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The Naked Communist
The Naked Communist has sold more than a million copies. It has found its way into the libraries of the CIA, the FBI, the White House, and homes all across America. The Naked Communist contains a distillation of more than a hundred books and treatises on communism, many written by Marxist authors. We see the communist the way he sees himself--stripped of propaganda and pretense. Explained here is the amazing appeal of communism, its history, and its basic and unchanging concepts--even its secret timetable of conquest.
Among the many questions it answers are:
• Who gave America's nuclear secrets to the Russians?
• How did the FBI fight the battle of the underground?
• Why did the West lose 600 million allies after World War II?
• What really happened in Korea?
• What is communism's great secret weapon?
• Is there an answer to communism?
• What lies ahead?
• What can I do to stop communism?
Among the many questions it answers are:
• Who gave America's nuclear secrets to the Russians?
• How did the FBI fight the battle of the underground?
• Why did the West lose 600 million allies after World War II?
• What really happened in Korea?
• What is communism's great secret weapon?
• Is there an answer to communism?
• What lies ahead?
• What can I do to stop communism?
408 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1960
1031 people are currently reading
5199 people want to read
About the author
W. Cleon Skousen
153 books179 followersW. Cleon Skousen (1913-2006) was a popular teacher, lecturer and author in the United States for over 40 years. Born in Raymond, Alberta, Canada on January 20, 1913, Dr. Skousen’s growing up years were spent in Canada, Mexico, and California.
At age 17 he was called to serve a two-year, LDS mission to Great Britain for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He later attended college at the San Bernardino Junior College where he was elected Student Body President.
With scholarships and encouragements, he left California in 1934 to work as a government aid in Washington DC. Later Dr. Skousen applied and was hired as an FBI agent.
Dr. Skousen married his sweetheart, Jewel Pitcher of San Bernardino, California, August 1936. During the past 69 years, they have raised 8 children and are the grandparents of 50 grandchildren and over 69 great-grandchildren. He resided in Salt Lake City, Utah, the remainder of his life.
Dr. Skousen served the FBI for 16 years (1935-1951), and worked closely with J. Edgar Hoover. In 1951 he was asked to join the faculty of Brigham Young University. Here he headed up the Student Alumni organization. In 1956 he was asked to serve as Chief of Police of Salt Lake City. During his 4 year service, he also wrote his national best seller, "The Naked Communist." He also was the editor of the nations leading police magazine, "Law And Order." In 1960 he left the police force and began speaking tours around the country on the political crisis during that time period. He also ran for the governors office in Utah, but narrowly missed the primaries.
In 1967, Dr. Skousen returned to BYU as a professor in the Religion Department. He taught classes on The Book of Mormon, The Old Testament, and early LDS Church History. He continued that assignment until his retirement in 1978.
In 1972 Dr. Skousen organized a non-profit educational foundation, named "The Freemen Institute." Later changed to "The National Center for Constitutional Studies" (NCCS), Dr. Skousen and his staff became the nation’s leading organization in teaching seminars on the Founding Fathers and the U.S. Constitution. His book, "The Making of America" has been used nation-wide to educate students on the original intent of the Founders.
His many books and recordings include subjects from raising boys to principles of good government, to prophetic history. Listed in this web site are all the books and tapes which are still available today; Dr. Skousen shares a wealth of knowledge and optimism--a "diamond dust" of exciting history and eternal principles of hope, that calms the sea in today's stormy world of seemingly chaos and uncertainty.
Dr. Skousen passed away peacefully in his home on January 9, 2006, of natural causes incident to age, just 11 days shy of his ninety-third birthday. He was lovingly surrounded by his family and wife Jewel, with whom he was anticipating their 70th wedding anniversary in August. He will truly be missed by many.
At age 17 he was called to serve a two-year, LDS mission to Great Britain for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He later attended college at the San Bernardino Junior College where he was elected Student Body President.
With scholarships and encouragements, he left California in 1934 to work as a government aid in Washington DC. Later Dr. Skousen applied and was hired as an FBI agent.
Dr. Skousen married his sweetheart, Jewel Pitcher of San Bernardino, California, August 1936. During the past 69 years, they have raised 8 children and are the grandparents of 50 grandchildren and over 69 great-grandchildren. He resided in Salt Lake City, Utah, the remainder of his life.
Dr. Skousen served the FBI for 16 years (1935-1951), and worked closely with J. Edgar Hoover. In 1951 he was asked to join the faculty of Brigham Young University. Here he headed up the Student Alumni organization. In 1956 he was asked to serve as Chief of Police of Salt Lake City. During his 4 year service, he also wrote his national best seller, "The Naked Communist." He also was the editor of the nations leading police magazine, "Law And Order." In 1960 he left the police force and began speaking tours around the country on the political crisis during that time period. He also ran for the governors office in Utah, but narrowly missed the primaries.
In 1967, Dr. Skousen returned to BYU as a professor in the Religion Department. He taught classes on The Book of Mormon, The Old Testament, and early LDS Church History. He continued that assignment until his retirement in 1978.
In 1972 Dr. Skousen organized a non-profit educational foundation, named "The Freemen Institute." Later changed to "The National Center for Constitutional Studies" (NCCS), Dr. Skousen and his staff became the nation’s leading organization in teaching seminars on the Founding Fathers and the U.S. Constitution. His book, "The Making of America" has been used nation-wide to educate students on the original intent of the Founders.
His many books and recordings include subjects from raising boys to principles of good government, to prophetic history. Listed in this web site are all the books and tapes which are still available today; Dr. Skousen shares a wealth of knowledge and optimism--a "diamond dust" of exciting history and eternal principles of hope, that calms the sea in today's stormy world of seemingly chaos and uncertainty.
Dr. Skousen passed away peacefully in his home on January 9, 2006, of natural causes incident to age, just 11 days shy of his ninety-third birthday. He was lovingly surrounded by his family and wife Jewel, with whom he was anticipating their 70th wedding anniversary in August. He will truly be missed by many.
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July 14, 2013
Probably one of the most eye-opening books I've ever read. I think my jaw dropped several times while reading. It would be disingenuous to say it is "propaganda" or disdainfully call it alarmist. Not now. Not in this age.
Much as Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged contains disturbing prophecy of the times we are living in, so do Skousen's revelations and history of communism. For a moment, you are transported back into time to see exactly why Americans took a brave stance against communism then and, at the same time, rocked to the core by the agendas used with a battering ram in those days. Now, those wishing to implement communism have taken a back door approach and it is terrifying to see the progress they have made and the complacency of currently living generations. This makes you all too aware of the boiled frog parabola America is. Believe me, far more frightening a read than any Stephen King novel.
Much as Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged contains disturbing prophecy of the times we are living in, so do Skousen's revelations and history of communism. For a moment, you are transported back into time to see exactly why Americans took a brave stance against communism then and, at the same time, rocked to the core by the agendas used with a battering ram in those days. Now, those wishing to implement communism have taken a back door approach and it is terrifying to see the progress they have made and the complacency of currently living generations. This makes you all too aware of the boiled frog parabola America is. Believe me, far more frightening a read than any Stephen King novel.
October 28, 2025
This title has easily placed itself in my top, most influential reads and will be one I’ll listen/refer to often. I just can’t say enough about this book! I will forever be recommending it to any and all who love freedom and God-given morality. Please, please, read this book!
*Note: I listened to the audio version of this book so this Cleanliness Report may not be as thoroughly detailed as other reports are. Also, some inappropriate content may have been forgotten/missed and not included in the report.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide Content Considerations, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
If you’re considering a book or looking for a new title to read, check out my highly categorized shelves, read my reviews and Friend or Follow me to spiff up your feed with clean, wholesome, living books.
I have an Instagram account that’s pretty bookishly unique too!
*Note: I listened to the audio version of this book so this Cleanliness Report may not be as thoroughly detailed as other reports are. Also, some inappropriate content may have been forgotten/missed and not included in the report.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide Content Considerations, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
If you’re considering a book or looking for a new title to read, check out my highly categorized shelves, read my reviews and Friend or Follow me to spiff up your feed with clean, wholesome, living books.
I have an Instagram account that’s pretty bookishly unique too!
October 26, 2020
The book was published over 40 years ago, yet it is so relevant today because it parallels the liberal-progressive strategies used in the destruction of our free-enterprise economy. Socialism is on the rise, liberty is in decline in America. The Communists have changed their names over the years, but their intent is the same: destroy liberty, choice, and AMERICA. Whether they're Liberals, Progressives, Socialists, or Communisits, their intent and strategy is to destroy faith in God, property rights, protection of life, and eliminate free choice and demonize individualism or any expression of free thought. They don't want to tolerate any opposition to their dogma; they want to destroy the opposition. The Communists were responsible for at least 30 MILLION deaths in the 20th Century. It would seem obvious to an intelligent person that any methods and ideas of that Communist world view, and the prerequisite world view of Socialsim, would cause misery, suffering and death. So like poison, free peoples would shun it! Reject it! Defeat it! In our 2010 elections, we too should shun them, reject them and defeat them! And... we will!
November 18, 2010
An outstanding book which covers the movement from its founders to the 60's. One might think that the book would be outdated or prejudiced considering when it was written but I found it refreshing and informative. Major points in the communist doctrine are presented and rebutted. The history of the major players, although short, were informative and there are many points of history up through the Korean war that were enlightened upon. One would wonder why it took so long for socialism/communism to nearly destroy America considering how infiltrated our society and government has been since the russian revolution took place. When you read this book and you will find out just how far America has succumbed to the plans of the communists, it is truly sad. Our forefathers must be rolling in their graves. But, with this book in hand, no matter how dated its action plans for people are, you will begin to be able to spot the infiltration very easily for yourself and perhaps even do something about it.
September 6, 2020
This was written in 1958 and revised a few times up to 1961 yet is still in high demand at the library. I wish it had been updated again before the author’s death in 2006. Some things are out of date but most of it is still relevant.
