John Bond Trevor, Radicals, Eugenics, and Immigration

This chapter examines John Bond Trevor's contribution to anticommunism. Trevor is probably the only man who significantly influenced both the doctrinal evolution of anticommunism and the revolutionary immigration acts of the early 1920s. As director of the New York City branch of the US Army Military Intelligence Division (MI) during the Red Scare, Trevor directly observed and suppressed “radical” elements of the populace. His opinions about the sources of radicalism and the composition of the radical community were solicited by companion organizations, especially the Bureau of Investigation, and MI headquarters in Washington, D.C. He was also a crucial proponent of immigration restrictions as a credible and practicable means of protecting the United States from Bolshevism. This chapter first looks at the origins of Trevor before discussing his collaboration with Archibald Stevenson in forming the Lusk Committee to study the “Bolshevist movement.” It also explores how Trevor synthesized and translated the scientific theories of the eugenics movement into coherent legislation.