J. B. Matthews

Who was J. B. Matthews?

Joseph Brown "Doc" Matthews, Sr., best known as J.B. Matthews, was an American linguist, and an educator, writer, and political activist. A committed pacifist, Matthews became a self-described "fellow traveler" of the Communist Party, USA through the middle-1930s, achieving national prominence as a leader of a number of the party's so-called "mass organizations." A disillusionment with communism followed towards the end of the 1930s. Matthews later became a professional anti-communist expert that served as chief investigator for the House Committee on Un-American Activities headed by Martin Dies, Jr., as a consultant on Communist affairs for the Hearst Corporation.

In June 1953, Matthews was named research director for Joseph McCarthy's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the United States Senate. This selection drew heated criticism from committee Democrats and liberal Republicans, fueled by Matthews' recently published claims that the Protestant clergy comprised a base of support of the American Communist movement, and Matthews was forced to resign.