Herb Aptheker

[Max Sawicky]

. . .
On a more positive note, I've actually met Herb Aptheker a bunch of times
(one of those family connections things). He's an amazing storyteller --
he was a major in WW II, you know, and saw action in France, had all these
stories of the war years. He's also one of the truly great historians of
the 20th century, who revolutionized the field of African American
history, worked with W.E. Dubois, but was purged in the McCarthy years,
hounded by the FBI, and wasn't allowed a teaching position for decades.
Though he's retired now, doing the occasional lecture, you still feel the
tremendous energy there, the moral commitment bubbling beneath the
surface, tempered with a rare and extraordinary decency. I have to say I
feel genuinely privileged to have met him.   -- Dennis

I believe he also wrote the official history of the U.S. Army
(for real).

mbs