Willis Carto and the American Far Right (Hardcover)

~ GEORGE MICHAEL (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An important book that casts much needed light on one of the most significant and previously elusive figures of the contemporary American far right. It will be of great interest to historians, political scientists, and sociologists alike." - Darren Mulloy, Wilfrid Laurier University "A wide-ranging and well-informed study of a major figure on the American far right." - Martin Durham, University of Wolverhampton"

Product Description

"An important book that casts much needed light on one of the most significant and previously elusive figures of the contemporary American far right. It will be of great interest to historians, political scientists, and sociologists alike."--Darren Mulloy,

Wilfrid Laurier University

 

"A wide-ranging and well-informed study of a major figure on the American far right."--Martin Durham, University of Wolverhampton

 

Willis Carto (b. 1926) is arguably the most important radical conservative in postwar America. Best known as the founder of the infamous Liberty Lobby, he has shaped the far right's position on such issues as immigration, globalization, multiculturalism, Holocaust denial, and the conflict in the Middle East.

 

Granted remarkable personal access to the notoriously reclusive Carto, George Michael has written a fascinating biography. Throughout his long political career, Carto has sought to unite the various movements that make up the far right. Toward that end, he has reached out to individuals from both the fringe and the mainstream.

 

Michael provides an account of the various publishing and organizational ventures in which Carto has been involved, including the Institute for Historical Review, The Spotlight, Youth for Wallace, the Populist Party, American Free Press, andthe political career of David Duke. The result is a captivating portrait of this dedicated, frightening, and controversial man.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Florida; 1st edition (March 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813031982
• ISBN-13: 978-0813031989
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #779,791 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Overview of 20th Century Right Wing Politics, January 27, 2009

By	Sussex Pond Pudding (Somewhere in the desert, CA) - See all my reviews

This is a very good, surprisingly objective biography of one of the "far right's" most influential figures. With assistance from Carto himself, Michael gives a very detailed overview of Carto's life and the events in history that surrounded it. He does an excellent job of tracing the unities and disunities of the right for the past century, using Carto's activities as a sort of framework to give shape to what can be a very confusing subject. Despite poor editing (sometimes it reads like a collection of magazine articles and essays than a cohesive book...not the author's fault, I am sure) it is a page-turner for anyone interested in the subject. Most readers, I imagine, will come across at least one name that they have never heard of before. Highly recommended.

A quick comment on the previous review: some of the objections that the reviewer raises are discussed in detail in the book. Puzzling. You can make your own conclusions about that, however.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Right Book for Americans Left in Ignorance, May 25, 2009

By	Richard Clark - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In view of the fact there are so many American concepts concerning what's "right", what's "left," what's "conservative" and what's "liberal," it is with much appreciation that many readers will welcome George Michael's analysis.

Historical research plays a prominent role in his book, and this gives it the credibilty and subsequent value it deserves. In an American century that endured the 9/11 crisis toward the beginning, and is only now beginning to see governmental decisions declassified, I am reminded of a statement given by C.P. Snow in 1960: "It is very easy, in an atmosphere of crisis, in the midst of secret decisions, for men to surrender both their reason and their will."

Small wonder, then, that Rush Limbaugh doesn't appear in the index, but Willis Carto and Francis Parker Yockey do. I doubt many Limbaugh-schooled conservatives have ever heard of Carto and Yockey. Michael offers them an opportunity to expand their education. But, with Snow's wisdom in mind, is there any reason to believe they will?

4 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dim-bulb author, mistakes and boorish individual make this a basic yawn!, April 14, 2008

By	Ricahrd A. Salzer (Chesapeake, Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

'Prof.' George Michael (not the sleazy singer
from back in the '80's) doesn't know the difference
between the Political Middle (Populism) and the
right, so leave it to him to use dopey 'Slick
Willie' Carto to clear that up, eh? Think again.

(1) True Fact - It was the late Jason B. Matthews
that started the 'Legion for Survival of Freedom'
in 1952, not Willis Carto who was fired by future
John Birch Society starter Robert Welch, who first
started another organization.

True Fact (2) Willis Carto neither started Liberty
Lobby, nor...

(True Fact) (3) The Institute for Historical Review.
The IHR was started by the late David McCalden and
the late Lewis Furr on Dec. 11th, 1978. And Liberty
Lobby was started on July 17th, 1955 by the late
Col. Curtis B. Dall, former son-in-law to FDR [born
1899] and Dr. Martin A. Larson [born 1897]. Carto
hastled in there in early 1956 and became Treasurer
and showed the oldsters how to stretch them buck$.

Fact #4 - Jean Edison Farrell was NOT the neice of
Populist Inventor Thomas Edison.

Fact #5 - She never intended to leave Carto, per se
any monie$ - She wanted the money to go to further
the IHR/LSF's work in fighting the rapidly forming
New World Order. Carto embezzled the monie$ and used
them to line his, Henri Fischer's and his nutty wife's
pockets and to try to sell the IHR to Lawrence Patterson,
the Clearwater 'Church' [read CULT] of Scientology, et, al.

Fact #6 - Tom Valentine, the great Populist-Libertarian
short-wave Radio host of Radio Free America, True Health,
The Midas Report, originator of the Power Hour, et, al
was the driving force behind reactivating the Populist
Party, not Carto, who only embezzled more monie$ from
them and was fired by the rightful Party Executives.

Fact #7 - Carto and his chief jew-batier, the half jewi$h
Bernard Piper, have kiped monie$ from many Christian, Pat-
riot, Revisionist Organizations ans individuals for years.
Well, P.T. Barnum was right, "there's one born every minute!"