Talk:Herbert Philbrick/Archives/2013

New sources?
The FBI reports a public file of 1686 pages on Philbrick, which hasn't been digitized. http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/foiaindex_p.htm. Is there any significant new info in it? Dynzmoar (talk) 14:11, 9 November 2008 (UTC)

Mike O'Connor, former foreign correspondent for NPR and The New York Times (among others), has written a book detailing his parents' tribulations and life on the run, most of which resulted from having been named as potential Communists by Philbrick in the 40s. The book is called "Crisis, Pursued by Disaster, Followed Closely by Catastrophe" (ISBN 978-0-375-50479-2, Random House, 2007). In it he details what he was able to glean from FBI files about Philbrick's FBI career. Perhaps needless to say, O'Connor's take on Philbrick is somewhat at odds with Philbrick's own telling. The sole edit I have introduced based on O'Connor's research is to add a disclaimer to the unsourced assertion that Philbrick was a "citizen volunteer." O'Connor's research shows that, in fact, Philbrick was paid by the FBI from 1941 through the time of his testimony in 1949. West Coast Gordo (talk) 22:13, 28 December 2008 (UTC)

So he volunteered, and was paid. One does not preclude the other. Members of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade could tell you that.71.198.177.48 (talk) 22:27, 28 November 2009 (UTC)

Au contraire, please. "Volunteer" specifically excludes remuneration. Philbrick wasn't simply given an honorarium -- he was on the FBI's payroll for years, during an era when virulent anti-communism was good for business. There are many suitable venues within which to eulogize those who fit one's ideology; Wikipedia is not one of them. I'm sure the vast majority of Wiki's English-speaking readers are US citizens, but that doesn't mean we all must internalize the nonsense various US administrations have propogated. Many of us prefer a more fact-based information source. I've re-introduced my original edit. Please don't jack it out of personal preference -- show us a fact-based rationale. West Coast Gordo (talk) 04:33, 1 August 2010 (UTC)
 * 'volunteer' is not an antonym of 'paid worker'. It is approximately associated with 'not conscripted/coerced/ordered'.JohndanR (talk) 19:47, 23 December 2013 (UTC)


 * Volunteers in an army are paid for their service. His undercover work can likewise be both volunteer and paid. He was not drafted or coerced, and he offered his services to the US government for a possibly dangerous job. Edison (talk) 23:46, 4 May 2011 (UTC)