The concept of communism and collectivism has been around for centuries, but Marx and Engel tried to apply science to it. The book covers their lives and the principles they laid out for communism. Even without the book’s explanations, the theories are obviously ludicrous. The book clarifies the language and tactics of communists that today’s “trained Marxists” still use. It exposes the fallacies of communism and shows how much misery it had caused (up to 1961; millions more have died under communism since then).
It also sheds light on other aspects of history; the more you read, the more connections you can make. The “domino” theory from the time of JFK and Vietnam (which my teachers all scoffed at) makes sense now because that was the Soviet strategy. McCarthyism (always portrayed as a witch hunt) makes sense now because American communists were actively planning the overthrow of the government, not merely discussing political theory. There’s a list of communist goals that the Soviet leaders hoped to accomplish by 1973. Many of them have been accomplished.
The real tragedy is that Russia and China (and others) were so close to setting up free democratic governments that were then crushed by communists backed by the U.S., following a policy of appeasement (that has persisted to present times). Also, socialism cannot innovate. The plans for the atom bomb and Sputnik were stolen from the U.S. (Because of appeasement, they were practically handed over on a silver platter.) So it’s an important book and provides a great overview of communist theory and practice in a concise way.
The writing is easy to read even though it’s written by an academic. What annoyed me was his constant use of “which” to mean “that.” It was so frequent, my brain started automatically replacing the word. He also used “ironical” to mean “ironic.” I don’t think ironical is a word.
“We hate Christians and Christianity. Even the best of them must be considered our worst enemies. They preach love of one’s neighbor and mercy, which is contrary to our principles. Christian love is an obstacle to the development of the Revolution. Down with the love of our neighbor! What we want is hate. ... Only then can we conquer the universe.”
The Communist leaders seem to have misunderstood the universal lesson of life that man’s greatest enemy is inertia and that the mainspring of action to combat inertia is not force but the opportunity for self-improvement. Marx and Engels insisted that such an attitude is selfish and “non-social,” but the plain fact is that a worker finds it difficult to work harder in order to fill the stomaches of “society” when the fruits of his labor do not first take care of himself and his family. The Communists thought they could drive out this “non-social” attitude with force, but thirty-five years of Dictatorship in Russia have vividly demonstrated that men will not work according to their ability unless they are compensated according to their ability.
“Peace is always easy to achieve—by surrender. Unity is also easy to achieve—by surrender. The hard task, the task that confronts us, is to combine peace and unity with Freedom!” (Sec of State Dulles)
If America’s wealth were spread around the world it would soon be dissipated, but if her system of free government and free enterprise were spread around the world, nations would soon find them to be perpetual producers of wealth. What foreign nations envy in America is the fruition of 175 years of true liberalism.
The Communist leaders have suppressed the natural desires of their people and have tried to motivate them to action through fear. But this has not worked because fear is primarily a depressant instead of a stimulant. On the long pull it becomes a dull, paralyzing drug affecting both brain and muscle, and leaves a smouldering ash of combustible hostility. “Work through fear” can never compete successfully with the tantalizing opportunity provided by Capitalism to constantly satisfy natural human needs. Satisfying these needs is almost the entire source of power for Capitalism’s productive momentum.
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The concept of communism and collectivism has been around for centuries, but Marx and Engel tried to apply science to it. The book covers their lives and the principles they laid out for communism. Even without the book’s explanations, the theories are obviously ludicrous. The book clarifies the language and tactics of communists that today’s “trained Marxists” still use. It exposes the fallacies of communism and shows how much misery it had caused (up to 1961; millions more have died under communism since then).
It also sheds light on other aspects of history; the more you read, the more connections you can make. The “domino” theory from the time of JFK and Vietnam (which my teachers all scoffed at) makes sense now because that was the Soviet strategy. McCarthyism (always portrayed as a witch hunt) makes sense now because American communists were actively planning the overthrow of the government, not merely discussing political theory. There’s a list of communist goals that the Soviet leaders hoped to accomplish by 1973. Many of them have been accomplished.
The real tragedy is that Russia and China (and others) were so close to setting up free democratic governments that were then crushed by communists backed by the U.S., following a policy of appeasement (that has persisted to present times). Also, socialism cannot innovate. The plans for the atom bomb and Sputnik were stolen from the U.S. (Because of appeasement, they were practically handed over on a silver platter.) So it’s an important book and provides a great overview of communist theory and practice in a concise way.
The writing is easy to read even though it’s written by an academic. What annoyed me was his constant use of “which” to mean “that.” It was so frequent, my brain started automatically replacing the word. He also used “ironical” to mean “ironic.” I don’t think ironical is a word.
“We hate Christians and Christianity. Even the best of them must be considered our worst enemies. They preach love of one’s neighbor and mercy, which is contrary to our principles. Christian love is an obstacle to the development of the Revolution. Down with the love of our neighbor! What we want is hate. ... Only then can we conquer the universe.”
The Communist leaders seem to have misunderstood the universal lesson of life that man’s greatest enemy is inertia and that the mainspring of action to combat inertia is not force but the opportunity for self-improvement. Marx and Engels insisted that such an attitude is selfish and “non-social,” but the plain fact is that a worker finds it difficult to work harder in order to fill the stomaches of “society” when the fruits of his labor do not first take care of himself and his family. The Communists thought they could drive out this “non-social” attitude with force, but thirty-five years of Dictatorship in Russia have vividly demonstrated that men will not work according to their ability unless they are compensated according to their ability.
“Peace is always easy to achieve—by surrender. Unity is also easy to achieve—by surrender. The hard task, the task that confronts us, is to combine peace and unity with Freedom!” (Sec of State Dulles)
If America’s wealth were spread around the world it would soon be dissipated, but if her system of free government and free enterprise were spread around the world, nations would soon find them to be perpetual producers of wealth. What foreign nations envy in America is the fruition of 175 years of true liberalism.
The Communist leaders have suppressed the natural desires of their people and have tried to motivate them to action through fear. But this has not worked because fear is primarily a depressant instead of a stimulant. On the long pull it becomes a dull, paralyzing drug affecting both brain and muscle, and leaves a smouldering ash of combustible hostility. “Work through fear” can never compete successfully with the tantalizing opportunity provided by Capitalism to constantly satisfy natural human needs. Satisfying these needs is almost the entire source of power for Capitalism’s productive momentum.
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March 8, 2019
The Naked Communist By W. Cleon Skousen is a very special book, here's how we came to know each other . Last year I was at a thrift store and I stumbled upon a documentary titled, Agenda: Grinding America Down (2010), I watched it and was impressed very much. The Film referenced Skousen's book the Naked Communist enough for me to notice and take an interest in reading it, so fast forward to now and I can say in all sincerity this book is a game changer. Here we all are in the year 2019 and we are certainly surrounded by all the dangers that Skousen was warning about in 1958, his warnings were not heeded. Let me show you some reasons why you should read this book, Americans/Europeans in particular need a major refresher course on Communism/Socialism. Skousen goes over some of the 45 stated goals of communist here is number #15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States. (Democratic Party AOC, Bernie, California...) #17. Get Control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the Curriculum. Get Control of Teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks. (#Redfored, sound familiar?) #25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio and TV. (Enough said there)#36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions. (Don't most unions vote Democrat? YES!) #40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce. #42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American Tradition; that students and special - interest groups should rise up and use "united force" to solve economic, political or social problems. (plenty of these types around these days, Skousen was warning about communist and now in 2019 "Anarcho-Communist"march around all major cities looking to "Bash the fash.") I highly recommend getting the book just for the list of 45 he compiled, its Prophetic. He goes on to write what can the ordinary individual can do, here is a sample of what he says. "The war between freedom and slavery is not just a fight to be waged by congressmen, the President, soldiers and diplomats. Fighting communism, socialism and the subversion of constitutional government is everybody's job." He gives advise to parents, here on his list I present #1. Stay close to your children to make sure they are being trained to think like Washington and Lincoln, not like Marx and Lenin. (Schools across the west now praise these two and pump out Marxist/Leninist like its their job, meanwhile they now condemn the likes of Washington and Lincoln.) Skousen goes on to give advice to Students, Legislators, Ministers, Parents..... Here is some suggestions he gives to students. #3. When you run across dedicated Socialist, remember that the only difference between a Socialist and a Communist is in the method of takeover. The desire to seize monolithic control of society is the same in both. Sometimes people forget that USSR stands for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Some people count Socialism "good" and Communism "bad." In reality the two are twins. YIKES! The two are twins he says and indeed he is correct. I absolutely love this book, it oozes Patriotism, Americanism, Anti Communism and Anti Socialism and it is really NEEDED these days. Skousens message came across loud and clear and it was a true breath of fresh air even though it was written in 1958 it feels just as pertinent reading it now. Get to the book store or on eBay and get yourself The Naked Communist and you will be glad you did. America needs patriots and this book is essential in that fight. God Bless you and May God continue to bless the United States of America. RIP Patriot Skousen.
August 16, 2018
So apparently this book is being reprinted for it's 60th anniversary and netgalley made it available to read and review. I was curious to read it after seeing that it sold so many copies and that the FBI and CIA liked to keep it around their libraries as well. After getting through the introduction of the book though I really wanted to kick myself for picking it up. The author makes such a blatantly one sided argument against communism and uses things out of context to make his point. Marx had his own personal issues but bringing them up as dispute against his writing on socialism is petty, especially considering that the communism that came into being wasn't even the kind from Marx's writings. Marx said that a country would only get to that point after reaching a certain point as a capitalistic society, which no offense none of those countries were at. I understand that this was written during the height of communism and yes Mao, Lenin, and Stalin are heinous but this was a totally unfair representation of the problem. Many people in the US have also used their positions of power as a mean to enrich themselves as well. Lying to your constituents to get what you want wasn't just a communist thing. There was no subtlety involved in showing why this might appeal to people at all, just pages and pages about how communism is a tool to manipulate the masses. The ironically he went and used religion to help enforce his argument. The works sited by the author were pretty sparse as well and he clearly cherry picked to serve his own purpose.
