1995 12 00 American Historical Review - Vol 100 No 5 - Powers

Magazine Overview

This document is a page from The American Historical Review, Volume 100, Issue 5, published in December 1995 by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Historical Association. It contains reviews of two books.

Reviews of Books

Review of 'Watch the Skies! A Chronicle of the Flying Saucer Myth' by Curtis Peebles

This review, written by Richard Gid Powers, discusses Curtis Peebles' book, which offers a "devastating and at times hilarious account of the human penchant for stubbornly embracing lies and enriching those who peddle them." Powers suggests the book draws parallels between the flying saucer myth and more mischievous fantasies involving political and racial conspiracies. The book traces the history of the UFO myth from a 1945 science fiction story through Air Force investigations and the development of a "UFO industry." It explores how the universal human craving for meaning can be perverted into error when exploited by entrepreneurs. The review highlights the quandary faced by government agencies investigating UFO rumors: releasing reports could legitimize baseless claims, while withholding them could lead to accusations of a "cover-up."

Powers finds Peebles' attempts to draw parallels between national events and the UFO myth less successful. Instead, he argues that misinformation can elaborate into a complex meaning system that becomes self-sustaining. He praises Peebles for exhaustively reading various sources and providing a case study of a phenomenon that helps explain how more noxious historical and racial conspiracy theories gain traction.

Powers concludes that conspiracy theories are "intrinsically interesting" and can lead to addiction, likening them to "soul-snarers." He hopes the Smithsonian Institution Press will release the book in paperback for use in courses on American history, communications, popular culture, and political theory, noting that if all such lunacies were as harmless as UFO spotting, it would be a benefit.

Review of 'America's Right Turn: From Nixon to Bush' by William C. Berman

This review, written by Richard Gid Powers, assesses William C. Berman's book, calling it a "useful source in preparing lectures on the politics of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s." The reviewer notes that the book is mainly a summary of political events, electoral trends, and voter alignments, reading "like a vast compilation of Washington Post headlines." Berman's central theme is that the Democratic electoral coalition, dominant from the 1930s to the 1960s, disintegrated because liberals like George McGovern and Jesse Jackson associated the party too closely with unpopular reforms. This led to the loss of key voter groups, such as blue-collar workers, urban Catholics, and white southerners, which had previously assured Democratic political supremacy since Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Berman argues that supporting busing, affirmative action, feminism, abortion rights, and gay rights were costly errors for the Democrats electorally. The Republicans capitalized on these issues to become the majority party. The reviewer finds consistency in voters' behavior from the 1950s through the 1980s, suggesting that America has "remained true to a few core principles" rather than turning right. In the 1950s and early 1960s, Democrats championed anticommunism and soft-pedaled "rights" issues to preserve their electoral base, opposing high taxes and big government.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The issue focuses on book reviews, providing critical analyses of works concerning American history and political trends. The editorial stance appears to be one of academic rigor, presenting detailed summaries and critiques of scholarly publications. The reviews themselves engage with themes of political shifts, the nature of belief systems (particularly conspiracy theories), and the historical evolution of American political parties and ideologies.