COVER STORY: AUTHOR, AUTHOR

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PARKSIDEwww.uwp.edu PERSPECTIVE, Summer 1999 15

Story by Joseph Hanneman • Photos by Charles S. Vallone

Biographer of Chester Arthur, Joe McCarthy

and JFK turns attention to Bishop Fulton Sheen

CO

RBIS

/BET

TMA

NN

resident John F. Kennedy once expressed

disgust for historians, exclaiming: “Those

bastards. They’re always there with their

pencils out.”

No doubt the assassinated 35th president would have

saved even stronger invective for historian Thomas C.

Reeves, who did much to dismantle Kennedy’s carefully

crafted image in his best-selling 1991 biography, “A

Question of Character: A Life of John F. Kennedy.”

While Reeves might argue with Kennedy’s

description of his vocation, he relishes the role of the

man with the sharp pencil, playing historical detective

to tell fair, full and accurate stories about some of

American history’s most celebrated people.Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen þ

They put him on Tuesday night

opposite Milton Berle, who was Mr.

Television, and it wasn’t long before

he was beating him in the ratings.

16 PERSPECTIVE, Summer 1999 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PARKSIDEwww.uwp.edu PERSPECTIVE, Summer 1999 17

COVER STORY: AUTHOR, AUTHOR

“Freedom andthe Foundation:the Fund for theRepublic in theEra ofMcCarthyism,”(Alfred A. Knopf,1969), 355 pages.

“20th CenturyAmerica: A BriefHistory,”(Oxford Press,1999).Scheduled forNovemberrelease.

“The EmptyChurch: theSuicide ofLiberalChristianity,”(Free Press,1996), 276pages.

“A Question ofCharacter: A Lifeof John F.Kennedy,” (FreePress, 1991), 510pages. New YorkTimes bestsellerfor 12 weeks.

“That’s what it’s all about — accuracy,”said Reeves, 62, since 1970 a professor ofhistory at UW-Parkside and author of sixmajor books. “It’s all about accuracy.There are people who will laugh at youfor going into details like this, but damnit, you must if you want to tell the wholestory.”

TV’s Popular Preacher

After writing pioneering biographies ofPresident Chester A. Arthur and Red-hunting U.S. Sen Joseph R. McCarthy ofWisconsin, and the popular andcontroversial book on the character ofJFK, Reeves is busy researching his nextbook: on 1950s television preacherArchbishop Fulton J. Sheen.

Like Reeves’ previous books, the Sheenbiography will be a first. No one hadwritten comprehensive biographies ofArthur or McCarthy, and Reeves’ book onJFK peeled more veneer off the Camelotimage. No one has ever written abiography of Sheen, perhaps the bestknown American cleric of his generation.

“It makes no sense, to have a figurewho was that prominent for so long, anda pioneer in television, to have nobiography. It’s really shocking,” he said.

Sheen, a longtime professor ofphilosophy at the Catholic University ofAmerica and later auxiliary bishop ofNew York, is best known for his “Life isWorth Living” television series, whichaired from 1952 to 1957.

Millions of Americans still remember

”Sheen speaking common sense aboutChristian matters of faith during the half-hour program. The show, which aired onthe DuMont Television Network,regularly drew 10 million viewers. Sheenwon a 1952 Emmy award for mostoutstanding television personality, duringa year when “I Love Lucy,” “What’s MyLine?” and “Dragnet” were popularshows.

“They put him on Tuesday night,opposite Milton Berle, who was Mr.Television,” Reeves said. “And it wasn’tlong before Sheen was beating him in theratings. Then they put Frank Sinatra onopposite him, and he beat Frank Sinatra.

“Imagine an America that would watcha man dressed in full bishop’s regalia —let alone a Catholic — lecturing for a half-hour,” Reeves said. “There has never beena speaker like that, to my knowledge.”

With a grant from the Milwaukee-basedBradley Foundation, Reeves spent thepast year doing research on Sheen. Thebook must be finished in two years. It willbe published by the new Encounter Press,an offshoot of the Bradley Foundation.

Aside from interviewing relatives andformer associates of Sheen, Reeves isreading the prelate’s 68 books andreviewing his radio and televisionprograms. Reeves described the El Paso,Ill.-born priest as “very outspoken.”

“He attacked psychiatry. He attackedFreudianism. He was responsible for anumber of very prominent converts,”Reeves said.

Reeves is researching Catholicism tohelp with the Sheen biography. Reevesconverted to Catholicism fromProtestantism in 1997, a year after writing“The Empty Church: the Suicide ofLiberal Christianity.” The book arguedthat mainline Protestant churches haveabandoned orthodox Christianity andyielded to liberal interest groups,dumbing down Christian tradition.

Reeves said the book “showed me thefutility of what I was in. I persuadedmyself, or the book persuaded me (toconvert). I had to do something.”

Another major Reeves project, “20thCentury America: A Brief History,” will bepublished in November by Oxford Press.