June 7, 2013
This book is, to quote Orwell's 1984, "an attack so exaggerated and perverse that a child should have been able to see through it, and yet just plausible enough to fill one with an alarmed feeling that other people...might be taken by it."
It is interesting and disturbing because this book was for children. The author is a religious fanatic of the mormon faith (yeah mormonism, the glorified cult invented by a charlatan criminal) who spits not only MISinformation, but DISinformation, throughout this 378 page book of degenerate literature! He argues for intelligent design in the universe(Richard Dawkins anyone?), he argues for Judaic-Christian morals (Jainism anyone?) or no morals at all, nothing in between. He writes "The very foundation of science is the recognition of an intelligent designer who used the principles which we ourselves can discover and use."
Anyways, I'm not here to defend the atrocities of Lenin, Stalin or Mao. I don't consider myself a Marxist, however the man did have some valid points. The beginning of the book starts out just bashing Marx and his family, giving a very short poor excuse for a biography of the philosopher. I'm all for constructive criticism but the things Skousen writes are absurd. Early in the book the author refers to a very eloquent letter a 17 year old Marx sent to his family as unveiling "deeply sentimental, woman-like feelings." Wow! How freaking outdated is this book?? Very! Later in the book, Skousen writes that one of communism evil goals was to present homosexuality as "normal, natural and healthy." Another thing that was absurd was the praise the author gives to J. Edgar Hoover and the F.B.I. decribed as a "remarkable administration." Well Skosen was with the F.B.I. , but Jesus!
Most disturbing of all was the blantant hypocrisy pouring through his arguments against "communism/ socialism". For example, he writes on why the above mentioned is not a legitimate cause or political system because they're based on "vicious forces of conquest... they use deceit, disregard of laws, violation of treatises, intimidation, subversion and open insurrection as basic tools of conquest". ALL of which can be said of the United States since its inception! He Goes on to write "A conspiracy to overthrow a government by force and violence is therefore criminal in nature. Any Organization which promotes such illegal activities should be outlawed." In that cause the CIA should be outlawed for the coup d'etat in Guatemala in 1954, among other crimes. And reasons to justify sanctions to Russia are " 1) continuous violations of treaties and convenants 2) repeated violations of international law and 3) vicious subversion and interference in the domestic affairs of other nations." Again, all standards procedures for the U.S. government. Surprisingly enough Skousen was critical of some U.S. foreign policy, but to insinuate that the U.S. is the vanguard for democracy and justice is a joke!
It assumes because someone (Lenin, Stalin, etc.) or some organization calls itself socialism or communism that that is what it represents. It's only their distorted, warped view of Marxism.
This book does nothing to solve anything in the 21st century crisis we face today. All it does is create further division both in politics and religion, especially, I imagine, in the late 1950's. It doesn't do justice to clearly and truthfully explain the world and its many problems. If you read one book about "communism", look elsewhere. Or you can read this and other similar books with different viewpoints.
As frustrating as this book was to read for me, it is a easy read and well organized, which is why I guess it's has such a high rating. And also somewhat entertaining, for that two stars.
It is interesting and disturbing because this book was for children. The author is a religious fanatic of the mormon faith (yeah mormonism, the glorified cult invented by a charlatan criminal) who spits not only MISinformation, but DISinformation, throughout this 378 page book of degenerate literature! He argues for intelligent design in the universe(Richard Dawkins anyone?), he argues for Judaic-Christian morals (Jainism anyone?) or no morals at all, nothing in between. He writes "The very foundation of science is the recognition of an intelligent designer who used the principles which we ourselves can discover and use."
Anyways, I'm not here to defend the atrocities of Lenin, Stalin or Mao. I don't consider myself a Marxist, however the man did have some valid points. The beginning of the book starts out just bashing Marx and his family, giving a very short poor excuse for a biography of the philosopher. I'm all for constructive criticism but the things Skousen writes are absurd. Early in the book the author refers to a very eloquent letter a 17 year old Marx sent to his family as unveiling "deeply sentimental, woman-like feelings." Wow! How freaking outdated is this book?? Very! Later in the book, Skousen writes that one of communism evil goals was to present homosexuality as "normal, natural and healthy." Another thing that was absurd was the praise the author gives to J. Edgar Hoover and the F.B.I. decribed as a "remarkable administration." Well Skosen was with the F.B.I. , but Jesus!
Most disturbing of all was the blantant hypocrisy pouring through his arguments against "communism/ socialism". For example, he writes on why the above mentioned is not a legitimate cause or political system because they're based on "vicious forces of conquest... they use deceit, disregard of laws, violation of treatises, intimidation, subversion and open insurrection as basic tools of conquest". ALL of which can be said of the United States since its inception! He Goes on to write "A conspiracy to overthrow a government by force and violence is therefore criminal in nature. Any Organization which promotes such illegal activities should be outlawed." In that cause the CIA should be outlawed for the coup d'etat in Guatemala in 1954, among other crimes. And reasons to justify sanctions to Russia are " 1) continuous violations of treaties and convenants 2) repeated violations of international law and 3) vicious subversion and interference in the domestic affairs of other nations." Again, all standards procedures for the U.S. government. Surprisingly enough Skousen was critical of some U.S. foreign policy, but to insinuate that the U.S. is the vanguard for democracy and justice is a joke!
It assumes because someone (Lenin, Stalin, etc.) or some organization calls itself socialism or communism that that is what it represents. It's only their distorted, warped view of Marxism.
This book does nothing to solve anything in the 21st century crisis we face today. All it does is create further division both in politics and religion, especially, I imagine, in the late 1950's. It doesn't do justice to clearly and truthfully explain the world and its many problems. If you read one book about "communism", look elsewhere. Or you can read this and other similar books with different viewpoints.
As frustrating as this book was to read for me, it is a easy read and well organized, which is why I guess it's has such a high rating. And also somewhat entertaining, for that two stars.
February 20, 2012
Ha! I found this piece of 1950s propaganda in the Bartlesville public library during the 1990s. It is pretty jingoistic and a product of its time.
December 2, 2009
Skousen is a real piece of work - sorry to any of his sane relatives. I read this book while sitting in Kim's ultra Liberal, ultra Socialist/Marxist loving literature professor's class. You've got to take advantage of the opportunities when they come. I didn't have the urge to pick this book up until I found out that I could sit quietly in my wife's class - and discovered how tree hugging granola eating spineless yet venom spewing socialist her professor was. Oh, I forgot - well read and super anti-mormon in a small mormon-town college were also his to own. And I picked up the most grating book I could find and plopped it upright on the desk so that he and everyone for 50 minutes 3 times a week could see what I was silently reading. I blew his concentrated dramatic moments a couple times - Just By Being There! To this day, this experience provides me a gushing quell of endless pleasure!
January 25, 2011
UPDATED: I finally found the "updated" version to this in the form of a DVD documentary called "Agenda" by Curtis Bowers. I highly recommend this!!! This threat continues to threaten our destruction. We should read and study this movement!
Preview a trailer here at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH8LkI...
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I LOVED this book! I took my sweet time reading it and soaked up every word. This book reviews the history of communism from its rise with Marx until 1960. The only bad thing is that I would love to read "the rest of the story," meaning through to the present.
This book was extremely eye opening in regard to how communism was spread. It was frustrating reading about the lackadaisical attitude of government officials world wide who had blinders on and let the USSR run wild at the close of WWII. They never believed that the Russians were really "that bad." It was also interesting that while the world sat back and watched LDS church leaders like President Benson, J. Rueben Clark and David O. McKay were declaring from the pulpits for all to realize that communism was seeking to destroy our liberty. I wonder how many were listening? Is my family listening now?
Here are some quotes just so you know...
“The paths we are following, if we move forward thereon, will inevitably lead us to socialism or communism, and these two are as like as two peas in a pod in their ultimate effect upon our
liberties......We may first observe that communism and socialism—
which we shall hereafter group together and dub Satanism—cannot live with Christianity nor with any religion that postulates a creator.”
J. Rueben Clark Deseret News—September 25, 1949
"During the first half of the twentieth century we have traveled far into the soul-destroying land of socialism." Pres. McKay, Deseret News Oct. 18, 1952
“The aim and purpose...was then and is now world socialism, which communism seeks to achieve through revolution and which socialists seek to achieve through evolution.” Pres. Benson Oct. 1961-General Conference
Anyway...My edition was published in 1961. Here are a sampling of some of the communist goals at that time that I thought were still interesting nearly 50 years later... (see "Witness" by Whittaker Chambers also these lists are found from pages 259-262 in the book).
*Capture one or both of the political parties in the US.
*Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
*Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.
*Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."
*Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.
*Break down cultural standards of morality be promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio and TV.
*Present homo-sexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."
*Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."
*Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture-education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics,etc
*Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
*Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.
Okay, so that was only about 1/3 of them. I realize there may be some anti-communist propaganda involved with this book. However, with LDS church leaders crying out against communism I guess that's okay.
I believe that our nation is in jeopardy of being over ran with socialism. Socialism is just another face to communism. I believe that it is important to study these things so you can recognize fallacy in the political machines of our age.
The reason I read this book was because it was suggested by then President of the Church, David O. McKay, during General Conference of Oct. 1959. (I couldn't find this talk on line, but I did find numerous! on-line references to the talk Pres. McKay gave calling church members to read the book).
Here's a link to an article about Skousen writing the book. http://www.latterdayconservative.com/...
It was interesting to learn that Pres. Monson was actually involved in the initial publishing of this book...
Preview a trailer here at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH8LkI...
*********************************************
I LOVED this book! I took my sweet time reading it and soaked up every word. This book reviews the history of communism from its rise with Marx until 1960. The only bad thing is that I would love to read "the rest of the story," meaning through to the present.
