Harvey Matusow

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Harvey Marshall Matusow (born October 3, 1926 in New York City , † January 17, 2002 in Claremont (New Hampshire) ), also known as Job Matusow , was an American anti-communist informer and informer of the McCarthy era . This activity overshadows the rest of his extremely eventful life as an artist, filmmaker, organizer, comedian, journalist, author, clown, activist, social worker and much more.

biography

Born and raised in the Bronx , Matusow dropped out of high school and joined the military. After his return from World War II , he lived in the art scene in Greenwich Village , where he had jobs in television and theater, among other things. In 1947 he became a member of the Communist Party of the USA .

Anti-communist activity

In 1950 Matusow began working for the FBI as a paid informant and informant . He provided information obtained through his membership in the Communist Party. He became an employee of Joseph McCarthy , whose anti-communist campaign he supported with numerous testimonies. He told several anti-communist bodies from, including the House Un-American Activities Committee ( House Un-American Activities Committee , HUAC), and appeared as a witness at trial.

Matusow often did not adhere to the truth in his statements and accused numerous innocents. He reported that the Sunday editorial office of the New York Times had 126 communists, even though there were only 100 employees. 500 communists were supposed to work as teachers in New York. He also reported on communist activities among other things among the boy scouts - both among the girls and the boys - at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the media group CBS and at the United Nations . The folk musician Pete Seeger had to appear on the testimony before the HUAC Matusow and was for a long time by the US media boycotted.

In 1955 Matusow published the book False Witness ("False Testimony"), in which he revealed his lies. He wrote that McCarthy and his chief adviser Roy Cohn had encouraged him to make false statements. For these allegations, he was sentenced to five years in prison, of which he served 44 months. The media called him the "most-hated man in America" ( most hated one in America ).

After his release in 1960, Matusow resumed his life in the New York art scene. In 1965 he published The Art Collector's Almanac . He became acquainted with the popular drugs of the time, especially LSD . However, he was repeatedly accused of his time as an informant, so that he finally decided to go to Europe.

Voluntary exile in England

Matusow arrived in England in May 1966. In the same year he co-founded the "London Film-Makers' Co-op" (LFMC), organized underground film festivals and helped found the underground magazine International Times . With Annea Lockwood he has given music and theater performances all over the world. He made films, organized happenings, worked on television and radio, wrote and ran a jazz club.

Matusow founded the "International Society for the Abolition of Data Processing Machines", which fought against the takeover of the world by computers. In 1968 his book The Beast of Business: A Record of Computer Atrocities was published , which described the basics of the fight against computers.

In 1969 the psychedelic music album War between Fats and Thins by Harvey Matusow's Jews Harp Band was released.

In 1972 Matusow organized the International Carnival of Experimental Sound (ICES 72), one of the largest festivals for avant-garde music. Then he returned to America.

Back in America

After a short time in New York, Matusow lived in a New Age commune in Massachusetts . At times he traveled through the States. He founded the "Magic Mouse Theater" and performed as a clown Cockyboo. He campaigned for the homeless and the disadvantaged.

Harvey Job Matusow died in a car accident in early 2002 at the age of 75.

Works

Books

  • 1955: False Witness
  • 1965: The Art Collector's Almanac
  • 1968: The Beast of Business
  • 1997: The Stringless Yo Yo - Autobiography (unfinished)

music

  • 1969: War between Fats and Thins - Harvey Matusow's Jews Harp Band

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c d e f Douglas Martin: Harvey Matusow, 75, to Anti-Communist Informer, Dies . New York Times, February 4, 2002 (English)
  2. ^ Remembering Harvey Job Matusow 1926-2002 - The Stringless Yo Yo . Collection of information about Harvey Matusow on ibiblio (English)
  3. ↑ a b Bruce Jackson: Harvey Matusow: Death of a Snitch . Article about Harvey Matusow, 2002
  4. ^ Eclectic Harvey Matusow dies at 75 after colorful life . Deseret News, February 2, 2002
  5. ↑ a b c d Harvey Job Matusow: The Stringless Yo Yo . Autobiography (unfinished, as of 1997) (English)
  6. ^ Beast of Business : A Record of Computer Atrocities. 1968 (english)
  7. ↑ Harvey Matusow's Jews Harp Band - War Between Fats And Thins on Discogs (English)
  8. ↑ ICES 72 and Harvey Matusow Portal on the pages of the music magazine The Wire (English)
personal data
SURNAME Matusow, Harvey
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Matusow, Harvey Marshall; Matusow, job
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American anti-communist informer and informer
DATE OF BIRTH October 3, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH Bronx , New York City, United States
DATE OF DEATH January 17, 2002
Place of death Claremont , New Hampshire, United States