Nathaniel Weyl
Encyclopedia
Nathaniel Weyl was an American economist and author who wrote on a variety of social issues. A member of the Communist Party of the United States
from 1933 until 1939, after leaving the party he became a conservative and avowed anti-communist. In 1952 he played a minor role in the Alger Hiss
case.
, Weyl was the only child of Walter Edward Weyl, a founder of The New Republic
and a prominent progressive, and Bertha Poole Weyl. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Columbia College of Columbia University
in 1931 and did postgraduate work at the London School of Economics
. He was employed as an economist at the Agricultural Adjustment Administration and joined the Communist party the same year. He joined the Ware group, a covert cell of Communists in Washington, D.C. whose members sought to promote leftist and pro-communist policies in the government. Some members of the Ware group would engage in espionage for the Soviet Union
, though Weyl apparently never participated in any espionage himself. He left the party in 1939, disheartened by the Hitler-Stalin non-aggression pact
of that year.
. He served overseas in the Army for two years during World War II
. After the war he became a journalist and author, as well as earning an income from investments.
In 1952 Weyl testified before the Senate Internal Security Committee that he had been a member of the Ware group, and that Alger Hiss
had attended meetings as well. This was the only eyewitness corroboration of Whittaker Chambers
's testimony that Alger Hiss was a Communist. However, it came two years after Hiss had been convicted of perjury, and Weyl's failure to come forward as a witness in the Hiss trials was never explained by Weyl.
Weyl writings included studies of communism, especially in Latin America; espionage and internal security in the United States; racial, ethnic and class analyses of societies; and the roles of political and intellectual elites. Some of his writing has been published in eugenics
journals and has espoused such views as blaming modern revolutionary movements on the "envy of non-achievers against creative minorities."
Two of Weyl's books, Treason (1950) and Red Star Over Cuba (1961), received some critical interest and discussion in their times. Red Star Over Cuba postulates that Fidel Castro
was a covert Communist before the Cuban Revolution
, having been recruited by the Soviets while he was a teenager. The theory has not been widely accepted.
Following the release of Red Star Over Cuba Weyl and John Martino, an activist against Fidel Castro
, also actively promoted the story that Lee Harvey Oswald
had been in Cuba
prior to his attempt on the life of John F. Kennedy
, where he enjoyed contact with Cuban intelligence and Castro. The American writer Larry Hancock writes that the two purported that the assassination of Kennedy was an ordered killing based upon "Castro's motivation as revenge for continuing attempts on Castro's life by the United States government." Martino admitted that the story was fabricated shortly prior to his death in 1975.
His 1979 book Karl Marx - Racist contains a summary and critique of Marx's views on race and the role of Jews in modern capitalism, as well as a discussion of later refutations of Marx's economic views. At the same time, Weyl himself supported white minority-rule regimes in southern Africa against "communist terrorists" like Nelson Mandela
, preferring the whites of Rhodesia
, South Africa
, and Portuguese
colonial rule. Thinking that the struggle of indigenous liberation movements was essentially destroyed by 1970, he published Traitor's Endintending the book to be the white anti-Communists' celebration of the supposed destruction of the black majority's liberation movements.
Weyl was also an apologist for segregation at home. A supporter of racialist theories against miscegenation
, Weyl wrote for the Mankind Quarterly
for which Robert Gayre
dubbed him a modern proponent of the anthropological ideas of the 19th-century eugenicist Sir Francis Galton
. A tinge less racially conservative than most of the journal's writers, he allowed that intermarriage between the races might be permissible in certain select instances.
Weyl reportedly moderated his conservative views later in his life, and voted for Bill Clinton
and John Kerry
. He died in Ojai, California, on April 13, 2005. Surviving him were sons Jonathan and Walter
Weyl, step daughters, Georgianne Cowan (Charles Bernstein) and Jeanne Cowan (Barney Hass), three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. His first wife, Sylvia, and second wife, Marcelle, had both died previously.
Communist Party USA
The 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....
from 1933 until 1939, after leaving the party he became a conservative and avowed anti-communist. In 1952 he played a minor role in the Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss was an American lawyer, government official, author, and lecturer. He was involved in the establishment of the United Nations both as a U.S. State Department and U.N. official...
case.
Early life and career
Born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Weyl was the only child of Walter Edward Weyl, a founder of The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
and a prominent progressive, and Bertha Poole Weyl. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Columbia College of Columbia University
Columbia College of Columbia University
Columbia College is the oldest undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1754 by the Church of England as King's College, receiving a Royal Charter from King George II...
in 1931 and did postgraduate work at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
. He was employed as an economist at the Agricultural Adjustment Administration and joined the Communist party the same year. He joined the Ware group, a covert cell of Communists in Washington, D.C. whose members sought to promote leftist and pro-communist policies in the government. Some members of the Ware group would engage in espionage for the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, though Weyl apparently never participated in any espionage himself. He left the party in 1939, disheartened by the Hitler-Stalin non-aggression pact
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
of that year.