This book was extremely eye opening in regard to how communism was spread. It was frustrating reading about the lackadaisical attitude of government officials world wide who had blinders on and let the USSR run wild at the close of WWII. They never believed that the Russians were really "that bad." It was also interesting that while the world sat back and watched LDS church leaders like President Benson, J. Rueben Clark and David O. McKay were declaring from the pulpits for all to realize that communism was seeking to destroy our liberty. I wonder how many were listening? Is my family listening now?
Here are some quotes just so you know...
“The paths we are following, if we move forward thereon, will inevitably lead us to socialism or communism, and these two are as like as two peas in a pod in their ultimate effect upon our
liberties......We may first observe that communism and socialism—
which we shall hereafter group together and dub Satanism—cannot live with Christianity nor with any religion that postulates a creator.”
J. Rueben Clark Deseret News—September 25, 1949
"During the first half of the twentieth century we have traveled far into the soul-destroying land of socialism." Pres. McKay, Deseret News Oct. 18, 1952
“The aim and purpose...was then and is now world socialism, which communism seeks to achieve through revolution and which socialists seek to achieve through evolution.” Pres. Benson Oct. 1961-General Conference
Anyway...My edition was published in 1961. Here are a sampling of some of the communist goals at that time that I thought were still interesting nearly 50 years later... (see "Witness" by Whittaker Chambers also these lists are found from pages 259-262 in the book).
*Capture one or both of the political parties in the US.
*Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
*Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.
*Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."
*Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.
*Break down cultural standards of morality be promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio and TV.
*Present homo-sexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."
*Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."
*Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture-education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics,etc
*Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
*Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.
Okay, so that was only about 1/3 of them. I realize there may be some anti-communist propaganda involved with this book. However, with LDS church leaders crying out against communism I guess that's okay.
I believe that our nation is in jeopardy of being over ran with socialism. Socialism is just another face to communism. I believe that it is important to study these things so you can recognize fallacy in the political machines of our age.
The reason I read this book was because it was suggested by then President of the Church, David O. McKay, during General Conference of Oct. 1959. (I couldn't find this talk on line, but I did find numerous! on-line references to the talk Pres. McKay gave calling church members to read the book).
Here's a link to an article about Skousen writing the book. http://www.latterdayconservative.com/...
It was interesting to learn that Pres. Monson was actually involved in the initial publishing of this book...
June 12, 2020
Having heard that this book was a terrible propaganda volume written about communism, I was disappointed in reading this work to only find trivially obvious truth about the behavior of Marx, American Communists, and the Soviet Union. Admittedly, there has always been a reluctance among socialists and progressives to label their fellow travelers as being the moral equals of Hitler and other fascists, and this book gives at least some hint of the reason why. The author's discussion of communist infiltration and the desire of socialists to control education to brainwash the young is no longer a matter of tinfoil hat accusations but something that can be seen in person in the contemporary revolts and the establishment of various socialist "autonomous zones" all over the downtown areas of contemporary American cities. Yet this book has strangely little to say about the future of the conflict between patriotic Americans with a suitably strong sense of righteous nationalist sentiment and Communists and their allies and a lot to say about the past, and so while this book is certainly timely it is also a work of history far more than it is a work of prophecy. That may be for the best given the poor track record of would-be prophetic works.
This book is almost 400 pages long and is divided into two parts. The first part of the book is divided into twelve parts. After an introductory discussion on the rise of the Marxist man, the author discusses the problems of the lives of the founders of Communism (1), the appeal of Communism to pseudo-intellectuals (2), the Communist approach to the solution of world problems (3), a brief critique of this approach (4), the rise of the revolutionary movement in Russia (5), how Russia became a world power (6), Communism in the United States (7), Communism and World War II (8), Communist attacks on the free world after World War II (9), Communism under Khrushchev (10), the fall of Cuba (11), and the future task (12) of Western nations, most notably in recognizing the failure of coexistence. After some historical photographs, which are well worth enjoying, the second part of the book discusses five vital questions in dealing with Communism, including what the defenders of communism say (1), how do people build a free nation (2), what is free enterprise capitalism (3), did the early Christians practice Communism (4), and what is the secret weapon of Communism (5), after which the book ends with a bibliography and index.
Ultimately, if you are someone who is familiar with the history of Marx and Communism and the Soviet Union and the efforts of Progressive to mimic socialist thinking of Europe, and if you have had angry encounters with contemporary leftist propaganda, especially on social media, this book will not tell you much that you do not already know about the crisis that our nation (and other nations) faces. The author clearly exposes the hostility towards history and the logical flaws of economic determinism that characterize the Communists of his time as well as our own, by whatever name they have called themselves. The self-contradictions as people trip over themselves to follow the latest folly to come from party organs are something we have seen as well in our own time as well given the rapid pace of derangement on the part of the left. If this book does little when it comes to encouraging and supporting and planning the response to revolutionary leftism, it certainly does provide a historical context to this problem that will allow readers to encourage themselves in knowing that upon our generation too has come the sad duty of standing against the barbarians at the gates.
This book is almost 400 pages long and is divided into two parts. The first part of the book is divided into twelve parts. After an introductory discussion on the rise of the Marxist man, the author discusses the problems of the lives of the founders of Communism (1), the appeal of Communism to pseudo-intellectuals (2), the Communist approach to the solution of world problems (3), a brief critique of this approach (4), the rise of the revolutionary movement in Russia (5), how Russia became a world power (6), Communism in the United States (7), Communism and World War II (8), Communist attacks on the free world after World War II (9), Communism under Khrushchev (10), the fall of Cuba (11), and the future task (12) of Western nations, most notably in recognizing the failure of coexistence. After some historical photographs, which are well worth enjoying, the second part of the book discusses five vital questions in dealing with Communism, including what the defenders of communism say (1), how do people build a free nation (2), what is free enterprise capitalism (3), did the early Christians practice Communism (4), and what is the secret weapon of Communism (5), after which the book ends with a bibliography and index.
Ultimately, if you are someone who is familiar with the history of Marx and Communism and the Soviet Union and the efforts of Progressive to mimic socialist thinking of Europe, and if you have had angry encounters with contemporary leftist propaganda, especially on social media, this book will not tell you much that you do not already know about the crisis that our nation (and other nations) faces. The author clearly exposes the hostility towards history and the logical flaws of economic determinism that characterize the Communists of his time as well as our own, by whatever name they have called themselves. The self-contradictions as people trip over themselves to follow the latest folly to come from party organs are something we have seen as well in our own time as well given the rapid pace of derangement on the part of the left. If this book does little when it comes to encouraging and supporting and planning the response to revolutionary leftism, it certainly does provide a historical context to this problem that will allow readers to encourage themselves in knowing that upon our generation too has come the sad duty of standing against the barbarians at the gates.
September 9, 2009
Can't believe how much we as a country have adopted the Communist philosophy. They are right on target to bring us down if we do not wake up soon and make a stand for freedom.
February 12, 2010
This should be required reading in our public schools. Revealing.
April 21, 2008
This book demonstrates the whole picture that communism/Marxism is simply "modern materialism in action." Conservatively slanted, mostly giving a historical context beginning with Marxism, the content is somewhat dated.
This text quotes 45 current communist/socialist/materialistic goals (as stated in the Communist Manifesto). Some of them are to: (15) Capture one or both of the political parties in the US. (16) Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights. (17) Get control of the schools....Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line back in textbooks. (24) Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press. (25) Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio and TV. (26) Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy." (27) Infiltrate the churches...Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch." (28) Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state." (29) Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a world-wide basis. (38) ...Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand or treat. (39) Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals. (40) Discredit the family as an institution. (41) Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.
Wow! That's a lot to digest. Then, the author gives a few pages (pp. 275-288) of what individuals, families, parents, teachers, ministers, businessmen, legislators, and the press can do to "strike a blow for freedom." The last chapter gives a speech that Skousen gave, addressed to a banquet at the Washington State PTA, which is entitled "What is the Secret Weapon of Communism?" He then states that we can all combat communism/socialism/materialism by returning to the principles dictated by the Ten Commandments in the Bible. Briefly, he explains his position.
I'm giving this book 5 stars because this is the kind of book I've been wanting to read for the past 3-4 years. Yes, it is dated; yes, it is propaganda given during the Cold War. It is a concise and thorough explanation of world history, which I think is nice for those who would like to know about world history and various countries' interactions.
The biggest thing that was not explained well enough for my taste was the connection between communism and materialism. (It was stated, but no background was given to explain.) I also would like to read in more detail about how what we (individuals, parents, teachers, legislators, press, etc.) can do can influence this communism/socialism/materialism trend that is still prevalent in society. Perhaps broadening the discussion from communism to other underground and illegal organizations (such as the Mafia) would help explain a more global societal problem.
Suggestions he gives to individuals, parents, legislators, members of the press, and businessmen are as follows:
--train kids to be like Washington and Lincoln, not Marx and Lenin
--take care of the spiritual needs of your children because we are in an ideological war
--take your kids to church
--help your kids grow up
--give 90% love and 10% discipline
--don't parent permissively. This leads to maladjusted personalities.
--read his book, So You Want to Raise a Boy
--be active in PTA, so that the socialists/communists don't take over
--have a freedom library, containing biographies of the founding fathers
--be up to date on political problems
--subscribe to US News and World Report
--at dinner conversations, point out the left-winged slant in the media
--be involved in civic and political affairs
--be up on communistic/socialistic thought to be able to detect it
--define principles that make America a free people and what principles that destroy freedom where socialists take over
--teach free enterprise
--be aware of those who try to "help" vs "control" education
--read the following books: Conquest of American Mind, What's Happened to our Schools?, The Turning of the Tides, Progressive Education is Reeducation, Brainwashing in the High Schools, Communistic Socialist Propaganda in American schools
--remember that our Founding fathers were just successful businessmen
--Write to the American Security Council, 205 W. Monroe St., Chicago, b/c they give frequent intelligence reports to the public
--Remember that socialism infiltrates both political parties. Throw in financial support for candidates/legislation/activities to support freedom
--sponsor essay and speech contests in schools to promote American ideals and resist communist ideals
--Resist sale/trade to communistic countries
--work towards an economic tax structure
--contact legislators
--expose "social Christianity" as a lack of Christianity (see Luke 22:36)
This text quotes 45 current communist/socialist/materialistic goals (as stated in the Communist Manifesto). Some of them are to: (15) Capture one or both of the political parties in the US. (16) Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights. (17) Get control of the schools....Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line back in textbooks. (24) Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press. (25) Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio and TV. (26) Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy." (27) Infiltrate the churches...Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch." (28) Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state." (29) Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a world-wide basis. (38) ...Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand or treat. (39) Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals. (40) Discredit the family as an institution. (41) Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.
