Morris Kominsky (September 28, 1901 — April 1975) was the writer of ''The Hoaxers: Plain Liars, Fancy Liars and Damned Liars'' (1970).
Biography
''The Hoaxers'' was intended, as stated in its preface, to be the first of two volumes in his "study of the trends in the United States of America towards Fascism and a Third World War." The second volume ''America Faces Disaster'' was never published; Kominsky indicated he intended that it would tell "the story of the groups, individuals, and policies that endanger the citizens of the U.S.A., as well as the rest of mankind" (Kominsky 14). Prior to publishing ''The Hoaxers,'' the working title for the two volumes was ''Countdown—USA''
''The Hoaxers'' is a "special study of the use of fabrications, distortions of truth, and out-of-context quotations." It examines such works as
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, the "Ten Cannots" of
William J. H. Boetcker commonly misattributed to
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
and
conspiracy theories such as the
Bilderberg Group Conspiracy and the
Illuminati
The Illuminati (; plural of Latin ''illuminatus'', 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on ...
. The book received favorable advance comments from
Robert W. Kenny
Robert Walker Kenny (August 21, 1901 – July 20, 1976), 21st Attorney General of California (1943-1947), was "a colorful figure in state politics for many years" who in 1946 ran unsuccessfully against Earl Warren for state governor (a race ...
and Congressman
Dalip Singh Saund
Dalip Singh Saund (September 20, 1899 – April 22, 1973) was an Indian-American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from California's 29th congressional district as a member of the Democratic Party. He was the fi ...
among others, as printed on the dustcover.
Kominsky had run in
1938
Events
January
* January 1
** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...
for
Governor of Rhode Island
The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government
The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, o ...
as the candidate of the
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA, officially the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA), is a communist party in the United States which was established in 1919 after a split in the Socialist Party of America following the Russian Revo ...
, losing to
Republican William Henry Vanderbilt III
William Henry Vanderbilt III (November 24, 1901April 14, 1981) was Governor of Rhode Island and a member of the wealthy and socially prominent Vanderbilt family.
Early life
William Henry Vanderbilt III was born in New York City on November 24, ...
.
Collections of Kominsky's papers are held at the Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
and the American Jewish Archives in
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
.
References
Sources
The Political Graveyard: Rhode Island: Governors* Kominsky, Morris (1970).
The Hoaxers: Plain Liars, Fancy Liars, and Damned Liars' Branden Press, Inc.
Boston, Massachusetts
*
Social Security Death Index
The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) was a database of death records created from the Social Security Administration, United States Social Security Administration's Death Master File until 2014. Since 2014, public access to the updated Death Mas ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kominsky, Morris
1901 births
1975 deaths
American communists