Bard College Honors Alger Hiss
By Gordon Bloyer (07/14/03)
In a column by Ann Coulter she mentioned that Bard College had honored Soviet spy Alger Hiss. The school has the ''Alger Hiss Professor of Social Studies'' chair. The professor holding that title is Joel Kovel. She also said that Kovel wrote a book describing anti-communism as a psychiatric condition. I found this astounding. I know Ann Coulter would not make this up. I checked anyway.
I went to the Bard College web site and sure enough, you can find Kovel listed under the "Alger Hiss Professor of Social Studies.'' I find this an outrage. Alger Hiss was a Soviet spy. He was not ''just'' a communist, he was an active Soviet agent. It was proven when the Venona cables were declassified and released by the new Russian government.
For an American college to honor a known Soviet spy is to dishonor all those who have died fighting the communist menace during the Cold War. It spits on those who fought in Korea, Vietnam, and all the other battles in countries around the world. It tramps on the graves of the victims of communism in the Soviet Union, Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania, Cambodia, China, Nicaragua, and all the other nations with graves of murder victims of Stalinist regimes.
Bard is a small college in New York. It has its nose stuck high in the air. Only if it could smell itself. I looked up the e-mail address for the president of Bard, so I could send him my opinion of Alger Hiss and Bard. Maybe you would like to give him your opinion too. His name is Leon Botstein and he receives e-mail at: president@bard.edu .
If you would like to contact Prof. Kovel, his address is kovel@bard.edu. I am sure that both men would appreciate your feedback.
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