“The book covers the Gilded Age of thelate 19th century through the Clintonimpeachment in 1998, and NATO-ledattacks on Kosovo in 1999. Reevesoriginally signed the contract for the bookin 1978.

“It was very, very hard to do,” Reevessaid. “It’s easy to be long. It’s murder to bebrief. I had only 30 photographs tochoose.”

With the year 2000 approaching,Reeves said the publisher believes thebook will do well when released inhardback later this year.

Long Publishing Career

The new books are but the latestcredentials in Reeves’ long publishingcareer. It has been a long road fromReeves’ youth in blue-collar Tacoma,Wash. Growing up, “the reading materialconsisted of Reader’s Digest in thebathroom,” he recalled.

Reeves caught the fever for research andwriting in college and as a graduatestudent at the University of Washington.The first member of the Reeves family toeven finish high school, Reeves discov-ered his calling in history.

“It was just a natural outgrowth of whatI guess I was made to do,” he said.

Writing political biography can be verytough, especially if sources areuncooperative or documents elusive ormissing.

It took Reeves “three and a half years ofpursuit” before McCarthy’s widow, Jean,

would consent to an interview for “TheLife and Times of Joe McCarthy: ABiography,” published in 1982. “I’m theonly one who ever interviewed her,” saidReeves of the late Mrs. McCarthy, whodied two years prior to publication of hisbook.

McCarthy’s widow had donated someof the senator’s papers to MarquetteUniversity, but ordered them sealed.

Fresh View on McCarthy

The portrait that emerged of McCarthywas vastly different than the “monsterfrom the back woods” portrayed in mosthistorical texts. It is the definitive work onMcCarthy — historian Stephen Ambrosecalled it “masterful” — and shows sides ofthe anti-communist zealot that manywould find surprising.

For “Gentleman Boss: The Life ofChester Alan Arthur,” published in 1975,Reeves tracked down the late president’sson-in-law, who was 99 and living inupstate New York. “He had a box full ofclippings, newspaper clippings thatArthur’s sisters had left,” Reeves said. Thepresident’s grandson also provided boxesof papers never before discovered. Thatmaterial was crucial, because a dyingArthur ordered his papers burned in1886.

For his study of JFK, Reevesencountered what he describes as a cover-up and conspiracy to hide the truth aboutthe late president. The John F. KennedyLibrary in Boston was of little help, and

the family forbids access to valuablepapers.

“They’ve just denied access toeveryone but their buddies,” Reeves said.“You have to be family approved and youhave to submit your manuscript to thembefore they’ll give you anything.”

The Kennedy family and sympathetichistorians have continued a longstanding

www.uwp.eduUNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE

“GentlemanBoss: The Lifeof Chester AlanArthur,” (AlfredA. Knopf, 1975),500 pages.

“The Life andTimes of JoeMcCarthy: ABiography,”(Stein and Day,1982), 819 pages.Selection of theBook of theMonth Club.

They put him on Tuesday night

opposite Milton Berle, who was Mr.

Television, and it wasn’t long before

he was beating him in the ratings.

www.uwp.eduUNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE16 PERSPECTIVE, Summer 1999 www.uwp.edu

COVER STORY: AUTHOR, AUTHOR

“Freedom andthe Foundation:the Fund for theRepublic in theEra ofMcCarthyism,”(Alfred A. Knopf,1969), 355 pages.

“GentlemanBoss: The Lifeof Chester AlanArthur,” (AlfredA. Knopf, 1975),500 pages.

“The Life andTimes of JoeMcCarthy: ABiography,”(Stein and Day,1982), 819 pages.Selection of theBook of theMonth Club.

“That’s what it’s all about — accuracy,”said Reeves, 62, since 1970 a professor ofhistory at UW-Parkside and author of sixmajor books. “It’s all about accuracy.There are people who will laugh at youfor going into details like this, but damnit, you must if you want to tell the wholestory.”

TV’s Popular Preacher

After writing pioneering biographies ofPresident Chester A. Arthur and Red-hunting U.S. Sen Joseph R. McCarthy ofWisconsin, and the popular andcontroversial book on the character ofJFK, Reeves is busy researching his nextbook: on 1950s television preacherArchbishop Fulton J. Sheen.

Like Reeves’ previous books, the Sheenbiography will be a first. No one hadwritten comprehensive biographies ofArthur or McCarthy, and Reeves’ book onJFK peeled more veneer off the Camelotimage. No one has ever written abiography of Sheen, perhaps the bestknown American cleric of his generation.

“It makes no sense, to have a figurewho was that prominent for so long, anda pioneer in television, to have nobiography. It’s really shocking,” he said.

Sheen, a longtime professor ofphilosophy at the Catholic University ofAmerica and later auxiliary bishop ofNew York, is best known for his “Life isWorth Living” television series, whichaired from 1952 to 1957.

Millions of Americans still remember

”Sheen speaking common sense aboutChristian matters of faith during the half-hour program. The show, which aired onthe DuMont Television Network,regularly drew 10 million viewers. Sheenwon a 1952 Emmy award for mostoutstanding television personality, duringa year when “I Love Lucy,” “What’s MyLine?” and “Dragnet” were popularshows.