After Communism
After leaving the Communist party, Weyl accepted a post as head of the Latin American research unit at the Federal Reserve Board and later moved to the Board of Economic WarfareBoard of Economic Warfare
The Office of Administrator of Export Control was established in the United States by Presidential Proclamation 2413, July 2, 1940, to administer export licensing provisions of the act of July 2, 1940 . Brigadier General Russell Lamont Maxwell, United States Army, headed up this military entity...
. He served overseas in the Army for two years during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war he became a journalist and author, as well as earning an income from investments.
In 1952 Weyl testified before the Senate Internal Security Committee that he had been a member of the Ware group, and that Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss was an American lawyer, government official, author, and lecturer. He was involved in the establishment of the United Nations both as a U.S. State Department and U.N. official...
had attended meetings as well. This was the only eyewitness corroboration of Whittaker Chambers
Whittaker Chambers
Whittaker Chambers was born Jay Vivian Chambers and also known as David Whittaker Chambers , was an American writer and editor. After being a Communist Party USA member and Soviet spy, he later renounced communism and became an outspoken opponent later testifying in the perjury and espionage trial...
's testimony that Alger Hiss was a Communist. However, it came two years after Hiss had been convicted of perjury, and Weyl's failure to come forward as a witness in the Hiss trials was never explained by Weyl.
Weyl writings included studies of communism, especially in Latin America; espionage and internal security in the United States; racial, ethnic and class analyses of societies; and the roles of political and intellectual elites. Some of his writing has been published in eugenics
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
journals and has espoused such views as blaming modern revolutionary movements on the "envy of non-achievers against creative minorities."
Two of Weyl's books, Treason (1950) and Red Star Over Cuba (1961), received some critical interest and discussion in their times. Red Star Over Cuba postulates that Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
was a covert Communist before the Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
, having been recruited by the Soviets while he was a teenager. The theory has not been widely accepted.
Following the release of Red Star Over Cuba Weyl and John Martino, an activist against Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
, also actively promoted the story that Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
had been in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
prior to his attempt on the life of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, where he enjoyed contact with Cuban intelligence and Castro. The American writer Larry Hancock writes that the two purported that the assassination of Kennedy was an ordered killing based upon "Castro's motivation as revenge for continuing attempts on Castro's life by the United States government." Martino admitted that the story was fabricated shortly prior to his death in 1975.
His 1979 book Karl Marx - Racist contains a summary and critique of Marx's views on race and the role of Jews in modern capitalism, as well as a discussion of later refutations of Marx's economic views. At the same time, Weyl himself supported white minority-rule regimes in southern Africa against "communist terrorists" like Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
, preferring the whites of Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
colonial rule. Thinking that the struggle of indigenous liberation movements was essentially destroyed by 1970, he published Traitor's Endintending the book to be the white anti-Communists' celebration of the supposed destruction of the black majority's liberation movements.
Weyl was also an apologist for segregation at home. A supporter of racialist theories against miscegenation
Miscegenation
Miscegenation is the mixing of different racial groups through marriage, cohabitation, sexual relations, and procreation....
, Weyl wrote for the Mankind Quarterly
Mankind Quarterly
The Mankind Quarterly is a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to physical and cultural anthropology and is currently published by the Council for Social and Economic Studies in Washington, D.C. It contains articles on human evolution, intelligence, ethnography, linguistics, mythology,...
for which Robert Gayre
Robert Gayre
George Robert Gayre of Gayre and Nigg was a Scottish anthropologist who founded Mankind Quarterly. An expert on heraldry, he also founded The Armorial, and produced many books on this subject....
dubbed him a modern proponent of the anthropological ideas of the 19th-century eugenicist Sir Francis Galton
Francis Galton
Sir Francis Galton /ˈfrɑːnsɪs ˈgɔːltn̩/ FRS , cousin of Douglas Strutt Galton, half-cousin of Charles Darwin, was an English Victorian polymath: anthropologist, eugenicist, tropical explorer, geographer, inventor, meteorologist, proto-geneticist, psychometrician, and statistician...
. A tinge less racially conservative than most of the journal's writers, he allowed that intermarriage between the races might be permissible in certain select instances.
Weyl reportedly moderated his conservative views later in his life, and voted for Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
. He died in Ojai, California, on April 13, 2005. Surviving him were sons Jonathan and Walter
Weyl, step daughters, Georgianne Cowan (Charles Bernstein) and Jeanne Cowan (Barney Hass), three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. His first wife, Sylvia, and second wife, Marcelle, had both died previously.