Opinion: Budd Schulberg’s heroism: Defense of naming names

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John Meroney wrote an Op-Ed today lamenting the image of recently deceased Budd Schulberg, who ‘named names’ when testifying in 1951 about the Communist Party--of which he was a part.

In obituaries and remembrances, Schulberg was praised for his talent, but his taking the witness chair in a congressional investigation of communism during the height of the Korean War was another matter entirely. This was almost universally characterized as a dark, shameful part of Schulberg’s life: He ‘named names,’ telling Congress of people he knew who were party members, and supposedly betrayed friends. Many who wrote about Schulberg seem mystified about how an artist who proudly embraced liberalism all his life could at the same time participate with the House Un-American Activities Committee, now regarded as a government-sponsored witch hunt.

Meroney discusses Schulberg’s disillusionment with the Communist Party, defends Schulberg’s decision to testify and admires the bravery of the then 37-year-old to ‘expose wrongdoing.’

What are your thoughts on Schulberg’s whistle-blowing? Leave a comment!

--Kevin Patra