Talk:Manning Johnson

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Mythology Re: Manning Johnson[edit]

In December 1958, Manning Johnson testified at hearings conducted by the Arkansas Legislative Council Committee which was investigating possible links between communism and racial unrest in Arkansas. He previously testified in March 1957 at hearings conducted by the Louisiana Joint Legislative Committee on Segregation.

The FBI summary concerning Johnson’s Arkansas testimony pointed out that “…he is not in a position to speak authoritatively regarding the present tactics and activities of the Communist Party in the Negro field as he was dropped from the Communist Party in 1939. It would appear Johnson was attempting to prove or infer that the present racial unrest is the result of Communist Party policies formulated in the 1920s and 30s. This premise is not supported by data in Bufiles; however it is observed that the Communist Party, at every opportunity, has attempted to capitalize on the situation…Johnson’s testimony adds nothing to our knowledge in this fieldItalic text.” [FBI-HQ 62-105198, serial #8, page 1; SAC Little Rock to J. Edgar Hoover, regarding Arkansas Legislative Council Committee; also FBI-Little Rock 44-341].

The FBI also pointed out falsehoods in Johnson’s testimony. In one specific instance, with respect to Manning Johnson’s derogatory comments regarding the NAACP as a “Communist front”, the FBI observed that in response to an inquiry by the Pittsburgh PA Courier newspaper in April 1957, the Department of Justice informed the Courier that “the Department informed the NAACP that recent statements made by Johnson attempting to link the NAACP with the Communist Party did not reflect the views nor findings of the Justice Department; that Johnson was not one of its employees as reportedly cited in various newspaper accounts; and that Johnson in no way was connected with the Department nor did he speak for the Department.”Italic text [FBI-HQ 62-105198, serial #8, page 6; SAC Little Rock to J. Edgar Hoover, regarding Arkansas Legislative Council Committee; also FBI-Little Rock 44-341].

The Bureau concluded that:

“Despite the recurring allegations by Southern political leaders that the racial situation is Communist-inspired, our investigation of the Communist Party and the over-all racial situation in this country has reflected that in practically all instances, with relatively few exceptions, racial incidents in this country have not been caused or inspired by Communist Party elements.” Bold text[FBI-HQ 62-105198, serial #8, page 5; SAC Little Rock to J. Edgar Hoover, regarding Arkansas Legislative Council Committee; also FBI-Little Rock file 44-341].

For additional details see: https://archive.org/details/arkansaslegislativecouncilcommitteehq62105198/mode/2up

In April 1951 Manning admitted lying under oath during the sedition trial of Steve Nelson.

Manning Johnson's book was published by Alliance, Inc. in New York. “Alliance, Inc.” was a publishing house in New York City operated by Archibald B. Roosevelt (a Birch Society member who was the son of Theodore Roosevelt).

This same Archibald Roosevelt wrote a letter to Verne Kaub in 1962 which described the political situation in New York. Roosevelt told Kaub that “professional do-gooders” planned “to be elected by being extreme pro-negro…By extreme I really mean special privileges for the negro, who in most cases is certainly below the average white man in intelligenceBold text.” [9/20/62 letter from Archibald B. Roosevelt to Verne P. Kaub, Madison WI].

THAT is how Birchers used Manning Johnson but behind his back they adopted and circulated racist arguments. Ernie1241 (talk) 02:10, 12 July 2021 (UTC)ernie1241Ernie1241 (talk) 02:10, 12 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

2603:8001:B840:8B82:88C:993F:9FCE:31F8 (talk) 03:10, 19 December 2021 (UTC)There are 5 pictures of people in this article, but not one picture of Manning himself. The extreme political/Communist bias of Wikipedia is utterly pathetic. The thing that scares Communists the most is a black man who tells the truth.[reply]

While I agree that the article doesn't benefit from photos of William Z. Foster, Paul Robeson, etc., it is undeniable that Johnson vastly exaggerated the ability of Communists to influence (let alone originate) black civil rights struggles. Nor can I think of any historian who would characterize (as he did) the NAACP's activities as "racial incitement." Jet magazine in its October 15, 1964 issue said that Johnson had "wrongly accused almost every Negro leader and the NAACP of being a Communist." By the time he publishedColor, Communism, and Common Sense in 1958 there already existed much more informative yet still critical works like The Negro and the Communist Party by C. Wilson Record which weren't hawked by the John Birch Society. --Ismail (talk) 08:50, 14 August 2022 (UTC)[reply]