Peacenik follow-up (Lively Arts publication)

[Benjamin Zimmer]

I checked the hearing transcript via LexisNexis and there isn't much
more to be gleaned than what Victor excerpted from Google Books. The
date of the hearing in question is April 17, 1962, and the exchange
between Sen. Thurmond and Rear Admiral Vernon L. Lowrance is entitled,
"Discussion on Articles in the Lively Arts and Troop Information on
Propaganda Exploitation." No further information about The Lively Arts
is given.

--Ben Zimmer


On Sun, Nov 22, 2009 at 10:53 PM, Garson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Vick Steinbok sent me an interesting citation for peacenik in the
> Google Books database. The reference is to a government document that
> Google Books dates to 1962 which includes a committee hearing with
> Senator Strom Thurmond and Admiral Lowrance.
>
> Any mistakes in this post are of course mine. The 1962 date is not
> certain, but a search for 1963 suggests that it is in the future for
> this document. It is tricky and error-prone to extract information
> from this cite because only snippets are available, and the word
> peacenik is not directly shown in a snippet.
>
> Nevertheless, based on two extracts from page 2112 I hypothesize that
> there is an article by Edward Wynne that appears in the publication
> "Lively Arts" or "The Lively Arts" (Nyack NY) that uses peacenik and
> was published within a year of March 1962. This appearance might be
> before the Village Voice cite of January 1962.
>
> If an individual is interested in the history of the word peacenik and
> has access to the hardcopy version of the government document (cited
> below) it would be great if he or she would take a look. Also, if
> someone can access the publication "Lively Arts" in the 1960 to 1962
> time frame and look for an article by Edward Wynne that would be
> excellent. In any case, this note will be in the archive for others.
>
> The second extract below suggests that Senator Thurmond was unfamiliar
> with the term peacenik in this time frame. The extract also suggests
> that at least one peace activist voluntarily adopted the term although
> OED labels it depreciative today decades later.
>
> Here is the first extract:
>
> ... ON PROPAGANDA EXPLOITATION
> Senator THURMOND. Admiral, I have an issue of the Lively Arts, March
> 1962 - have you seen this publication -
> Admiral LOWRANCE. No, sir, I have never seen that.
> Senator THURMOND (continuing). Published by an organization in Nyack,
> N.Y.? I think it is an excellent example of agitation against the
> military, civil defense, and the general defense posture of our
> country.
> There is an article entitled "The Burning Issue" by Ruth Best. …
>
>
> Here is the second extract:
>
> In another issue of this publication the proposal is made for a
> "Peacenik" movement. I assume what is meant by "Peacenik" is an
> antimilitarist who would rather be "Red than dead."
>
> In this article, a Mr. Edward Wynne talks about the antiwar and the
> antiarmament activist. This misinformed writer set forth the "merits"
> of our disarmament so that the Soviet Union might follow suit. He
> recommends study groups to promote the idea of peaceful action against
> communism, and believes that the forces of peace are active in the
> USSR also.
>
> Admiral, the reason that I am giving emphasis to this remote,
> grassroots attempt to mold opinion in such a vehicle as the "Lively
> Arts" publication, shows that we may have a growing problem for the
> services.
>
> Citation: Military cold war education and speech review policies:
> hearings before the Special Preparedness Subcommittee of the Committee
> on Armed Services, United States Senate, Eighty-seventh Congress,
> second session, Volume 5, 1962.
> http://books.google.com/books?id=1Jk0AAAAIAAJ&q=peacenik#search_anchor
>
> The citation below also seems to contain hits for relevant passages.
> It may be a duplicate document with different metadata.
> Citation: Parts 4-5 of Military Cold War Education and Speech Review
> Policies: Hearings, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on
> Armed Services. [from old catalog], 1962.
> http://books.google.com/books?id=_dAQAAAAIAAJ&q=peacenik#search_anchor
>
> Garson
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org