Anatomy of an Anticommunist Fabrication: The Death of Oliver Law, An Historiographical Investigation
Document Type
Article
Abstract
For four days during 1937 Oliver Law, a member of the Communist Party USA, was the Commander of the Abraham Lincoln Battalion of volunteers defending the Spanish Republic against the fascist forces of General Francisco Franco. Law was the first Black American appointed as commander of white troops in battle. William Herrick, a Lincoln Battalion veteran who became a fierce anticommunist, is the sole source of a story that Law was killed by his own men. In anticommunist circles this story continues to circulate as truth. The present article traces it to its origins, examines its evolution overtime, and proves that Herrick lied.
Repository Citation
Furr, Grover. "Anatomy of an Anticommunist Fabrication: The Death of Oliver Law, An Historiographical Investigation." Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture vol. 8, no. 1, 2008, pp. 1–34. https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/reconstruction/vol8/iss1/5