent and published the book, Bombs Away: the Story of a Bomber Team (1942) and, years later, in 1958, published his war correspondence under the title, Once There Was a War. These books are now two of Steinbeck’s least republished titles.)

    In these files are citizen complaints about Steinbeck’s books, files of the G-2 investigation, which the FBI referred to, in later years, and reviews of evaluations of Steinbeck’s publications.

    The FBI repeatedly up-dated profiles on Steinbeck, using anonymous citizen complaints and occasional reviews of his work.

    The FBI also acted as clearinghouse for Steinbeck files; FBI agents in specific bureaus reported to Washington when Steinbeck entered the country; records from other governmental agencies were filed at the FBI and the FBI frequently sent copies of their records to other agencies asking for background material on Steinbeck.

    In 1954, a summary was sent from the FBI to the U.S.I.A. (United States Information Agency) with the following first sentence:

    No investigation has been conducted by this Bureau concerning the above-named individual. A review of the files, however, reflects that in May, 1945, a reliable source . . .

    Files occasionally mention references to The Daily Worker, the Communist newspaper. However, reactions to Steinbeck’s books by communist leaders and publications were, over the years, mixed. The communist press generally approved of Steinbeck’s California novels such as The Grapes of Wrath and In Dubious Battle, but did not appreciate his post-World War Two books such as A Russian Journal, which was, in fact, out-of-date as soon as it was printed.

    In 1940, John Steinbeck won the Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath and in 1962, Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for literature, one of the very few Americans to win the Nobel Prize for literature. But throughout the years, the FBI files mention vague references to communist organizations, approval of Steinbeck’s work by the communist press and, of course, denial by G-2 of Steinbeck’s character as an officer candidate during World War Two.

    Were Edgar’s boys on Steinbeck’s heels, as he claimed in 1942? Clearly personnel from G-2 were. Did Steinbeck confuse FBI agents with G-2 personnel? Probably. Were there records in the Steinbeck file prior to the Biddle-Hoover correspondence that begins this file? After some 60 years, there is now no proof.

    Were there other records in the Steinbeck file not now open to public view? New Century Books advises that original documents make no reference to other such letters withheld from this archive during the years in question, but that still may be the case.

    Every effort has been made to accurately reprint these letters, memos, files and data, however many of the letters are very dark and neither New Century Books nor the editor can completely guarantee the accuracy of the dates, or names or other phrases reproduced in this book. Sections of pages which have been redacted (blacked out prior to release to the public) are indicated in the text; some of the pages which have redactions are shown in the Appendix.

    Note: Many pages shown in the Appendix are faint (or illegible) because of the age of the original file pages and because these pages had to be photocopied and then recopied and reduced for publication. These pages are included to show the contents of a variety of FBI file pages and to also show the redactions prior to release to the public.

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