Wow! That's a lot to digest. Then, the author gives a few pages (pp. 275-288) of what individuals, families, parents, teachers, ministers, businessmen, legislators, and the press can do to "strike a blow for freedom." The last chapter gives a speech that Skousen gave, addressed to a banquet at the Washington State PTA, which is entitled "What is the Secret Weapon of Communism?" He then states that we can all combat communism/socialism/materialism by returning to the principles dictated by the Ten Commandments in the Bible. Briefly, he explains his position.
I'm giving this book 5 stars because this is the kind of book I've been wanting to read for the past 3-4 years. Yes, it is dated; yes, it is propaganda given during the Cold War. It is a concise and thorough explanation of world history, which I think is nice for those who would like to know about world history and various countries' interactions.
The biggest thing that was not explained well enough for my taste was the connection between communism and materialism. (It was stated, but no background was given to explain.) I also would like to read in more detail about how what we (individuals, parents, teachers, legislators, press, etc.) can do can influence this communism/socialism/materialism trend that is still prevalent in society. Perhaps broadening the discussion from communism to other underground and illegal organizations (such as the Mafia) would help explain a more global societal problem.
Suggestions he gives to individuals, parents, legislators, members of the press, and businessmen are as follows:
--train kids to be like Washington and Lincoln, not Marx and Lenin
--take care of the spiritual needs of your children because we are in an ideological war
--take your kids to church
--help your kids grow up
--give 90% love and 10% discipline
--don't parent permissively. This leads to maladjusted personalities.
--read his book, So You Want to Raise a Boy
--be active in PTA, so that the socialists/communists don't take over
--have a freedom library, containing biographies of the founding fathers
--be up to date on political problems
--subscribe to US News and World Report
--at dinner conversations, point out the left-winged slant in the media
--be involved in civic and political affairs
--be up on communistic/socialistic thought to be able to detect it
--define principles that make America a free people and what principles that destroy freedom where socialists take over
--teach free enterprise
--be aware of those who try to "help" vs "control" education
--read the following books: Conquest of American Mind, What's Happened to our Schools?, The Turning of the Tides, Progressive Education is Reeducation, Brainwashing in the High Schools, Communistic Socialist Propaganda in American schools
--remember that our Founding fathers were just successful businessmen
--Write to the American Security Council, 205 W. Monroe St., Chicago, b/c they give frequent intelligence reports to the public
--Remember that socialism infiltrates both political parties. Throw in financial support for candidates/legislation/activities to support freedom
--sponsor essay and speech contests in schools to promote American ideals and resist communist ideals
--Resist sale/trade to communistic countries
--work towards an economic tax structure
--contact legislators
--expose "social Christianity" as a lack of Christianity (see Luke 22:36)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2010
The Naked Communist is a fantastic comprehensive look at Communism. Written in the 1960's, its dated, but that is what makes it great. Skousen, a former FBI agent and practicing Mormon, wrote this book with a true fear of the danger Communism.
Skousen analyzes the life and philosophy of Marx and Engels. He studies how Communism not only condemns capitalism and private property but also religion and morals, and why it must do so. He examines how Communism first rose to power in Russia, its influence on World War II, its subsequent expansion into Asia, Communism's detailed plan to capture the entire world through revolt and bloodshed, and how the U.S.S.R. sent spies into our country.
Most interesting to me, Skousen publishes the official goals of the Communist leaders. Such goals included: easy divorces, increased promiscuity, a stigmatism that religion is immature and not fit for professional studies, and for art to become shapeless and meaningless. Although this is just a few of Communism's goals, its apparent that they have been achieved – despite the fall of the U.S.S.R. It's clear that the increased role and expansion of government and “progressive politics” is the aftertaste of Communist infiltration forever instilled in our country's personality.
Skousen writes well and clear. Although he could not have written of Communism's fall, I found it more interesting to study Communism through the eyes of a man scared for the future, someone who perceived Communism as the aggressive threat it was. I would much rather study Communism from the fearful view of the 1960's than the modern day view of poverty stricken Catholic Cuba and Capitalist embracing China – both of which must be keeping Marx rolling in his grave.
I highly recommend Skousen's work on Communism. We must study Communism so we can recognize when those old Communist idea's come up in politics, media, and from the mouth's our of colleagues and friends. We must understand Communism so that we can recognize those ideas for what they are – Communist propaganda.
If you were like me and thought that Communism was merely a failed economic system, like is often taught, you must read this to understand that Communism posed a threat to everything moral and righteous in the world.
Skousen analyzes the life and philosophy of Marx and Engels. He studies how Communism not only condemns capitalism and private property but also religion and morals, and why it must do so. He examines how Communism first rose to power in Russia, its influence on World War II, its subsequent expansion into Asia, Communism's detailed plan to capture the entire world through revolt and bloodshed, and how the U.S.S.R. sent spies into our country.
Most interesting to me, Skousen publishes the official goals of the Communist leaders. Such goals included: easy divorces, increased promiscuity, a stigmatism that religion is immature and not fit for professional studies, and for art to become shapeless and meaningless. Although this is just a few of Communism's goals, its apparent that they have been achieved – despite the fall of the U.S.S.R. It's clear that the increased role and expansion of government and “progressive politics” is the aftertaste of Communist infiltration forever instilled in our country's personality.
Skousen writes well and clear. Although he could not have written of Communism's fall, I found it more interesting to study Communism through the eyes of a man scared for the future, someone who perceived Communism as the aggressive threat it was. I would much rather study Communism from the fearful view of the 1960's than the modern day view of poverty stricken Catholic Cuba and Capitalist embracing China – both of which must be keeping Marx rolling in his grave.
I highly recommend Skousen's work on Communism. We must study Communism so we can recognize when those old Communist idea's come up in politics, media, and from the mouth's our of colleagues and friends. We must understand Communism so that we can recognize those ideas for what they are – Communist propaganda.
If you were like me and thought that Communism was merely a failed economic system, like is often taught, you must read this to understand that Communism posed a threat to everything moral and righteous in the world.
August 27, 2011
Walking away from this book I feel like I have a much clearer idea of what communism is all about and its history. Starting with Karl Marx, Skousen gives a thorough, concise overview of his life and mindset. He also includes a background on Engels. From there he moves into Lenin, transitions nicely into Stalin. Then he gets you into the midst of WWII and Asian developments. He does go into Cuba, though Castro was still in his beginning stages of rule at the time of his writing.
Throughout the book, he consistently shows the dangers of Americans working for the communists. At the time of writing there was a lot of intelligence that was compromised and verified in court cases.
The book I read was not the first printing, so some additional info was added.
Throughout the book, he consistently shows the dangers of Americans working for the communists. At the time of writing there was a lot of intelligence that was compromised and verified in court cases.
The book I read was not the first printing, so some additional info was added.
August 19, 2021
If you want a history of communism, this is not it. If you want a primer on marxist/stalinist thought also not it. If you want a bad college essay combined with a fox News opinion piece, you've come to the right spot.
The book is full of logical fallacies, over generalizations, undefended assertions, fear mongering, and black and white/zero sum thinking. Skousen over quotes from single sources that are themselves somewhat questionable.
Summarized in one sentence: Communists are bad and sneaky and if you remotely agree with anything a communist ever said you must be a communist or a communist dupe.
The book is full of logical fallacies, over generalizations, undefended assertions, fear mongering, and black and white/zero sum thinking. Skousen over quotes from single sources that are themselves somewhat questionable.
Summarized in one sentence: Communists are bad and sneaky and if you remotely agree with anything a communist ever said you must be a communist or a communist dupe.
February 11, 2011
A must read for anyone and everyone. This book not only gives you a history of communism and Marxism, but it also gives the reader a deep understanding of the Communist goal, to consume the whole of mankind. I think that every American citizen should read this book so as to strengthen their belief in the democratic republic that we call Freedom.
January 22, 2022
Zero pictures of or stories about naked communists. Very disappointed, dishonest marketing. Quit using the lure of our bodies to sell your filthy liberal smut.
February 16, 2023
I didn't know that I wanted to know all that I didn't know about Communism. This book is a MUST READ! It's very clear and thoughtful. *Spoiler Alert the end of the book is so encouraging and edifying you'll want to wake your kids and start teaching them better. I am very glad I took the time to read this. I hope you will, too.
July 21, 2017
Excellent. Much more fascinating than I anticipated. I read this because I came across a statement from Ezra T. Benson (former President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and great patriot) that he felt every member of the Church (Mormons) should read this book...so I did!
I excepted to learn a lot (which I did!), but I didn't expect to be so pulled into it. I'm still quite surprised in writing this review how much I liked this book! It's so good to better understand the Communist founders, the Communist philosophy and mission, and how that all impacts events today. Even though it was written in the late 1950s, it is still important today to understand Communism.
I excepted to learn a lot (which I did!), but I didn't expect to be so pulled into it. I'm still quite surprised in writing this review how much I liked this book! It's so good to better understand the Communist founders, the Communist philosophy and mission, and how that all impacts events today. Even though it was written in the late 1950s, it is still important today to understand Communism.
