Granville Hicks, Communist Writer, Becomes American History Counselor

Granville Hicks '23, well-known author and writer for the New Masses, a left-wing publication, has been appointed one of the seven American History extra-curricular counselors to be in the Houses next September, the CRIMSON learned from an authoritative source yesterday.

One time an associate professor at Rensaeller Polytechnic Institute, author in 1933 of "The Great Tradition," a Marxist approach to American literature since 1870, Hicks will be the first self-confessed Communist to obtain any appointment to the Faculty.

It was also learned that Hicks would live in Adams House, where he will counsel all members interested in American history and literature. He will thereby be fulfilling the program of President Conant for boosting American civilization in Harvard.

Hicks was graduated from Harvard summa cum laude, next graduated from the Theological School in 1925, and four years later took a M.A. degree in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. For a brief while he taught literature at Smith from a social point of view.

In 1933 he was dismissed from the Rensaeller Polytechnic Institute, After an investigation of a committee from the American Association of University Professors Hicks was completely exonerated, it being decided that the dismissal was the direct resudt of his political views. Since then Communist Hicks has been an editor and writer of reviews for the New Masses.

The appointment of Hicks calls to mind the few other radicals who have at one time been on the Faculty here, such as Max Lerner, now a professor at Williams, and Harold J. Laski, Professor of Political Economy at London University.