William Mandel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William "Bill" Mandel
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| Born |
William Marx Mandel
June 4, 1917 New York City, New York, U.S.
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| Died | November 24, 2016 (aged 99) Kensington, California, U.S.
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| Resting place | Kensington, Ca. (ash-scattering) |
| Nationality | American |
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| Employer | Self; pro bono at KQED TV, KPFA Radio |
| Known for | Soviet affairs expert, analyst & educator; political activist |
| Spouse(s) | Tanya Millstein Mandel (1917–2001) |
| Children | Phyllis, Robert and David |
| Parent(s) | Max Mandel [born Mordka Gimpel Mandelman], civil engineer; Dora Schachter Mandel |
| Relatives | Eugene Victor Mandel (brother; electrucal engineer, teacher) |
William Marx Mandel (June 4, 1917 – November 24, 2016) was an American journalist, writer, and activist. He was born in New York City and became well-known for his knowledge about the Soviet Union. He spent his life speaking out about important issues and sharing his ideas through radio and books.
Contents
Standing Up for Freedom: William Mandel's Story
During the 1940s and 1950s, William Mandel was a top expert on the Soviet Union. He worked at Stanford University but lost his job because of political pressure. This was during a time called the McCarthy era, when people were often accused of being disloyal to the United States.
Facing Senator McCarthy
Mandel is famous for standing up to Senator Joseph McCarthy in 1953. This happened during a TV hearing. Mandel bravely told the senator that his actions were like "book-burning." He said McCarthy was acting like Adolf Hitler by trying to silence ideas.
Challenging the House Committee
In 1960, Mandel was called to testify again. This time it was before the House Un-American Activities Committee. This committee investigated people they thought might be a threat to the country. Mandel spoke at a hearing in San Francisco City Hall.
Outside the hearing, hundreds of college students were protesting. Police used firehoses on them and dragged them down the steps. Some students were hurt. Recordings of Mandel's hearing and the protest were played often on radio stations like KPFA. These events were later shown in a movie called Berkeley in the Sixties.
A Voice for Change: William Mandel's Broadcast Career
Mandel started his radio career in 1958. He had a weekly show on Pacifica Radio station KPFA-FM in Berkeley. His show, which started at 15 minutes, grew to an hour. It was called Soviet Press and Periodicals at first.
Radio Host and Community Leader
Mandel's radio program stayed on the air for 32 years. It ended in 1995 when the Pacifica Foundation, which ran the station, canceled it. They later said they were afraid of losing money from the government if they kept "leftist" (or politically liberal) commentators.
Mandel also appeared in a documentary film about KPFA. Later, he hosted another weekly show on Free Radio Berkeley. He was also asked to join the Steering Committee of the Free Speech Movement in Berkeley in the early 1960s. This group worked to protect students' rights to speak freely.
Standing Up for Peace and Rights
A famous Black American scholar, W. E. B. Du Bois, wrote about Mandel. Du Bois said Mandel defended him when he was accused of leading a peace petition. In 1968, Mandel signed a pledge to refuse to pay taxes. This was a protest against the Vietnam War.
Later Views and Projects
In later years, Mandel's radio show was called The Soviet Union: a closer look. He had strong opinions about the Soviet Union. For example, he supported the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia. He also believed that Jewish people in the Soviet Union lived in harmony with other groups.
However, many Jewish people did leave the Soviet Union. About 290,000 left between 1970 and 1988. In 1990 alone, over 224,000 left when they were allowed to. In 1982, Mandel wrote an article supporting a military takeover in Poland. This takeover tried to stop a workers' union called Solidarity.
In 1992, Mandel helped create "The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union Trading Cards." These cards told the history of the Soviet Union like baseball cards. William Mandel passed away on November 24, 2016, at the age of 99.
Writings
William Mandel wrote an autobiography called Saying No To Power. The introduction to his book was written by the famous historian Howard Zinn. Other writers and artists, like Pete Seeger and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, also praised his book.
You can find collections of Mandel's papers at the Hoover Institution Archives, the Wisconsin Historical Society, and the Bancroft Library at the University of California.
Books by William Mandel
- The Soviet Far East and Central Asia, 1944
- A Guide to the Soviet Union, 1946
- Soviet Marxism and Social Science, 1984
- Russia Re-Examined, 1967
- Soviet Women, 1975
- Saying No To Power, 1999