November 2, 2008
Every American should read this book. It's a great history of Marx and his movement. Now I know why the Red Scare was such a scare. The Communist party shouldn't be allowed to exist in this country since it's stated purpose it to take away our freedoms as Americans. This isn't freedom of speech, it's treason.
"Final victory can be achieved only on an international scale, and only by the combined efforts of the workers of all countries." Joseph Stalin in "Leninism" Vol 1, p. 170 (Naked Communist p. 290)
"Final victory can be achieved only on an international scale, and only by the combined efforts of the workers of all countries." Joseph Stalin in "Leninism" Vol 1, p. 170 (Naked Communist p. 290)
April 6, 2024
Justification for hundreds of Mormon kids in the CIA that regularly “disappeared” “dissidents” and their children, because they could one day become communists. In Bali, El Salvador, Guatemala, etc. etc., how many have suffered and died at the hands of US-sponsored fascists around the world since the publication of this—their bible? A pox on Skousen, his progeny and every armchair dictator that promulgates this garbage.
May 30, 2008
This was incredible. It details all the plans and evil designs of the communist movement. It is horrifying to realize how much they have already achieved and to see how our political correctness and other atheistic acceptances are inviting communism in the front door to the ruin of our wonderful country.
Read
October 11, 2020W. Cleon Skousen published The Naked Communist in 1958, just after the Second Red Scare. Julius and Ethel Rosenburg, Alger Hiss, Elizabeth Bentley, Whittaker Chambers and others had been revealed as Soviet spies and/or sympathizers, and the American public was concerned that their government had been deeply penetrated by the enemy. In 1961, Skousen added to the book a list of 45 goals of the Communists. The book got a second, posthumous refresher in 2017, after Dr. Ben Carson referenced the book in a public forum, noting that most of the Communists' 45 Goals are still relevant more than 5 decades on, noting that most of the goals have already been achieved, and decrying what (the Left) is "trying to do to the American family, and what they are trying to do to destroy our Judeo-Christian values and morality."
Skousen's book came to my attention because it was referenced in several editorials published by Intellectual Takeout, a program of the Charlamagne Institute, which publishes opinion pieces for purposes of "defending and advancing Western Civilization." The mission statement for the Charlamagne Institute specifically references "Cultural Marxism" and a coming "technologically advanced dark age" as two things it stands against. Cultural Marxism is capitalized because it refers to something specific, which I will return to near the end of this review. It suffices for now to say that the reference to Marxism might help explain why a book that was written during the Kruschev era has found a following in the second decade of the following millenium.
The 2017 edition begins with a preface from Paul B. Skousen, W. Cleon's son, explaining the author's credentials (notably his work with the FBI, teaching at BYU, and experience as a chief of police) and his motivations for writing the book. According to Skousen The Younger, The Naked Communist was intended as some sort of introductory textbook, a one-stop shop for everything the aspiring student should know about the Communists. Indeed, it reads like a textbook, with a summary at the beginning of each chapter describing what the Student should know upon completing the chapter.
Skousen begins with a brief description of the Communist worldview, in particular its opposition to organized religions. He then provides a history of Communism, from Marx and Engels, proceeding to Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin, Kruschev, and Castro. China is mentioned, as well, though none of the famous Chinese revolutionaries are described in any depth. Here, Skousen is careful to note that Communists have historically been bad family men. Then Skousen gives the list of 45 current objectives of the Communists, which is followed in the 2017 edition by a new chapter explaining how each of these goals has either been achieved or is, with few exceptions, mostly accomplished. Returning to the original text, Skousen writes a fictional symposium, using famous quotes from famous Communists as answers to hypothetical questions from an American student. He then inserts a brief description of the benefits of a free market, relative to Communism, before returning finally to his theme from the first chapter. He inserts a brief aside about how the colonists in Virginia flirted with communism briefly in the 1600s (this might come as a surprise to Marx). He closes by explaining why Communists oppose religion in general and Judeo-Christian morals in particular, and why, conversely, Judeo-Christians must reject Communism.
The penalty for succumbing to the Communists will be to suffer the same way the Soviet people have, with dire shortages of basic necessities, always under the heel of a ruthless and immoral dictatorship, that uses terror tactics (the same way Kruschev did) to encourage more production.
In my background research on Skousen, I discovered that he was one of future Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney's professors at BYU. A 2007 National Review article titled "Romney's Radical Roots," by Mark Hemingway, references The Naked Communist and states that "even for 1958[, it] is so irrational in its paranoia that it would have made Whittaker Chambers blush." I wasn't around in 1958, but knowing that the then-Soviet Union had several highly-placed, admitted spies in the US government in the late 1940s and early 1950s, knowing also that the Soviets trained revolutionaries from other countries in Moscow before dispatching them to bring Communist rule to their homelands, and knowing finally that the Soviet Union's successor state is still actively interfering in American politics in the year 2020, I cannot agree that The 1958 version of The Naked Communist is paranoid in an absolute sense, and it may even have seemed fairly moderate in 1958.
The bit added in 1961, the 45 current goals of Communists, is more problematic. These goals are not from some Communist International official statement. They are inferred by Skousen. Skousen notes repeatedly that the Communists are not open about their immediate aims, because subterfuge is part of the strategy to undermine the United States. Some of the goals are manifestly true, such as #7, calling for admission of Maoist China into the UN. Some of the goals are probably true, such as #1, US acceptance of nuclear detente with the Soviet Union. Some of them are breathtaking in both their scope and vagueness, such as #40, "Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce," but are nevertheless supportable through the writings of actual Communists. Some are too comical to be worthy of discrediting, such as #23: promote ugly art. And some, like #26, "Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as 'normal, natural, and healthy,'" are charitably described as anachronistic. Stalin outlawed homosexuality in the Soviet Union in the 1940s. Skousen, a devout Mormon, viewed homosexuality as a challenge to the traditional family. It probably made sense to him that the Soviets would be trying to bring about the downfall of America by promoting and normalizing it. Looking back from 2020, it seems more likely that the enemies of America would try to turn Americans against each other by exploiting their prejudices, whatever those happened to be. It seems more likely to me that Skousen was unwittingly promoting the Communist agenda by including this and several other Goals in the list of 45. In this way, the 45 Goals are more revealing about Skousen's worldview than about the Communists.
It is noteworthy that not one of the 45 Goals is "violently overthrow the bourgeoisie" or "establish a dictatorship of the proletariat," or "create a Communist utopia." These are, of course, mentioned in the Communist Manifesto. Skousen's book discusses them at length in every other chapter *except* the two about the 45 Goals. The 45 Goals are supposed to be steps along the way to achieving the final aim of making a Marxist world order, yet this distinction proves elusive in their legacy.
Nevertheless, if one assumes the 45 Goals are unique to their time and place, and refer to specific Communists then active, they are largely beyond debate. They are also irrelevant. The Soviet Union is gone. East Germany is gone. Soviet-trained revolutionaries in China have introduced durable free-market reforms. Communist Cuba survives, even though Castro and his only ally in the Western Hemisphere, Hugo Chavez, are dead. Juche-Communist North Korea survives, surrounded by by enemies and fair-weather friends. The Communist International is long-since dissolved, and the program to remake the world in Marx's image is all but unattainable.
Or is it? Cleon Skousen passed away in 2006, but a new edition of his book became available in 2017, including a new chapter about the 45 Goals, by his son, Paul B. Skousen. Writes the younger Skousen, the program to weaken America continues, as prosperity gives way to unrest, and the people demand solutions from their government. "There is nothing new to this pattern...it is the proven path to replace self-government with consolidated governmental power. This evolving, new American Order, would serve as the foundation for a new World Order." Paul B. Skousen goes on to describe how the Communist goals have either been achieved or are in the process of being completed. He expands on the Carson statement previously quoted, making the case that the 45 goals are somehow still relevant.
This review would like to pose the question, Why? Why are Ben Carson, Paul Skousen, the Charlamagne Institute, and many others propping up some Cold War tract as though it were written about our own times? Why, if the objectives have been largely achieved, is it necessary to revisit them, and, in the cases where the objective has not yet been achieved, who is working to achieve them?
A central theme of the 45 Goals is that Communists are attempting to infiltrate art galleries, movie production companies, student newspapers, protest movements, churches, political parties, schools, businesses, unions, etc. Cleon Skousen writes that these goals are "current" as of 1961, and Paul Skousen affirms that they are "current" as of 2017. Thus arises a central problem: there is no test to determine if our institutions have been infiltrated, and there is no test to determine if the infiltrated organizations have been successful in eradicating the Communist influence. Communists hide, they lie about their affiliations, and they play the long game. Like a retrovirus, they are usually dormant, but can occasionally "flare up." They are a chronic condition, and when symptoms have been going on for long enough, the people forget what it like to be asymptomatic. The Communists might succeed in making our public sculptures ugly. At first we might say, "Hey, these are some ugly sculptures." But eventually we will be unable to distinguish between what is beautiful and what is ugly.
The prescription, according to the Skousens, is to oppose the 45 Goals. Strengthen the traditional family structure. Promote the American Founding Fathers. Reject nuclear détente.
One can perhaps see why the 45 Goals are problematic in and of themselves. The omission of the explicit Communist end objectives from the 45 Goals makes the Communist takeover seem imminent. Their omission also defines the enemy mostly in opposition to American virtues. In the Skousen worldview, the Communists are now and always will be on the verge of victory. They have been with us throughout history (at least since 1610) and will be with us forever, the opposing face of our democratic, free-market coin. Like the struggle against original sin, the struggle against Communism will never end.
So, who are today's Communists? At least since the early 1990s, and perhaps earlier, writers started using the term Cultural Marxism as a pejorative. According to the editors of Wikipedia, Cultural Marxism might be synonymous with Cultural Bolshevism, which was alternately used as a compliment, prior to World War II, or as a criticism by the Nazis, during World War II. According to some, it is synonymous with the Social Justice movement, and as such has its own boosters and detractors. Certainly there are self-identifying Marxists among us, and some will point to their existence as evidence that this or the other social movement is Marxist in origin. The relationship of its intellectual pedigree to actual Marxists is in doubt. Some have even argued that the intellectual relationship to the Communists of the 1950s is irrelevant. They say that there are Marxist movements that are "grass-roots," implying voluntary eruption without pollination.
