The Foreign Service Journal, October 2011

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 31 C OVER S TORY The Spiritual-Industrial Complex: America’s Religious Battle Against Communism in the Early Cold War Jonathan P. Herzog, Oxford University Press, 2011, $34.95, hardcover, 288 pages. Dwight Eisenhower’s 1961 fare- well address famously warned of the pernicious influence of America’s mil- itary-industrial complex, but less well known is the presi- dent’s contribution to another Cold War collaboration: the spiritual-industrial complex. This fascinating volume argues that American leaders during the early ColdWar were pro- foundly influenced by religion in their approach to the So- viet Union, viewing communism not as godless but rather a twisted and sinister form of religion. Jonathan Herzog offers an illuminating account of the rhetoric, programs and policies that became the spiritual- industrial complex, and shows how these efforts played out across every facet of American life in a nationwide promo- tion of faith as a weapon against Soviet communism. In schools, where “under God” was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1953; in the military, where soldiers were taught that the states of the world were divided into “de- monic,” “secular” and “covenant” nations; to a Hollywood that turned out religiously themed blockbusters like “The Ten Commandments” and “Ben-Hur,” Americans were bombarded with the message that those who were truly re- ligious could not be communists — and the thinly veiled implication that those who were not religious could not be true Americans. Thoughtfully researched and vividly written, Herzog’s book offers a fresh and compelling contribution to the study of religion in American politics and foreign policy. A must-read for those interested in modern history and U.S. policy, it offers readers further insight into the de- bates over secularism that still rage across the United States today. Jonathan Herzog is a recently hired FSO, who begins his first tour in November. Previously in academia, he has held positions at Stanford University, the University of Oregon and the Hoover Institution.