“They put him on Tuesday night,opposite Milton Berle, who was Mr.Television,” Reeves said. “And it wasn’tlong before Sheen was beating him in theratings. Then they put Frank Sinatra onopposite him, and he beat Frank Sinatra.

“Imagine an America that would watcha man dressed in full bishop’s regalia —let alone a Catholic — lecturing for a half-hour,” Reeves said. “There has never beena speaker like that, to my knowledge.”

With a grant from the Milwaukee-basedBradley Foundation, Reeves spent thepast year doing research on Sheen. Thebook must be finished in two years. It willbe published by the new Encounter Press,an offshoot of the Bradley Foundation.

Aside from interviewing relatives andformer associates of Sheen, Reeves isreading the prelate’s 68 books andreviewing his radio and televisionprograms. Reeves described the El Paso,Ill.-born priest as “very outspoken.”

“He attacked psychiatry. He attackedFreudianism. He was responsible for anumber of very prominent converts,”Reeves said.

Reeves is researching Catholicism tohelp with the Sheen biography. Reevesconverted to Catholicism fromProtestantism in 1997, a year after writing“The Empty Church: the Suicide ofLiberal Christianity.” The book arguedthat mainline Protestant churches haveabandoned orthodox Christianity andyielded to liberal interest groups,dumbing down Christian tradition.

Reeves said the book “showed me thefutility of what I was in. I persuadedmyself, or the book persuaded me (toconvert). I had to do something.”

Another major Reeves project, “20thCentury America: A Brief History,” will bepublished in November by Oxford Press.

“The book coverslate 19th centurimpeachment inattacks on Kosoriginally signed in 1978.

“It was very, vsaid. “It’s easy to bbrief. I had onchoose.”

With the yeReeves said the book will do whardback later th

Long Publish

The new boocredentials in Rcareer. It has bReeves’ youth iWash. Growing uconsisted of Rbathroom,” he re

Reeves caught twriting in collestudent at the UnThe first membereven finish highered his calling in

“It was just a nI guess I was mad

Writing politictough, especiauncooperative ormissing.

It took Reeves pursuit” before M

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE PERSP

“The EmptyChurch: theSuicide ofLiberalChristianity,”(Free Press,1996), 276pages.

“A Question ofCharacter: A Lifeof John F.Kennedy,” (FreePress, 1991), 510pages. New YorkTimes bestsellerfor 12 weeks.

the Gilded Age of they through the Clinton 1998, and NATO-ledovo in 1999. Reevesthe contract for the book

ery hard to do,” Reevese long. It’s murder to bely 30 photographs to

ar 2000 approaching,publisher believes theell when released in

is year.

ing Career

ks are but the latesteeves’ long publishingeen a long road fromn blue-collar Tacoma,p, “the reading materialeader’s Digest in thecalled.he fever for research andge and as a graduateiversity of Washington. of the Reeves family to school, Reeves discov- history.

atural outgrowth of whate to do,” he said.

al biography can be verylly if sources are documents elusive or

“three and a half years ofcCarthy’s widow, Jean,

would consent to an interview for “TheLife and Times of Joe McCarthy: ABiography,” published in 1982. “I’m theonly one who ever interviewed her,” saidReeves of the late Mrs. McCarthy, whodied two years prior to publication of hisbook.

McCarthy’s widow had donated someof the senator’s papers to MarquetteUniversity, but ordered them sealed.

Fresh View on McCarthy

The portrait that emerged of McCarthywas vastly different than the “monsterfrom the back woods” portrayed in mosthistorical texts. It is the definitive work onMcCarthy — historian Stephen Ambrosecalled it “masterful” — and shows sides ofthe anti-communist zealot that manywould find surprising.

For “Gentleman Boss: The Life ofChester Alan Arthur,” published in 1975,Reeves tracked down the late president’sson-in-law, who was 99 and living inupstate New York. “He had a box full ofclippings, newspaper clippings thatArthur’s sisters had left,” Reeves said. Thepresident’s grandson also provided boxesof papers never before discovered. Thatmaterial was crucial, because a dyingArthur ordered his papers burned in1886.

For his study of JFK, Reevesencountered what he describes as a cover-up and conspiracy to hide the truth aboutthe late president. The John F. KennedyLibrary in Boston was of little help, and

the family forbidpapers.

“They’ve just everyone but their “You have to be famhave to submit youbefore they’ll give y

The Kennedy fahistorians have con

ECTIVE, Summer 1999 17

“20th CenturyAmerica: A BriefHistory,”(Oxford Press,1999).Scheduled forNovemberrelease.

s access to valuable

denied access tobuddies,” Reeves said.ily approved and your manuscript to themou anything.”mily and sympathetictinued a longstanding

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONS18 PERSPECTIVE, Summer 1999 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE PERSPECTIVE, Summer 1999 19

COVER STORY: AUTHOR, AUTHOR COVER STORY: REEVES ON JFK

JOHN F. KENNEDY LIBRARY

whitewash of the truth about thepresident, according to Reeves. “AQuestion of Character” debunks manyJFK myths and shows how Kennedy’slack of a moral core led to incrediblyreckless behavior and affected his policiesand presidency.