The Naked Communist provides a convenient reference for determining whether a movement is Communist, or not. Simply review the objectives of the organization. Are they promoting unilateral disarmament? Then they are promoting Goal #3. Are they promoting free trade with China? Goal #4. Are they fighting for marriage equality? Goal #26. It is my conclusion, based on the revisions made to the book for its 2017 release, that the 45 Goals are intended to be and are actually being used as a litmus test for validating charges of Cultural Marxism. One can draw a straight line from Lenin to Trotsky to Kruschev to Castro to Portland, OR, if one applies this simple test. If one applies the correct level of intellectual rigor, just about any progressive movement in the United States could be labeled Marxist/Socialist/Communist.
Does it matter? Consider this. Florida has 29 electoral votes. It has a large population of ex-Cuban nationals, who fled the dictatorship of Fidel Castro and sought a better life in America. Someone stands to gain, if the impression can be created, that the progressive movement in America is the same violent movement that brought Castro to power.
We haven't heard the last of W. Cleon Skousen.
Skousen's book came to my attention because it was referenced in several editorials published by Intellectual Takeout, a program of the Charlamagne Institute, which publishes opinion pieces for purposes of "defending and advancing Western Civilization." The mission statement for the Charlamagne Institute specifically references "Cultural Marxism" and a coming "technologically advanced dark age" as two things it stands against. Cultural Marxism is capitalized because it refers to something specific, which I will return to near the end of this review. It suffices for now to say that the reference to Marxism might help explain why a book that was written during the Kruschev era has found a following in the second decade of the following millenium.
The 2017 edition begins with a preface from Paul B. Skousen, W. Cleon's son, explaining the author's credentials (notably his work with the FBI, teaching at BYU, and experience as a chief of police) and his motivations for writing the book. According to Skousen The Younger, The Naked Communist was intended as some sort of introductory textbook, a one-stop shop for everything the aspiring student should know about the Communists. Indeed, it reads like a textbook, with a summary at the beginning of each chapter describing what the Student should know upon completing the chapter.
Skousen begins with a brief description of the Communist worldview, in particular its opposition to organized religions. He then provides a history of Communism, from Marx and Engels, proceeding to Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin, Kruschev, and Castro. China is mentioned, as well, though none of the famous Chinese revolutionaries are described in any depth. Here, Skousen is careful to note that Communists have historically been bad family men. Then Skousen gives the list of 45 current objectives of the Communists, which is followed in the 2017 edition by a new chapter explaining how each of these goals has either been achieved or is, with few exceptions, mostly accomplished. Returning to the original text, Skousen writes a fictional symposium, using famous quotes from famous Communists as answers to hypothetical questions from an American student. He then inserts a brief description of the benefits of a free market, relative to Communism, before returning finally to his theme from the first chapter. He inserts a brief aside about how the colonists in Virginia flirted with communism briefly in the 1600s (this might come as a surprise to Marx). He closes by explaining why Communists oppose religion in general and Judeo-Christian morals in particular, and why, conversely, Judeo-Christians must reject Communism.
The penalty for succumbing to the Communists will be to suffer the same way the Soviet people have, with dire shortages of basic necessities, always under the heel of a ruthless and immoral dictatorship, that uses terror tactics (the same way Kruschev did) to encourage more production.
In my background research on Skousen, I discovered that he was one of future Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney's professors at BYU. A 2007 National Review article titled "Romney's Radical Roots," by Mark Hemingway, references The Naked Communist and states that "even for 1958[, it] is so irrational in its paranoia that it would have made Whittaker Chambers blush." I wasn't around in 1958, but knowing that the then-Soviet Union had several highly-placed, admitted spies in the US government in the late 1940s and early 1950s, knowing also that the Soviets trained revolutionaries from other countries in Moscow before dispatching them to bring Communist rule to their homelands, and knowing finally that the Soviet Union's successor state is still actively interfering in American politics in the year 2020, I cannot agree that The 1958 version of The Naked Communist is paranoid in an absolute sense, and it may even have seemed fairly moderate in 1958.
The bit added in 1961, the 45 current goals of Communists, is more problematic. These goals are not from some Communist International official statement. They are inferred by Skousen. Skousen notes repeatedly that the Communists are not open about their immediate aims, because subterfuge is part of the strategy to undermine the United States. Some of the goals are manifestly true, such as #7, calling for admission of Maoist China into the UN. Some of the goals are probably true, such as #1, US acceptance of nuclear detente with the Soviet Union. Some of them are breathtaking in both their scope and vagueness, such as #40, "Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce," but are nevertheless supportable through the writings of actual Communists. Some are too comical to be worthy of discrediting, such as #23: promote ugly art. And some, like #26, "Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as 'normal, natural, and healthy,'" are charitably described as anachronistic. Stalin outlawed homosexuality in the Soviet Union in the 1940s. Skousen, a devout Mormon, viewed homosexuality as a challenge to the traditional family. It probably made sense to him that the Soviets would be trying to bring about the downfall of America by promoting and normalizing it. Looking back from 2020, it seems more likely that the enemies of America would try to turn Americans against each other by exploiting their prejudices, whatever those happened to be. It seems more likely to me that Skousen was unwittingly promoting the Communist agenda by including this and several other Goals in the list of 45. In this way, the 45 Goals are more revealing about Skousen's worldview than about the Communists.
It is noteworthy that not one of the 45 Goals is "violently overthrow the bourgeoisie" or "establish a dictatorship of the proletariat," or "create a Communist utopia." These are, of course, mentioned in the Communist Manifesto. Skousen's book discusses them at length in every other chapter *except* the two about the 45 Goals. The 45 Goals are supposed to be steps along the way to achieving the final aim of making a Marxist world order, yet this distinction proves elusive in their legacy.
Nevertheless, if one assumes the 45 Goals are unique to their time and place, and refer to specific Communists then active, they are largely beyond debate. They are also irrelevant. The Soviet Union is gone. East Germany is gone. Soviet-trained revolutionaries in China have introduced durable free-market reforms. Communist Cuba survives, even though Castro and his only ally in the Western Hemisphere, Hugo Chavez, are dead. Juche-Communist North Korea survives, surrounded by by enemies and fair-weather friends. The Communist International is long-since dissolved, and the program to remake the world in Marx's image is all but unattainable.
Or is it? Cleon Skousen passed away in 2006, but a new edition of his book became available in 2017, including a new chapter about the 45 Goals, by his son, Paul B. Skousen. Writes the younger Skousen, the program to weaken America continues, as prosperity gives way to unrest, and the people demand solutions from their government. "There is nothing new to this pattern...it is the proven path to replace self-government with consolidated governmental power. This evolving, new American Order, would serve as the foundation for a new World Order." Paul B. Skousen goes on to describe how the Communist goals have either been achieved or are in the process of being completed. He expands on the Carson statement previously quoted, making the case that the 45 goals are somehow still relevant.
This review would like to pose the question, Why? Why are Ben Carson, Paul Skousen, the Charlamagne Institute, and many others propping up some Cold War tract as though it were written about our own times? Why, if the objectives have been largely achieved, is it necessary to revisit them, and, in the cases where the objective has not yet been achieved, who is working to achieve them?
A central theme of the 45 Goals is that Communists are attempting to infiltrate art galleries, movie production companies, student newspapers, protest movements, churches, political parties, schools, businesses, unions, etc. Cleon Skousen writes that these goals are "current" as of 1961, and Paul Skousen affirms that they are "current" as of 2017. Thus arises a central problem: there is no test to determine if our institutions have been infiltrated, and there is no test to determine if the infiltrated organizations have been successful in eradicating the Communist influence. Communists hide, they lie about their affiliations, and they play the long game. Like a retrovirus, they are usually dormant, but can occasionally "flare up." They are a chronic condition, and when symptoms have been going on for long enough, the people forget what it like to be asymptomatic. The Communists might succeed in making our public sculptures ugly. At first we might say, "Hey, these are some ugly sculptures." But eventually we will be unable to distinguish between what is beautiful and what is ugly.
The prescription, according to the Skousens, is to oppose the 45 Goals. Strengthen the traditional family structure. Promote the American Founding Fathers. Reject nuclear détente.
One can perhaps see why the 45 Goals are problematic in and of themselves. The omission of the explicit Communist end objectives from the 45 Goals makes the Communist takeover seem imminent. Their omission also defines the enemy mostly in opposition to American virtues. In the Skousen worldview, the Communists are now and always will be on the verge of victory. They have been with us throughout history (at least since 1610) and will be with us forever, the opposing face of our democratic, free-market coin. Like the struggle against original sin, the struggle against Communism will never end.
So, who are today's Communists? At least since the early 1990s, and perhaps earlier, writers started using the term Cultural Marxism as a pejorative. According to the editors of Wikipedia, Cultural Marxism might be synonymous with Cultural Bolshevism, which was alternately used as a compliment, prior to World War II, or as a criticism by the Nazis, during World War II. According to some, it is synonymous with the Social Justice movement, and as such has its own boosters and detractors. Certainly there are self-identifying Marxists among us, and some will point to their existence as evidence that this or the other social movement is Marxist in origin. The relationship of its intellectual pedigree to actual Marxists is in doubt. Some have even argued that the intellectual relationship to the Communists of the 1950s is irrelevant. They say that there are Marxist movements that are "grass-roots," implying voluntary eruption without pollination.
