Summary
After WWII, Cleon Skousen set out to write an accessible synthesis on Communism because existing works felt scattered or overly academic. Americans initially focused on prosperity in the late 1940s, but events like Soviet nuclear tests (1949, 1953), China’s Communist revolution (1949), and Sputnik (1957) made Communism impossible to ignore. Domestically, McCarthy hearings, HUAC, and FBI surveillance amplified concerns; CPUSA membership shrank, though Hoover warned of underground activity. Spy cases (Elizabeth Bentley, Alger Hiss, Harry Dexter White, Whittaker Chambers) fueled suspicion; later-released Soviet archives vindicated key claims. Drawing on his FBI career (1935–1951), Skousen published The Naked Communist (1958)—title suggested by Cecil B. DeMille. The book became a bestseller, praised by Hoover, Reagan, Paul Harvey, and others, and was recommended by U.S. institutions. Skousen toured widely; critics accused him of extremism and Birch Society ties. Subsequent editions added the “45 Goals of Communism,” read into the Congressional Record (1963). By the late 1990s, the book was recognized in conservative intellectual history; related works included The Naked Capitalist (1970) and The Naked Socialist (2014).
Context
This opening chapter (in the 2017 edition, written by Skousen’s son, Paul) is a biography of the book rather than theory. It frames The Naked Communist as a Cold War classic and legitimizes it through endorsements and institutional use, positioning Skousen as both scholar and activist.
Discussion Questions
- Skousen aimed to help “ordinary Americans” understand Communism. Does simplifying complex ideology increase clarity—or risk distortion?
- The “45 Goals” became a cultural touchstone. Why do lists endure longer in memory than detailed theory?
- How do endorsements (Hoover, Reagan, Paul Harvey) shape reception compared with critiques (Birch Society links, FBI memos)?
- This chapter presents Communism as an existential threat. How much of that was Cold War reality versus political persuasion?
- 2025 Reflection: Does this Cold War framing still matter today? Is “Communism” an active ideological struggle, or mainly a symbolic label? How do China, Russia, or domestic debates fit?