Angus Cameron

Angus Cameron was born in Indianapolis on 25th December, 1908. He was converted to socialism while studying at DePauw University where he graduated with honours in history and political science in 1930.

After leaving university he joined the Indiana publisher Bobbs-Merrill. As editor he enjoyed great success with the publication of Irma Rombauer's The Joy of Cooking. Cameron moved to Little, Brown in New York in 1938 and five years later was appointed editor-in-chief. His authors included Lillian Hellman and Howard Fast.

Cameron was an early victim of McCarthyism and in 1947 was accused by Arthur Schlesinger of being a supporter of several organizations close to the American Communist Party. Soon afterwards the right-wing magazine Counterattack claimed that 31 of Cameron's authors were "fellow-travellers". Cameron was forced to resign and lived for a while in the Adirondack mountains.

In 1953 Cameron established a small publishing house, Cameron Associates. Over the next six years Cameron published several left-wing books including Science in History by John Bernal and two books on Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Rosenberg.

Cameron published several blacklisted writers but his most controversial book was False Witness by Harvey Matusow. A former member of the American Communist Party, Matusow had testified before several congressional committees giving the names of former party members. In the book Matusow claimed he had been paid to lie about former party members. As a result of this confession he was found guilty of perjury and jailed for nearly three years.

In 1959 the publisher Alfred Knopf ended Cameron's blacklisting by employing him as a senior editor. He also wrote two books, The Nightwatchers (1972) and The Game and Fish Cookbook (1983).

Angus Cameron died on 18th November, 2002.