In the early years of the Cold War, one voice of dissent regarding
United States foreign policy came from an unexpected source. The
National Farmers Union criticized the Truman administration for
what it saw as an advancement of American imperialism, a denial of
the prerogatives of other nations in world affairs, and an
inaccurate view of Soviet communism's threat to world peace.
Bruce Field here explores the people and events of a
little-studied episode in American history by describing how the
leadership of the Farmers Union split over the Korean War. When the
orgaization was faced with accusations of being communist
sympathizers, NFU national president Jim Patton chose to support
the war while a splinter group led by Iowa Farmers Union president
Fred Stover continued to protest American involvement.
"Harvest of Dissent" traces the tension that gripped America's
heartland in the early 1950s as American farmers spoke their minds
about their country's foreign policy. Drawing heavily on both
Patton's and Stover's papers as well as on interviews with members
of the NFU, Field presents an engaging study of the two men's
leadership styles and personalities as he relates the infighting
that tore apart this organization and the effects it had on both
domestic and foreign affairs.
By examining such issues as the state of U.S. agriculture in the
postwar years and the relationship between Patton and presidential
candidate Henry Wallace in the 1948 election, Field establishes a
context for understanding the NFU split. He argues that Patton was
ultimately more concerned about the welfare of his organization
than about ideological issues, acknowledging that if the NFU
continued to criticize American policy it would lose influence and
could even collapse.
A revealing study in political intolerance, Harvest of Dissent
provides an insightful look at the role one group of farmers played
during a crucial time in American history and the impact those
times had on the union's future. It shows how even a relatively
small organization can gain prominence on the national stage and
offers a view of the Cold War from an unusual vantage point.
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