The Naked Communist provides a convenient reference for determining whether a movement is Communist, or not. Simply review the objectives of the organization. Are they promoting unilateral disarmament? Then they are promoting Goal #3. Are they promoting free trade with China? Goal #4. Are they fighting for marriage equality? Goal #26. It is my conclusion, based on the revisions made to the book for its 2017 release, that the 45 Goals are intended to be and are actually being used as a litmus test for validating charges of Cultural Marxism. One can draw a straight line from Lenin to Trotsky to Kruschev to Castro to Portland, OR, if one applies this simple test. If one applies the correct level of intellectual rigor, just about any progressive movement in the United States could be labeled Marxist/Socialist/Communist.
Does it matter? Consider this. Florida has 29 electoral votes. It has a large population of ex-Cuban nationals, who fled the dictatorship of Fidel Castro and sought a better life in America. Someone stands to gain, if the impression can be created, that the progressive movement in America is the same violent movement that brought Castro to power.
We haven't heard the last of W. Cleon Skousen.
December 27, 2020
The Naked Communist by W. Cleon Skousen
Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...
I had a most unusual experience with this book.
This book was assigned for an on-line reading group. I read it and I felt that it was dated and filled with information that was well-known. It was far better than I thought it would be. I thought it would be filed with stock Communist conspiracy fodder, but instead, it offered a pretty decent introduction into the lives and writings of Marx and Engels and the methods used by Communists to subvert countries prior to the book's publication in approximately 1961. On the whole, I thought it was fairly pedestrian and superficial for anyone who has any background into the history of the subject.
As a historical text, though, other parts of the book were chillingly relevant to current events. Skousen lists the subversion of the family as a Communist goal, and here we are near the end stage of that goal.
Of course, given the constant propaganda against the anti-anti-Communist position, my natural reflex is to believe that social forces rather than a cadre behind the scenese is responsible for where we are. On the other hand, why did transsexualism suddenly roll out three years ago? It seems reasonable to think that a very small group among the elites grabbed the subject as a way to make their enemies uncomfortable. Was it intentionally coordinated or was it opportunistic? Maybe a little of both. I can't imagine, though, that there was any kind of grassroots movement to take sex off of birth certificates or open women's restrooms to men who "identify" as women.
On the other hand, after shouting "Russia" for the last four years, we are suddenly learning how many of our elites have been bought off by Communist China. Major corporations don't dare object to the Communist genocide of the Uighurs lest they be denied the China market. There is good evidence that our President-elect at this time (December 2020) has been given millions by the Communist Chinese. We were not allowed to refer to the Coronavirus that locked down the economy during 2020 as the "China Flu" because, you know, "racism" and the fact that the Communist Chinese object. We have had revelations of Chinese spies tied to Eric Swalwell, a Congressman who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, and Senator Feinstein employed a Chinese spy for 20 years, and Britain revealed a long list of British Communist agents.
So, is there Communist infiltration of America? Yes, and it's not secret, although I'm sure that by saying this, I have just outed myself as a paranoid, conspiracy-monger who doesn't belong in polite society.
So, back to my unusual experience with the book group. Two of the members were immigrants from mainland China, who had been subjected to Communist education up to the time they immigrated. The third was an immigrant to Canada from Communist Yugoslavia.
The Chinese women could not speak highly enough about this book. They thought it should be required college reading. They thought it was fresh and interesting. It told them things about Communism that they had never heard before.
Most importantly, these Chinese women were very concerned about Communist China's influence on America. They didn't want to experience the poverty and repression that they had experienced in Communist China. They thought Americans were being duped. They feared that America was heading down the same road of Social Media Totalitarianism that China had created.
They may be right, which is one reason to go back to the roots, such as with this book, in order to remember what and why we have been fighting Communism for over one-hundred years.
Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...
I had a most unusual experience with this book.
This book was assigned for an on-line reading group. I read it and I felt that it was dated and filled with information that was well-known. It was far better than I thought it would be. I thought it would be filed with stock Communist conspiracy fodder, but instead, it offered a pretty decent introduction into the lives and writings of Marx and Engels and the methods used by Communists to subvert countries prior to the book's publication in approximately 1961. On the whole, I thought it was fairly pedestrian and superficial for anyone who has any background into the history of the subject.
As a historical text, though, other parts of the book were chillingly relevant to current events. Skousen lists the subversion of the family as a Communist goal, and here we are near the end stage of that goal.
Of course, given the constant propaganda against the anti-anti-Communist position, my natural reflex is to believe that social forces rather than a cadre behind the scenese is responsible for where we are. On the other hand, why did transsexualism suddenly roll out three years ago? It seems reasonable to think that a very small group among the elites grabbed the subject as a way to make their enemies uncomfortable. Was it intentionally coordinated or was it opportunistic? Maybe a little of both. I can't imagine, though, that there was any kind of grassroots movement to take sex off of birth certificates or open women's restrooms to men who "identify" as women.
On the other hand, after shouting "Russia" for the last four years, we are suddenly learning how many of our elites have been bought off by Communist China. Major corporations don't dare object to the Communist genocide of the Uighurs lest they be denied the China market. There is good evidence that our President-elect at this time (December 2020) has been given millions by the Communist Chinese. We were not allowed to refer to the Coronavirus that locked down the economy during 2020 as the "China Flu" because, you know, "racism" and the fact that the Communist Chinese object. We have had revelations of Chinese spies tied to Eric Swalwell, a Congressman who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, and Senator Feinstein employed a Chinese spy for 20 years, and Britain revealed a long list of British Communist agents.
So, is there Communist infiltration of America? Yes, and it's not secret, although I'm sure that by saying this, I have just outed myself as a paranoid, conspiracy-monger who doesn't belong in polite society.
So, back to my unusual experience with the book group. Two of the members were immigrants from mainland China, who had been subjected to Communist education up to the time they immigrated. The third was an immigrant to Canada from Communist Yugoslavia.
The Chinese women could not speak highly enough about this book. They thought it should be required college reading. They thought it was fresh and interesting. It told them things about Communism that they had never heard before.
Most importantly, these Chinese women were very concerned about Communist China's influence on America. They didn't want to experience the poverty and repression that they had experienced in Communist China. They thought Americans were being duped. They feared that America was heading down the same road of Social Media Totalitarianism that China had created.
They may be right, which is one reason to go back to the roots, such as with this book, in order to remember what and why we have been fighting Communism for over one-hundred years.
June 11, 2024
coming in to this book knowing that a quote from ronald reagan is on the cover and that the book is in the libraries of the CIA, FBI, and white house... i should have expected the contents of the book.
this book reads like a failed high school essay that ran out of actual reasonings so they just used attacks on character half the time and its so clear that the author hates communism with a burning passion and would like to only frame it negatively. the consistent use of religion as a backing was weak but can be explained since the author is a mormon.
if you are seeking a book to read that will explain the history of communism in an unbiased fashion this is not the book for you... but if you want to laugh a lot and have fun picking apart something that elon musk would retweet on his public twt then this is the book for you!
some highlights:
- suggestions for parents to not have communist kids - "8. be active in PTA. if you are not, communists and centralized planners will take over."
- "'progressivism' (erase the Constitution)...'environmental justice' (anti-human policies, and global warming doctrine)"
- "Thus ended the dynamic, turbulent, and restless career of Karl Marx. By all standards it was a pathetic life..."
this book reads like a failed high school essay that ran out of actual reasonings so they just used attacks on character half the time and its so clear that the author hates communism with a burning passion and would like to only frame it negatively. the consistent use of religion as a backing was weak but can be explained since the author is a mormon.
if you are seeking a book to read that will explain the history of communism in an unbiased fashion this is not the book for you... but if you want to laugh a lot and have fun picking apart something that elon musk would retweet on his public twt then this is the book for you!
some highlights:
- suggestions for parents to not have communist kids - "8. be active in PTA. if you are not, communists and centralized planners will take over."
- "'progressivism' (erase the Constitution)...'environmental justice' (anti-human policies, and global warming doctrine)"
- "Thus ended the dynamic, turbulent, and restless career of Karl Marx. By all standards it was a pathetic life..."
August 6, 2011
Anybody who is familiar with Skousen's work in the Political field would be advised to read this first, before venturing on to the Naked Capitalist. The beginning of the book explains the thought process and creed's if you will, of what a Communist is supposed to believe and follow. Skousen says it best, he wanted to cut through all the Propaganda that has been aimed at the Communist threat and get down to the facts or the Naked truth of it all. He gives some good short but in depth looks at the history Karl Marx, Fredriech Engels, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and Fidel Castro among others, and recounts a fascinating yet tragic part of World history that affects us to this day...The Betrayal of Chiang Kai-shek and China to the Communists. He gives a good history of the roots of Communism, how they came to power and the tactics that they used to stay in power and a large theme in the book...how they plan to spread their ideology, mainly by revolutionary force. The book is written in a form for the students of this topic, as most all Skousen books are.
May 3, 2013
wish I had read this earlier and I also wish that those 30 years older than I had read this years before I was born. There is a lot in this book that explains what we see happening in America today and it leaves me kind of scared. I think I need to read the revised version now though. I wonder how Islam figures into the whole picture.
This is an easy to read book that delves into the history of Communism and the people that pushed it. I had no idea of the atrocities that were committed on the Russian people and the Chinese in the name of Communism (makes Hitler seem kind a tame) until the last couple months---I know I took history in school how did I miss all this. I learned about Hitler, but what about Stalin,what about Mao or maybe the Americans that received the death penalty for giving the instructions for the atomic bomb trigger to Stalin--- I feel cheated by my typical American public education now, oh never mind, I have felt cheated by that since the day after I graduated---
This is an easy to read book that delves into the history of Communism and the people that pushed it. I had no idea of the atrocities that were committed on the Russian people and the Chinese in the name of Communism (makes Hitler seem kind a tame) until the last couple months---I know I took history in school how did I miss all this. I learned about Hitler, but what about Stalin,what about Mao or maybe the Americans that received the death penalty for giving the instructions for the atomic bomb trigger to Stalin--- I feel cheated by my typical American public education now, oh never mind, I have felt cheated by that since the day after I graduated---
Displaying 1 - 30 of 201 reviews