Robert G. Thompson
Encyclopedia
Robert George Thompson was born on June 21, 1915 in Grants Pass, Oregon
, Thompson fought on the side of the Spanish Republicans
in the Civil War in Spain
, attaining the rank of battalion commander with the all-American volunteer Abraham Lincoln Brigade
.
Following the Spanish Civil War
Thompson saw action during World War II in the Pacific Theater. Thompson, cited for "extraordinary heroism" during the American New Guinea Campaign
, was awarded the United States Army's Distinguished Service Cross
and was approved for a battlefield commission as an officer.
Following war, Thompson was convicted, alongside the rest of the Communist Party USA
leadership, for violating the Smith Act
and was sentenced to imprisonment for three years. After the Supreme Court affirmed his conviction, he absconded, and for this he was convicted of criminal contempt and ordered to serve an additional four year sentence. While serving out his sentence, Thompson was assaulted by a group of Yugoslav
fascists
who had jumped ship in the United States, one of whom cracked Thompson's skull with a metal pipe while standing on a lunch line.
Following his release Thompson continued with Communist Party including organizing protests against the Vietnam War
.
Thompson suffered a fatal heart attack on October 16, 1965. As controversial in death as in life, after initially granted burial at Arlington National Cemetery
, his post-service activities led the Army, under pressure from Congress, to rescind its permission. Subsequently, the Army was ordered by the United States Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit to permit the interment.
Striking a dissenting chord days after his death, Pulitzer Prize
-winning journalist Murray Kempton
wrote:
Grants Pass, Oregon
-Rogue River:The Rogue River runs through Grants Pass.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,003 people, 9,376 households, and 5,925 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 9,885 housing units at an average density of 1,303.3 per square mile . By 2008,...
, Thompson fought on the side of the Spanish Republicans
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
in the Civil War in Spain
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, attaining the rank of battalion commander with the all-American volunteer Abraham Lincoln Brigade
Abraham Lincoln Brigade
The Abraham Lincoln Brigade refers to volunteers from the United States who served in the Spanish Civil War in the International Brigades. They fought for Spanish Republican forces against Franco and the Spanish Nationalists....
.
Following the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
Thompson saw action during World War II in the Pacific Theater. Thompson, cited for "extraordinary heroism" during the American New Guinea Campaign
New Guinea campaign
The New Guinea campaign was one of the major military campaigns of World War II.Before the war, the island of New Guinea was split between:...
, was awarded the United States Army's Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
and was approved for a battlefield commission as an officer.
Following war, Thompson was convicted, alongside the rest of the Communist Party USA
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
leadership, for violating the Smith Act
Smith Act
The Alien Registration Act or Smith Act of 1940 is a United States federal statute that set criminal penalties for advocating the overthrow of the U.S...
and was sentenced to imprisonment for three years. After the Supreme Court affirmed his conviction, he absconded, and for this he was convicted of criminal contempt and ordered to serve an additional four year sentence. While serving out his sentence, Thompson was assaulted by a group of Yugoslav
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
fascists
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
who had jumped ship in the United States, one of whom cracked Thompson's skull with a metal pipe while standing on a lunch line.
Following his release Thompson continued with Communist Party including organizing protests against the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Thompson suffered a fatal heart attack on October 16, 1965. As controversial in death as in life, after initially granted burial at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
, his post-service activities led the Army, under pressure from Congress, to rescind its permission. Subsequently, the Army was ordered by the United States Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit to permit the interment.
Striking a dissenting chord days after his death, Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning journalist Murray Kempton
Murray Kempton
James Murray Kempton was an influential, Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist.-Biography:Kempton was born in Baltimore on December 16, 1917. His mother was Sally Ambler and his father was James Branson Kempton, a stock broker...
wrote:
"And so, an American who was brave has been judged and disposed of by Americans who are cowards of the least excusable sort, cowards who have very little to fear. Yesterday the Army called Robert Thompson's widow and said that it would send his ashes wherever she wished. Wherever those ashes go, the glory of America goes with them."