Existing comment:
"Scandalize My Name"
Paris Peace Conference April 20, 1949: "It is unthinkable that the Negro people of America or elsewhere in the world could be drawn into war with the Soviet Union" Paul Robeson.
Before Robeson even spoke in Paris a distorted version of his comment was published in the media instigating an outpouring of ill will and hostility towards the man a few months early had been exalted as the worlds greatest and highest paid performer.
Now he was being called an "enemy" of the land of his birth and "traitor" to his country. In 1950 Robeson's passport was revoked preventing him from traveling to resume his concert and acting career. In the following 12 months 85 of his concert bookings were canceled and this persecution by the FBI and US State Department continued for many years. |