“That was a wonderful piece ofdetective work, to cut through the layersof nonsense and deliberate falsification,”he said. “I think to this day it’s an in-depth picture of who the Kennedyswere.”

Years of Research

The McCarthy book took more thanseven years to research and write.“Gentleman Boss” and “A Question ofCharacter” took five years each, while“The Empty Church” took two. Extensiveoral histories were combined withsubstantial archive work. Reevesinterviewed 230 people for the McCarthybook alone.

“I interviewed people in bars, movingcars, in their homes and restaurants,” hesaid. “They remembered him with suchclarity.”

Writing wasn’t done using a computeruntil the Kennedy book. Before then, itwas with typewriters and carbon paper.

“I discovered early a fascinating thing,”Reeves said. “Books write themselves. It’sas if though you’re in their grip and theylead you along from chapter to chapter,from topic to topic. You start withmaking these elaborate outlines and thenyou kind of dissolve and the story carriesyou along.”

Reeves’ books are exhaustive(McCarthy is 819 pages), descriptive andcrisply written. An example: “The secondRed scare, of course, was larger thanMcCarthy, and in political campaigns allover the country Republicans — andsome Democrats — were busilyhammering away at their opponents withcrimson cudgels.”

Critics, the Media, Movies

Overall, Reeves’ books have been well-received by critics. But he hasn’t beenspared totally. Historian Ronald Steel,writing in the Chicago the JFK biography ademolition derby.” HiSchlesinger Jr., an advishas sparred verbally with“Firing Line” program.

“Schlesinger’s position Jack Kennedy and he wYou do not know Jack Ke

Excerpts of the JFK book weresyndicated nationally by the Los AngelesTimes. Reeves is regularly called byreporters around the nation to commenton Kennedy, McCarthy and Arthur. Hehas appeared on ABC’s “Good MorningAmerica,” and CNN’s “Larry King Live.”

He writes commentaries and bookreviews for The New York Times and theWall Street Journal. He also has writtenarticles on President Dwight Eisenhower,Arthur, and Cold War spies Julius andEthel Rosenberg for EncyclopaediaBritannica and the World BookEncyclopedia.

Reeves recently signed a contract tomake “The Life and Times of JoeMcCarthy” into a three-hour televisionmovie. He will serve as a consultant tothe project.

“It’s been in the works for about threeyears. They’re now getting serious,” he

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES — Reeves calls his JFK book “a great piece of detective work” to “cut through the layers of deliberate falsification.”

Thomas Reeves and his wife campaigned for presidentialcandidate John F. Kennedy in 1960, plastering their car with stickersand buttons. Reeves described himself as a “total devotee” and casthis vote for the handsome Massachusetts U.S. senator.

A MANUFACTURED HERO

Later, Reeves lectured on JFK asa hero. It didn’t last.

“I started to read anti-Kennedystuff and I couldn’t believe it,”Reeves said, recalling when he firstcontemplated writing what wouldeventually be a highly critical 1991book, “A Question of Character.”

“I was interested in finding outwho he was. And I think I did.”

What Reeves said he discoveredwas an unprecedented gapbetween JFK’s public image andthe real man. The real man, as itturned out, was deeply flawed.

“Gifted with good looks, youthand wealth, he was often, in hispersonal life, reckless, vain, selfish,petty and lecherous,” Reeveswrote. “Jack’s character — so mucha reflection of his father’s single-minded pursuit of political powerand personal indulgence — lackeda moral center, a reference pointthat went beyond self-aggrandizement.”

Despite JFK’s proclamations tomake the White House the “centerof moral leadership,” Reevesfound:

• Womanizing — JFK hadhundreds of liaisons, includingsecretaries, hookers, stewardesses,a suspected German spy, MarilynMonroe, mafia mistress JudithCampbell Exner and his wife’s presssecretary. The mob had wiretaps ofsome of his affairs, making JFK

“seriously vulnerable to black-mail.” On his way to a liaison, heonce ditched the Army officialcarrying the secret nuclear missilelaunch codes.

• Health — JFK was frail andsickly most of his life, sufferingfrom intense back pain andAddison’s disease, an adrenalillness. On several occasions, he wasso ill he was given last rites. Whilein the White House — includingduring the Cuban missile crisis — hereceived many injections ofamphetamines from controversial“Dr. Feelgood” Max Jacobson.

• Judgment — JFK maintainedties to Chicago mobster SamGiancana while in the WhiteHouse. He approved plans to havethe mob assassinate Cuban dictatorFidel Castro, and to have the CIAkill South Vietnam’s president.

• Politics — JFK was neither anintellectual nor a liberal. Hiselection wins to the U.S. Senateand presidency were helped byvote fraud from the mob andattempted payoffs from his family.

