Isaac Don Levine
Encyclopedia
Isaac Don Levine was a Russian-born American
journalist
and writer
.
, Levine came to the United States in 1911. He finished high school in Missouri
, and found work with The Kansas City Star
and later The New York Herald Tribune, for which he covered the revolution of 1917. He would return to Russia in the early 1920s to cover the Civil War
for The Chicago Daily News.
For the Hearst papers
, Levine was a columnist through the late 1920s and 1930s.
In the spring of 1939, Levine collaborated with the Soviet intelligence agency defector, Walter Krivitsky
, for a series of articles in the Saturday Evening Post, exposing the horrors of Joseph Stalin's regime. In November of the same year, the series was collected into a book titled In Stalin's Secret Service. (Levine's role in the writing was not revealed at the time.) In the meantime, Levine arranged a meeting in September 1939 between American Communist Party defector Whittaker Chambers
and President Franklin Roosevelt's security chief, Adolf Berle, at which Chambers revealed, with Levine present, a massive spying operation reaching even into the White House that involved, among others, Alger Hiss
in the State Department and, according to Levine, Harry Dexter White
in the Treasury Department.
Levine edited the anti-communist magazine Plain Talk
from 1946 until 1950, but did not join The Freeman
, opting for a stint with Radio Free Europe
in West Germany
instead. Levine also provided testimony to the House Un-American Activities Committee
in the case against Alger Hiss
.
He wrote the screenplay for the biographical movie Jack London (1943). He appeared as himself, as one of the witnesses to the John Reed era, in the movie Reds (1981).
Levine made a brief appearance in Walter Isaacson’s Einstein: His Life and Universe (2007) as a friend of Einstein, with whom he had, however, eventually fallen out due to their political differences.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
Biography
Born in Mozyr, RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Levine came to the United States in 1911. He finished high school in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, and found work with The Kansas City Star
The Kansas City Star
The Kansas City Star is a McClatchy newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri, in the United States. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes...
and later The New York Herald Tribune, for which he covered the revolution of 1917. He would return to Russia in the early 1920s to cover the Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
for The Chicago Daily News.
For the Hearst papers
Hearst Corporation
The Hearst Corporation is an American media conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower, Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by William Randolph Hearst as an owner of newspapers, the company's holdings now include a wide variety of media...
, Levine was a columnist through the late 1920s and 1930s.
In the spring of 1939, Levine collaborated with the Soviet intelligence agency defector, Walter Krivitsky
Walter Krivitsky
Walter Germanovich Krivitsky was a Soviet intelligence officer who revealed plans of signing Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact before defecting weeks before the outbreak of World War II....
, for a series of articles in the Saturday Evening Post, exposing the horrors of Joseph Stalin's regime. In November of the same year, the series was collected into a book titled In Stalin's Secret Service. (Levine's role in the writing was not revealed at the time.) In the meantime, Levine arranged a meeting in September 1939 between American Communist Party defector Whittaker Chambers
Whittaker Chambers
Whittaker Chambers was born Jay Vivian Chambers and also known as David Whittaker Chambers , was an American writer and editor. After being a Communist Party USA member and Soviet spy, he later renounced communism and became an outspoken opponent later testifying in the perjury and espionage trial...
and President Franklin Roosevelt's security chief, Adolf Berle, at which Chambers revealed, with Levine present, a massive spying operation reaching even into the White House that involved, among others, Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss was an American lawyer, government official, author, and lecturer. He was involved in the establishment of the United Nations both as a U.S. State Department and U.N. official...
in the State Department and, according to Levine, Harry Dexter White
Harry Dexter White
Harry Dexter White was an American economist, and senior U.S. Treasury department official, participating in the Bretton Woods conference...
in the Treasury Department.
Levine edited the anti-communist magazine Plain Talk
Plain Talk
Plain Talk was the leading American anti-Communist magazine of the late 1940s. Edited by Isaac Don Levine, it featured articles written by many of the leading figures of the time....
from 1946 until 1950, but did not join The Freeman
The Freeman
The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty is one of the oldest and most respected libertarian journals in the United States. It is published by the Foundation for Economic Education . It started as a digest sized monthly study journal; it currently appears 10 times per year and is a larger-sized magazine. FEE...
, opting for a stint with Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
instead. Levine also provided testimony to the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
in the case against Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss was an American lawyer, government official, author, and lecturer. He was involved in the establishment of the United Nations both as a U.S. State Department and U.N. official...
.
He wrote the screenplay for the biographical movie Jack London (1943). He appeared as himself, as one of the witnesses to the John Reed era, in the movie Reds (1981).
Levine made a brief appearance in Walter Isaacson’s Einstein: His Life and Universe (2007) as a friend of Einstein, with whom he had, however, eventually fallen out due to their political differences.