Settling Down: World War II Veterans’ Challenge to the Postwar Consensus

235 Pages·2007·1.111 MB·English

by  Robert Francis Saxe (auth.)

Settling Down
This page intentionally left blank
Settling Down
World War II Veterans’ Challenge
to the Postwar Consensus
Robert Francis Saxe
Settling Down
Copyright ©Robert Francis Saxe,2007.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2007 978-0-230-60060-7
All rights reserved.No part ofthis book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case ofbrief
quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
First published in 2007 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™
175 Fifth Avenue,New York,N.Y.10010 and
Houndmills,Basingstoke,Hampshire,England RG21 6XS.
Companies and representatives throughout the world.
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint ofthe Palgrave
Macmillan division ofSt.Martin’s Press,LLC and ofPalgrave Macmillan Ltd.
Macmillan®is a registered trademark in the United States,United Kingdom
and other countries.Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union
and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-37019-1 ISBN 978-0-230-60927-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230609273
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Saxe,Robert Francis.
Settling down :World War II veterans' challenge to the postwar consensus /
by Robert Francis Saxe.—1st ed.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. World War,1939-1945—Veterans—United States.2. United States—Social
conditions—1945- 3. Consensus (Social sciences)—United States—History—
20th century.4. Kennedy,John F.(John Fitzgerald),1917-1963.5. Film noir—
United States—History and criticism.6. Popular culture—United
States—History—20th century.7. American Veterans Committee—History.8.
African American veterans—Social conditions—20th century.9. United
States—Race relations—History—20th century. I.Title.
D810.V42U675 2007
973.918—dc22 2007012573
A catalogue record ofthe book is available from the British Library.
Design by Scribe Inc.
First edition:November 2007
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Raka,Maya,and Neel
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1 “The Reception Committee”:
Soldiers,Citizens,and the Veteran’s Return 11
2 “The New Generation Offers a Leader”:
Lt.John F.Kennedy’s 1946 Race for Congress 53
3 Kiss the Blood OffMy Hands:
The Film Noir Veteran’s Quest for
Meaning in Postwar America 83
4 “Citizens First,Veterans Second”:
The American Veterans Committee and
the Challenge ofthe Cold War* 117
5 “The Negro Is No Longer Sleeping”:
African American Veterans and the Limits ofConsensus 155
Conclusion 191
Notes 195
Bibliography 215
Index 225
*Chapter 4 originally appeared in somewhat different form in War and
Society 22,no.2,(2004),75–94.
This page intentionally left blank
Acknowledgments
Iwould like to thank several people for their support in completing this
book.My dissertation advisor,Mark Leff,provided sound guidance and
timely editing throughout the entire project.I would also like to thank Jim
Barrett,Anna Dronzek,Tim Huebner,Jeff Jackson,Ronald Krebs,David
McCarthy, Charles McKinney, Elizabeth Pleck, and Joseph Pleck who all
offered advice and comments at different stages of this project. Further
thanks go to the members ofthe American Veterans Committee (AVC) for
taking the time to talk with me about their experiences.Frank Bourne,J.
Arnold Feldman,Ben Neufeld,Gus Tyler,June Wilenz,and Howard Zinn
were very giving oftheir time to my chapter on the AVC.Thanks also go to
the John F.Kennedy Presidential Library for providing me a research grant
and to the Organization of American Historians for awarding me the
Horace Samuel and Marion Galbraith Merrill Travel Grant in Twentieth-
Century American Political History.I also received financial support from
the history department at the University ofIllinois at Urbana-Champaign
in the form of a predissertation travel grant and a graduate fellowship.
Meredith Nix was indispensable to the final completion of this project.I
would also like to thank my friends and family for all their aid and best
wishes.Finally,I would like to thank my wife,Raka Nandi,whose unwa-
vering support and fierce editorial suggestions made this book possible.