Arnold Beichman (May 17, 1913 – February 17, 2010[1]) was an author, scholar, and a critic of communism.[2][3] At the time of his death, he was a Hoover Institution research fellow and a columnist for The Washington Times.
Arnold Beichman | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 17, 1913 New York City, US |
| Died | February 16, 2010 (aged 96) |
| Alma mater | Columbia University (BA, MA, PhD) |
| Occupation(s) | Author, scholar, anti-communist polemicist |
Life and career
editBeichman was born on New York City's Lower East Side, in Manhattan, in a family of Jewish immigrants from Ukraine. He received a B.A. from Columbia University in 1934, after which he succeeded his friend, Arthur Lelyveld, as editor-in-chief of the Columbia Daily Spectator.[4]
Beichman spent many years in journalism, working for the New York Herald Tribune, PM, Newsweek, and others.[1] He returned to Columbia in his 50s to receive his M.A. and Ph.D. in political science, in 1967 and 1973, respectively.
He gave his name to "Beichman's Law," which states: "With the single exception of the American Revolution, the aftermath of all revolutions from 1789 on only worsened the human condition."[5] His Jewish father Solomon Beichman was unhappy, because he wanted Arnold to be a rabbi. [6]
The Cold War International History Project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars was in part funded by Beichman's donations.[7]
Publications
editBooks
- The "Other" State Department: The United States Mission to the United Nations — Its Role in the Making of Foreign Policy (1968)
- Nine Lies About America (1972)
- Foreword by Tom Wolfe.
- Introduction by Robert Conquest.
- Herman Wouk: The Novelist as Social Historian (1984)
- The Long Pretense: Soviet Treaty Diplomacy from Lenin to Gorbachev (1991)[8]
- Foreword by William F. Buckley, Jr.
- Anti-American Myths: Their Causes and Consequences (1992)
- Foreword by Tom Wolfe.
Books edited
- With Robert Conquest, John Lewis Gaddis and Richard Pipes.
Articles
- "Socialism: Dead or Alive? A Roundtable." The American Enterprise, July 1995, pp. 28–35.
- With David Horowitz, John O'Sullivan, Eric Breindel and Mark Falcoff.
- "The Lesser Evil." The Washington Post, November 4, 2004.
References
edit- ^ a b Podhoretz, John. "Arnold Beichman, 1913–2010." Commentary, February 18, 2010. Archived from the original.
- ^ Hevesi, Dennis. "Arnold Beichman, Political Analyst, Dies at 96"(obituary). The New York Times, March 3, 2010. Archived from the original.
- ^ Obituary. The Washington Post, March 9, 2010.
- ^ Gram, Margaret Hunt. "Arnold Beichman '34: Anti-Communist Warrior." Columbia College Today, January 2004. Full issue available. Archived from the original.
- ^ Beichman, Arnold. "The Lesser Evil."The Washington Times, November 4, 2004. Archived from the original.
- ^ "The American Spectator : Arnold Beichman, 1913 – 2010". Archived from the original on May 18, 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-06.
- ^ Ostermann, Christian F. (ed.) Back cover. Cold War International History Project Bulletin, No. 16, Fall 2007/Winter 2008.
- ^ Campbell, John C. Review of The Long Pretense: Soviet Treaty Diplomacy from Lenin to Gorbachev.Foreign Affairs, Vol. 70, No. 3, Summer 1991, p. 174. doi:10.2307/20044868. JSTOR 20044868. Archived from the original.
Further reading
edit- Bethell, Tom. "Arnold Beichman, 1913-2010: an oral history and remembrance of a great adventurer and friend" (obituary). The American Spectator, Vol. 43, No. 4, May 2010. Archived from the original.
- Beichman, Charles. "Memorial Service for Arnold Beichman"(eulogy). August 2, 2010. Archived from the original.Archived April 1, 2021, at archive.today
External links
edit- Reading From Left to Right: Writings by Beichman (official website)
- Biographical profile at Hoover Institution