A Racial Program for the Twentieth Century
Encyclopedia
A Racial Program for the Twentieth Century (occasionally A Radical Program for the Twentieth Century) is an antisemitic hoax promoted by Eustace Mullins
. It is often cited as "proof" of a Jewish and/or Communist plot against white Americans, in much the same way as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
, another false document
, is used as "proof" of a Jewish global domination conspiracy
.
Allegedly written in 1912 by Israel Cohen, a British Jewish
Communist
, it first gained public notoriety on June 7, 1957, during debate on the Civil Rights Act of 1957
, when Rep. Thomas Abernethy
of Mississippi
read a reputed quotation from it into the Congressional Record
:
Abernethy had found the quotation in a March letter to the editor
of the Washington Star
; he claimed it as proof that the civil rights movement was a foreign Communist plot. However, the Washington Star soon apologized for having printed the quotation without verifying its authenticity
and, on February 18, 1958, published an article
entitled "Story of a Phony
Quotation--A Futile Effort to Pin It Down--'A Racial Program for the 20th Century' Seems to Exist Only in Somebody's Imagination", which traced the quotation to Mullins, who claimed to have found it in a Zionist publication in the Library of Congress
.
On August 30 of that year, Rep. Abraham J. Multer
of New York
read the Star article into the Congressional Record and raised several other points challenging the quotation's authenticity. These included the nonexistence of a British Communist party
in 1912 (it was founded in only 1920), the nonexistence of a British Communist author named Israel Cohen, and the failure of a book entitled A Racial Program for the Twentieth Century to appear either in the Library of Congress
or in the British Museum
Catalogue of Printed Books.
Eustace Mullins
Eustace Clarence Mullins, Jr. was a populist American political writer, biographer, and antisemite. His most famous and influential work is The Secrets of The Federal Reserve, described by congressman Wright Patman as 'a very fine book [which] has been very useful to me'...
. It is often cited as "proof" of a Jewish and/or Communist plot against white Americans, in much the same way as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is a fraudulent, antisemitic text purporting to describe a Jewish plan for achieving global domination. It was first published in Russia in 1903, translated into multiple languages, and disseminated internationally in the early part of the twentieth century...
, another false document
False document
A false document is a literary technique employed to create verisimilitude in a work of fiction. By inventing and inserting documents that appear to be factual, an author tries to create a sense of authenticity beyond the normal and expected suspension of disbelief for a work of art...
, is used as "proof" of a Jewish global domination conspiracy
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
.
Allegedly written in 1912 by Israel Cohen, a British Jewish
British Jews
British Jews are Jews who live in, or are citizens of, the United Kingdom. In the 2001 Census, 266,740 people listed their religion as Jewish. The UK is home to the second largest Jewish population in Europe, and has the fifth largest Jewish community worldwide...
Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, it first gained public notoriety on June 7, 1957, during debate on the Civil Rights Act of 1957
Civil Rights Act of 1957
The Civil Rights Act of 1957, , primarily a voting rights bill, was the first civil rights legislation enacted by Congress in the United States since Reconstruction following the American Civil War.Following the historic US Supreme Court ruling in Brown v...
, when Rep. Thomas Abernethy
Thomas Abernethy
Thomas Gerstle Abernethy was a member of the United States House of Representatives. He was born in Eupora, Mississippi. He attended the local public schools....
of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
read a reputed quotation from it into the Congressional Record
Congressional Record
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published by the United States Government Printing Office, and is issued daily when the United States Congress is in session. Indexes are issued approximately every two weeks...
:
We must realize that our party's most powerful weapon is racial tensionsRacismRacism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
. By propounding into the consciousness of the dark races that for centuries they have been oppressed by whites, we can mold them to the program of the Communist PartyCommunist Party USAThe Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
. In America we will aim for subtle victory. While inflaming the Negro minority against the whites, we will endeavor to instill in the whites a guilt complexWhite guiltWhite guilt refers to the concept of individual or collective guilt often said to be felt by some white people for the racist treatment of people of color by whites both historically and presently...
for their exploitation of the Negros. We will aid the Negroes to rise in prominence in every walk of lifeAffirmative action in the United StatesIn the United States, affirmative action refers to equal opportunity employment measures that Federal contractors and subcontractors are legally required to adopt. These measures are intended to prevent discrimination against employees or applicants for employment, on the basis of "color,...
, in the professions and in the world of sports and entertainment. With this prestige, the Negro will be able to intermarry with the whitesMiscegenationMiscegenation is the mixing of different racial groups through marriage, cohabitation, sexual relations, and procreation....
and begin a process which will deliver America to our cause.http://www.archive.org/stream/congressionalrec103dunit#page/n25/mode/2up
Abernethy had found the quotation in a March letter to the editor
Letter to the editor
A letter to the editor is a letter sent to a publication about issues of concern from its readers. Usually, letters are intended for publication...
of the Washington Star
Washington Star
The Washington Star, previously known as the Washington Star-News and the Washington Evening Star, was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C. between 1852 and 1981. For most of that time, it was the city's newspaper of record, and the longtime home to columnist Mary McGrory and...
; he claimed it as proof that the civil rights movement was a foreign Communist plot. However, the Washington Star soon apologized for having printed the quotation without verifying its authenticity
Authentication
Authentication is the act of confirming the truth of an attribute of a datum or entity...
and, on February 18, 1958, published an article
Retraction
A retraction is a public statement, by the author of an earlier statement, that withdraws, cancels, refutes, diametrically reverses the original statement or ceases and desists from publishing the original statement...
entitled "Story of a Phony
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
Quotation--A Futile Effort to Pin It Down--'A Racial Program for the 20th Century' Seems to Exist Only in Somebody's Imagination", which traced the quotation to Mullins, who claimed to have found it in a Zionist publication in the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
.
On August 30 of that year, Rep. Abraham J. Multer
Abraham J. Multer
Abraham Jacob Multer was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from New York. Born in New York City, he graduated from City College of New York in 1921 and Brooklyn Law School in 1922. He served in the United States Coast Guard from 1943 until 1945...
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
read the Star article into the Congressional Record and raised several other points challenging the quotation's authenticity. These included the nonexistence of a British Communist party
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
in 1912 (it was founded in only 1920), the nonexistence of a British Communist author named Israel Cohen, and the failure of a book entitled A Racial Program for the Twentieth Century to appear either in the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
or in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
Catalogue of Printed Books.