Cedric Belfrage

Cedric Belfrage (born November 8, 1904 - died June 21, 1990) was a socialist, author, journalist, translator and co-founder---along with James Aronson and John McManus ---of the radical US-weekly newspaper the National Guardian . Born in London, Belfrage started his writing career as a film critic at Cambridge University, where he published his first article in Kinematograph Weekly (1924).

Literary and Political Development

In 1927, Belfrage went to Hollywood, where he was hired by the New York Sun and Film Weekly as a correspondent. Belfrage returned to London in 1930 as Sam Goldwyn 's press agent. Returning to Hollywood, he became politically active, joining the Hollywood Anti-Nazi League , co-editing a left literary magazine, The Clipper . Belfrage joined the US Communist Party in 1937, but withdrew his membership a few months later. Thereafter, he maintained a friendly but critical relationship. In 1948, he wrote for and helped found the National Guardian (renamed the Guardian in 1967) to which he would remain affiliated until the late 1960s.

Repression During McCarthy-era

Belfrage was summoned in 1953 to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), and in 1955, he was deported back to his native England. Belfrage then travelled to Cuba in 1961, and in 1962, travelled throughout South America finally settling in Cuernavaca, Mexico . In 1973, Belfrage returned to the US for the first time since 1955, touring around the country with his new book, The American Inquisition (Bobbs Merrill, 1973, Siglo XXI, Mexico, Thunder' Mouth Press, 1989).

Exile Years

Belfrage later debuted as a Spanish-English translator, notably for the Latin American author Eduardo Galeano. Belfrage continued to write extensively until his last years. He died in Mexico on June 21, 1990.

Intelligence and Counter-intelligence Reputation

In 1995, the decrypted VENONA intercepts--a project between the U.S. and British intelligence services to decipher Soviet wires--were made public. Un-named codename number 9 (codename UNC/9), believed by the US intelligence apparatus to be Belfrage, was involved in passing conversations between Belfrage's bureau chief and Winston Churchill on to the Soviets.