• Accomplishments — JFK’sPulitzer-Prize-winning “Profiles inCourage” — as well as most of hisbrilliant speeches — were writtenby aide Ted Sorensen.

JFK “lacked greatness in largepart,” Reeves wrote, “because helacked the qualities inherent ingood character.”

’s image as a statesman,challenged by revelationse man projected in the

www.uwp.eduIN-PARKSIDE www.uwp.edu

Tribune, called “well-craftedstorian Arthurer to Kennedy, Reeves on PBS’s

is that ‘I knewas a good man.nnedy.’ ”

said. “I’m going to have to go out toHollywood to help sell the idea to somebig studio.”

In the meantime, Reeves will continuegetting to know Fulton Sheen in thehopes of starting on the writing of hislatest book by fall.

“Writing and research,” he said, “aremy life.” Ì

THE MAN, THE MYTH — JFKliberal, intellectual and hero are in Reeves’ book. “Jack was not thimage,” Reeves wrote.

www.uwp.eduUNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE18 PERSPECTIVE, Summer 1999 www.uwp.edu

COVER STORY: AUTHOR, AUTHOR

JOHN F. KENNEDY LIBRARY

whitewash of the truth about thepresident, according to Reeves. “AQuestion of Character” debunks manyJFK myths and shows how Kennedy’slack of a moral core led to incrediblyreckless behavior and affected his policiesand presidency.

“That was a wonderful piece ofdetective work, to cut through the layersof nonsense and deliberate falsification,”he said. “I think to this day it’s an in-depth picture of who the Kennedyswere.”

Years of Research

The McCarthy book took more thanseven years to research and write.“Gentleman Boss” and “A Question ofCharacter” took five years each, while“The Empty Church” took two. Extensiveoral histories were combined withsubstantial archive work. Reevesinterviewed 230 people for the McCarthybook alone.

“I interviewed people in bars, movingcars, in their homes and restaurants,” hesaid. “They remembered him with suchclarity.”

Writing wasn’t done using a computeruntil the Kennedy book. Before then, itwas with typewriters and carbon paper.

“I discovered early a fascinating thing,”Reeves said. “Books write themselves. It’sas if though you’re in their grip and theylead you along from chapter to chapter,from topic to topic. You start withmaking these elaborate outlines and thenyou kind of dissolve and the story carriesyou along.”

Reeves’ books are exhaustive(McCarthy is 819 pages), descriptive andcrisply written. An example: “The secondRed scare, of course, was larger thanMcCarthy, and in political campaigns allover the country Republicans — andsome Democrats — were busilyhammering away at their opponents withcrimson cudgels.”

Critics, the Media, Movies

Overall, Reeves’ books have been well-received by critics. But he hasn’t beenspared totally. Historian Ronald Steel,writing in the Chicago Tribune, calledthe JFK biography a “well-crafteddemolition derby.” Historian ArthurSchlesinger Jr., an adviser to Kennedy,has sparred verbally with Reeves on PBS’s“Firing Line” program.

“Schlesinger’s position is that ‘I knewJack Kennedy and he was a good man.You do not know Jack Kennedy.’ ”

Excerpts of the JFK book weresyndicated nationally by the Los AngelesTimes. Reeves is regularly called byreporters around the nation to commenton Kennedy, McCarthy and Arthur. Hehas appeared on ABC’s “Good MorningAmerica,” and CNN’s “Larry King Live.”

He writes commentaries and bookreviews for The New York Times and theWall Street Journal. He also has writtenarticles on President Dwight Eisenhower,Arthur, and Cold War spies Julius andEthel Rosenberg for EncyclopaediaBritannica and the World BookEncyclopedia.

Reeves recently signed a contract tomake “The Life and Times of JoeMcCarthy” into a three-hour televisionmovie. He will serve as a consultant tothe project.

“It’s been in the works for about threeyears. They’re now getting serious,” hesaid. “I’m going to have to go out toHollywood to help sell the idea to somebig studio.”

In the meantime, Reeves will continuegetting to know Fulton Sheen in thehopes of starting on the writing of hislatest book by fall.

“Writing and research,” he said, “aremy life.”

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES — Reeves calls his JFK book “a great piece of detective work” to “cut through the layers of deliberate falsification.”

Ì

THE MAN, THE MYTH — JFK’s imliberal, intellectual and hero are chalin Reeves’ book. “Jack was not the maimage,” Reeves wrote.

A M

age as a statesman,lenged by revelationsn projected in the

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE PERSPECTIVE, Summer 1999 19

COVER STORY: REEVES ON JFK

Thomas Reeves and his wife campaigned for presidentialcandidate John F. Kennedy in 1960, plastering their car with stickersand buttons. Reeves described himself as a “total devotee” and casthis vote for the handsome Massachusetts U.S. senator.

ANUFACTURED HERO

Later, Reeves lectured on JFK asa hero. It didn’t last.

“I started to read anti-Kennedystuff and I couldn’t believe it,”Reeves said, recalling when he firstcontemplated writing what wouldeventually be a highly critical 1991book, “A Question of Character.”

