Ralph de Toledano

Ralph de Toledano (August 17, 1916 – February 3, 2007)^[1] was a major figure in the conservative movement in the United States throughout the second half of the 20th century.^[2][3] A friend of Richard Nixon, he was a journalist and editor of Newsweek and the National Review, and the author of 26 books,^[4] including two novels and a book of poetry. Besides his political contributions, he also wrote about music, particularly jazz.

Early life

He was born in Tangiers, Morocco, the son of Simy (Nahon), a former news correspondent, and Haim Toledano, a businessman and journalist.^[5] His parents were both Sephardic Jews and American citizens. Toledano was brought to New York when only five years old.^[1]

Education

A proficient violinist from childhood, he attended the Ethical Culture Fieldston School and the Juilliard School.^[4]

Later, at Columbia University, Toledano studied literature and philosophy;^[4] he also became President of the Philolexian Society, member of the Boar's Head Society,^[6] and a contributor to Jester of Columbia. In addition, he joined the Socialist Party of America, becoming youth leader of the avowedly anticommunist "Old Guard" faction led by Louis Waldman. The Old Guard left the Socialist Party in 1936. He graduated from Columbia University in 1938. In 1940, Toledano became editor of the Socialist Party of America's magazine, The New Leader,^[4] succeeding James Oneal.

During the war years, Toledano was drafted and became an anti-aircraft gunner before being transferred to the Office of Strategic Services and trained for covert work in Italy.^[1] However, he was ultimately not sent to Italy, as the OSS felt he was "too anti-Communist to work with Italian leftists."^[1]

Journalistic career

Pursuing a career in journalism, after several journalistic jobs Toledano joined Newsweek in 1948.^[1] Toledano covered the 1950 perjury trial of Alger Hiss (Hiss being accused of being a Soviet spy), and in what the New York Times later described as "his political turning point," Toledano sided with against Hiss but for the accuser, Whittaker Chambers.^[1] Toledano cowrote an "intensely partisan" book about the trial, Seeds of Treason, in 1950 and became a Republican.^[1] Toledano met Nixon during the case, and during Toledano's coverage of Nixon's 1950 Senate campaign, Nixon would have him address crowds, introducing him as the author of Seeds of Treason.^[1] Around the same time (October 1950–April 1951) Toledano cohosted the television series Our Secret Weapon: The Truth.

Toledano was among the founders of National Review in 1955, and in 1960 began a column for the King Features Syndicate.^[1] His differences with his conservative National Review colleagues became very pronounced before long, first in 1960 when Toledano dissented from the other National Review editors when they endorsed Barry Goldwater, but Toledano supported Nixon.^[1] By 1963, however,Toledano had switched to supporting Goldwater.^[1]

Years later when Nixon became president, Toledano was particularly close to the administration, in a rivalry with Daniel Patrick Moynihan over the privilege of being named guru of Nixon's domestic policies, which conservatives both supporting and opposing them as a kind of Tory socialism. Moynihan's victory in the struggle was likely a key moment in the rise of neoconservatism.

Never straying far from his first passion of music, Toledano distinguished himself as an avid scholar of jazz. During the latter half of his long career at National Review, he was relegated to writing a music review column, on account of his growing variance with the direction of American conservatism. He also wrote about music a good deal (by no means only jazz) for The American Conservative in his last years.

Toledano held forth until the end of his life at the National Press Club. There, in 2005, he succeeded John Cosgrove as National Press Club American Legion Post No. 20 commander.

The last book Toledano wrote, Cry Havoc: The Great American Bring-down and How It Happened was published in 2006, shortly before his 90th birthday. National Review founder William F. Buckley, Jr. said about it: "Cry Havoc! is must reading... writing at Ralph de Toledano's best" and "focuses on the historical and the contemporary, casting a sharp light on the players and the events of our deeply troubled times."^[7] Professor Paul Gottfried (a fairly frequent contributor, like Toledano, to The American Conservative) wrote, "Toledano uncovers continuities between the Frankfurt School's conspiracy and the rampant cultural terrorism in America."^[7]

Legal issues

A 1975 lawsuit by Ralph Nader against Toledano dragged through the courts for years, costing Toledano his life savings. The lawsuit concerned an alleged suggestion by de Toledano, which Nader rejected, that Nader had 'falsified and distorted' evidence about the Chevrolet Corvair's handling. It was eventually settled out of court.^[4]

In 2006, Toledano sued in connection with the rights to Mark Felt's memoir, The FBI Pyramid, which he had cowritten in 1979 without knowing that Felt was "Deep Throat".^[4]

Toward the end of his life, he labeled himself a libertarian, according to his son, Paul Toledano.^[4]

Death

He died in Bethesda, Maryland, at 90.

Obits

Writings

Non-Fiction

Fiction

• Day of Reckoning (New York: Holt, 1955)
• Devil Take Him (New York: Putnam, 1979)

Poetry

• Poems, You and I (Gretna, LA: Pelican, 1978)

Music

• Frontiers of Jazz (New York: O. Durrell, 1947)
• Satchmo at the National Press Club: Red Beans and Rice-ly Yours: Louis Armstrong, Tyree Glenn, Tommy Gwaltney (Smithsonian Folkways Special Series, 1972) - liner notes for recording^[8][9]

References

External links

• Interview with Ralph de Toledano
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• American Music: Classical, Popular, & Jazz
• Online Archive of California Register of the Ralph De Toledano Papers, 1940–1971