“I was interested in finding outwho he was. And I think I did.”

What Reeves said he discoveredwas an unprecedented gapbetween JFK’s public image andthe real man. The real man, as itturned out, was deeply flawed.

“Gifted with good looks, youthand wealth, he was often, in hispersonal life, reckless, vain, selfish,petty and lecherous,” Reeveswrote. “Jack’s character — so mucha reflection of his father’s single-minded pursuit of political powerand personal indulgence — lackeda moral center, a reference pointthat went beyond self-aggrandizement.”

Despite JFK’s proclamations tomake the White House the “centerof moral leadership,” Reevesfound:

• Womanizing — JFK hadhundreds of liaisons, includingsecretaries, hookers, stewardesses,a suspected German spy, MarilynMonroe, mafia mistress JudithCampbell Exner and his wife’s presssecretary. The mob had wiretaps ofsome of his affairs, making JFK

“seriously vulnerable to black-mail.” On his way to a liaison, heonce ditched the Army officialcarrying the secret nuclear missilelaunch codes.

• Health — JFK was frail andsickly most of his life, sufferingfrom intense back pain andAddison’s disease, an adrenalillness. On several occasions, he wasso ill he was given last rites. Whilein the White House — includingduring the Cuban missile crisis — hereceived many injections ofamphetamines from controversial“Dr. Feelgood” Max Jacobson.

• Judgment — JFK maintainedties to Chicago mobster SamGiancana while in the WhiteHouse. He approved plans to havethe mob assassinate Cuban dictatorFidel Castro, and to have the CIAkill South Vietnam’s president.

• Politics — JFK was neither anintellectual nor a liberal. Hiselection wins to the U.S. Senateand presidency were helped byvote fraud from the mob andattempted payoffs from his family.

• Accomplishments — JFK’sPulitzer-Prize-winning “Profiles inCourage” — as well as most of hisbrilliant speeches — were writtenby aide Ted Sorensen.

JFK “lacked greatness in largepart,” Reeves wrote, “because helacked the qualities inherent ingood character.”

20 PERSPECTIVE, Summer 1999 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE PERSPECTIVE, Summer 1999 21

COVER STORY: REEVES ON JOSEPH MCCARTHY

ZEALOUS, BUT NOT A MONSTER

Have you

Ha““

Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy is popularlyremembered as almost comically evil,the anti-communist crusader carica-tured in newspapers as an ape-like,stooping figure trampling the civilrights of innocent Americans.

Most of what has been writtenabout the Republican U.S. senatorfrom Wisconsin since his death in 1957has been decidedly negative.

But in his 819-page biogrLife and Times of Joe Mhistorian Thomas Reeves aMcCarthy’s story was a tra

McCarthy was much more than theexcesses of his last years on Earth.

“From any standpoint, McCarthy’slife was profoundly tragic,” Reeveswrote in his widely acclaimed book.“His native intelligence and hisformidable energy were largely

squandered.”While mostp r o b a b l y

remember theo u t - o f - c o n t r o l ,

sneering McCarthyand the Army-McCarthy

scandal that broughthim down, few mayremember the charming,likeable former countyjudge who used his wit

and stamina to toppleincumbents, win a U.S. Senate seat in1946 and eventually attract a nationalfollowing. McCarthy was generous,loved children and was prone toemotion when supporters cheered.

McCarthy learned early in life that abluff served him well. He stumbled hisway through Marquette Law School,falsified documents to attain anundeserved World War II medal andcontinually exaggerated his militaryservice record.

McCarthy’s anti-communist crusadebegan in 1950, almost by accident.Deciding at the last minute to give a

of names that were known to thesecretary of state as being members ofthe Communist Party...”

The ensuing uproar forcedMcCarthy to scramble to come up withthe evidence he didn’t have. It alsoshowed him that Communism was anissue to generate the massive publicityhe would so gainfully seek.

“I’ve got a pail of shit and I’m goingto use it where it does me the mostgood,” he said at the time.

Fueled by an insatiable need forpublicity and a genuine belief in thedangers of Red conspiracy, McCarthyprobed books in U.S. StateDepartment libraries, investigated theVoice of America and huntedcommunists in the GovernmentPrinting Office and Army Signal Corps.His often-brutal tactics were likenedto the Gestapo and led to coining ofthe phrase “McCarthyism.”

No one was above his wrath.Generals, clerks, fellow senators, thesecretary of the Army — even thepresident. McCarthy’s crusadingforced hundreds of people from theirjobs, often with no due process. “Youwatch and see what he does. It willmake history,” an aide once boasted.

McCarthy’s destruction came afterhe attacked the U.S. Army for“coddling” Communists. The Army inturn charged that McCarthy aide Roy

M c C a r t h yhearings inspring 1954.

T w e n t y -m i l l i o nviewers saw

atst.ng

ratnd continually interrupteddings with his now-famousrder” objections. “His zeal,intensified by his heavy

drinking, blinded him,” Reeves wrote. The fatal blow to McCarthy’s power

and reputation came in June 1954,when McCarthy lashed out at Armyspecial counsel Joseph Nye Welch,wrongly accusing the Boston attorneyof employing an attorney with ties tothe Communist Party.

In a dramatic rebuke that Reevescalled “one of modern Americanhistory’s greatest moments,” Welchattacked McCarthy for his recklessness.

“Have you no sense of decency, sir, atlong last? Have you left no sense ofdecency?” For the first time in memory,

McCarthy had no reply. The U.S. Senate voted 67-22 to

condemn McCarthy in December 1954.Politically, he was finished. Scorned bycolleagues and the press, McCarthysank into alcoholism that destroyed hisliver and took his life in May 1957.

In all his headline-grabbing zeal,McCarthy never found one communistin the government. Not one.

“The great tragedy of Joe McCarthyis that he had such great talents, that ifthey had been put to use positively,“Reeves wrote, “he could have been agreat asset to his state and country.”

IGNORED PRESIDENCY A GOOD STUDY

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“Knowledge,” Thomas Reeves oncewrote, “usually dissolves indiff-erence.” In the case of his book onPresident Chester A. Arthur, he said,“the experience was exceptionallyrewarding.”

The 21st president had been deadfor 81 years when Reeves decided towrite a biography on Arthur.Amazingly, only one book had beenwritten on him (in 1934), and no onehad attempted a complete life story.

Reeves attributes the lack ofinterest in Arthur to historians whoshunned the Gilded Age, and toArthur, who remained aloof from thepress and ordered his son to burn hispapers as he lay dying in 1886.

“Nobody wants to start a projectabout a guy who destroyed hispapers,” Reeves said.

Reeves found a “terrific story”about the minister’s son who mayhave been among the most despisedmen to become president, but whononetheless became a good one.

Arthur, a former school teacher,later became a lawyer and won an1854 civil case for a black womanwho was roughed up for refusing to

vacate a New York street car reservedfor whites. The woman won a $225judgment.

The former Civil War brigadiergeneral had plenty to hide, though. Ascollector of New York’s Customs House,he presided over a massive system ofspoils and patronage. He was fired by

President Hayes in 1878 afterallegations of corruption.

Arthur was placed on the 1880Republican ticket with compromisepresidential candidate JamesGarfield. Garfield was assassinated in1881 by a deranged man claiming hewanted Arthur to be president.

Arthur proved a better presidentthan critics expected, supportingcreation of a federal civil servicesystem based on merit and initiatinga rebuilding of the U.S. Navy.

“He was a good president at atime in our history when theAmerican people neither expectednor sought great presidents,” Reeveswrote.

Reeves was the first historian todisclose that Arthur died of Bright’sdisease, a kidney ailment that thepresident tried to keep secret.

Reeves also discovered Arthur’strue year of birth to be a year priorto the 1830 quoted by historians andlisted on Arthur’s tombstone. And hedebunked a myth that Arthur hadbeen born in Canada, not Vermont.

The book remains the definitivebiography of Chester Arthur.

President Chester A. Arthur

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www.uwp.eduUNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE www.uwp.edu

no sense of decency, sir, at long last?

ve you left no sense of decency? ”

aphy, “ThecCarthy,”

rgues thatgedy, and

speech on communism, McCarthy tolda West Virginia audience he had proofof subversives in high places. “I havehere in my hand a list of 205 — a list

Cohn had pressured commanders forfavors for another McCarthy em-ployee, Army draftee G. David Schine.The charges led to the televised Army-

McCarthy his worThe seethis e n a t oraged witnesses athe procee“point of ono doubt

www.uwp.eduUNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE20 PERSPECTIVE, Summer 1999 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PARKSIDEwww.uwp.edu PERSPECTIVE, Summ

COVER STORY: REEVES ON JOSEPH MCCARTHY

ZEALOUS, BUT NOT A MONSTER

Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?

Have you left no sense of decency?““”

Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy is popularlyremembered as almost comically evil,the anti-communist crusader carica-tured in newspapers as an ape-like,stooping figure trampling the civilrights of innocent Americans.

Most of what has been writtenabout the Republican U.S. senatorfrom Wisconsin since his death in 1957has been decidedly negative.

But in his 819-page biography, “TheLife and Times of Joe McCarthy,”historian Thomas Reeves argues thatMcCarthy’s story was a tragedy, and

McCarthy was much more than theexcesses of his last years on Earth.

“From any standpoint, McCarthy’slife was profoundly tragic,” Reeveswrote in his widely acclaimed book.“His native intelligence and hisformidable energy were largely

squandered.”While mostp r o b a b l y

remember theo u t - o f - c o n t r o l ,

sneering McCarthyand the Army-McCarthy

scandal that broughthim down, few mayremember the charming,likeable former countyjudge who used his wit

and stamina to toppleincumbents, win a U.S. Senate seat in1946 and eventually attract a nationalfollowing. McCarthy was generous,loved children and was prone toemotion when supporters cheered.

McCarthy learned early in life that abluff served him well. He stumbled hisway through Marquette Law School,falsified documents to attain anundeserved World War II medal andcontinually exaggerated his militaryservice record.

McCarthy’s anti-communist crusadebegan in 1950, almost by accident.Deciding at the last minute to give aspeech on communism, McCarthy tolda West Virginia audience he had proofof subversives in high places. “I havehere in my hand a list of 205 — a list

of names that were known to thesecretary of state as being members ofthe Communist Party...”

The ensuing uproar forcedMcCarthy to scramble to come up withthe evidence he didn’t have. It alsoshowed him that Communism was anissue to generate the massive publicityhe would so gainfully seek.

“I’ve got a pail of shit and I’m goingto use it where it does me the mostgood,” he said at the time.

Fueled by an insatiable need forpublicity and a genuine belief in thedangers of Red conspiracy, McCarthyprobed books in U.S. StateDepartment libraries, investigated theVoice of America and huntedcommunists in the GovernmentPrinting Office and Army Signal Corps.His often-brutal tactics were likenedto the Gestapo and led to coining ofthe phrase “McCarthyism.”

No one was above his wrath.Generals, clerks, fellow senators, thesecretary of the Army — even thepresident. McCarthy’s crusadingforced hundreds of people from theirjobs, often with no due process. “Youwatch and see what he does. It willmake history,” an aide once boasted.

McCarthy’s destruction came afterhe attacked the U.S. Army for“coddling” Communists. The Army inturn charged that McCarthy aide RoyCohn had pressured commanders forfavors for another McCarthy em-ployee, Army draftee G. David Schine.The charges led to the televised Army-

M c C a r t h yhearings inspring 1954.

T w e n t y -m i l l i o nviewers sawMcCarthy athis worst.The seethings e n a t o rraged atwitnesses and continually interruptedthe proceedings with his now-famous“point of order” objections. “His zeal,no doubt intensified by his heavy

drinking, blinded him,” Reeves wrote. The fatal blow to McCarthy’s power

and reputation came in June 1954,when McCarthy lashed out at Armyspecial counsel Joseph Nye Welch,wrongly accusing the Boston attorneyof employing an attorney with ties tothe Communist Party.

In a dramatic rebuke that Reevescalled “one of modern Americanhistory’s greatest moments,” Welchattacked McCarthy for his recklessness.

“Have you no sense of decency, sir, atlong last? Have you left no sense ofdecency?” For the first time in memory,

McCarthy had no reply. The U.S. Senate voted 67

condemn McCarthy in DecembPolitically, he was finished. Scocolleagues and the press, Msank into alcoholism that destroliver and took his life in May 19

In all his headline-grabbinMcCarthy never found one comin the government. Not one.

“The great tragedy of Joe Mis that he had such great talentthey had been put to use posReeves wrote, “he could havegreat asset to his state and cou

IGNORED PRESIDENCY A GOOD STUDY

STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSINSTATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN

STAT

E H

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SOC

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WIS

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COVER STORY: REEVES ON CHESTER A.

LIBR

ARY

OF

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CO

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“Knowledge,” Thomas Reeves oncewrote, “usually dissolves indiff-erence.” In the case of his book onPresident Chester A. Arthur, he said,“the experience was exceptionallyrewarding.”

The 21st president had been deadfor 81 years when Reeves decided towrite a biography on Arthur.Amazingly, only one book had beenwritten on him (in 1934), and no onehad attempted a complete life story.

Reeves attributes the lack ofinterest in Arthur to historians whoshunned the Gilded Age, and toArthur, who remained aloof from thepress and ordered his son to burn hispapers as he lay dying in 1886.

“Nobody wants to start a projectabout a guy who destroyed hispapers,” Reeves said.

Reeves found a “terrific story”about the minister’s son who mayhave been among the most despisedmen to become president, but whononetheless became a good one.

Arthur, a former school teacher,later became a lawyer and won an1854 civil case for a black womanwho was roughed up for refusing to

vacate a New York street car reservedfor whites. The woman won a $225judgment.

The former Civil War brigadiergeneral had plenty to hide, though. Ascollector of New York’s Customs House,he presided over a massive system ofspoils and patronage. He was fired by

President Hayes in 1878 allegations of corruption.

Arthur was placed on theRepublican ticket with comprpresidential candidate Garfield. Garfield was assassina1881 by a deranged man claimiwanted Arthur to be president

Arthur proved a better prethan critics expected, suppocreation of a federal civil ssystem based on merit and inita rebuilding of the U.S. Navy.

“He was a good presidenttime in our history whenAmerican people neither expnor sought great presidents,” Rwrote.

Reeves was the first historidisclose that Arthur died of Bdisease, a kidney ailment thapresident tried to keep secret.

Reeves also discovered Artrue year of birth to be a yearto the 1830 quoted by historianlisted on Arthur’s tombstone. Adebunked a myth that Arthubeen born in Canada, not Verm

The book remains the defbiography of Chester Arthur.

President Chester A. Arthur

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