John Roy Carlson

John Roy Carlson (1909-04-09, Alexandroupoli—1991-04-23, New York [ [http://www.io.com/~jsm/nph-ap.cgi/http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi?stat=&lastname=derounian&nt=exact&firstname=avedis&middlename=m&ssn=&submit=Submit Avedis Derounian] , Social Security Death Index] ) is one of the many pen names of Avedis Boghos Derounian,cite book
author = Alpers, Benjamin L.
year = 2003
title = Dictators, Democracy, and American Public Culture
publisher = University of North Carolina Press
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=AaWrbJf3EKcC&pg=PA215&lpg=PA215&dq=%22Roy+Carlson%22+derounian&source=web&ots=cOwtvFcHja&sig=DkkcYz_JAGqGaFLgdXd9a8FnM-A&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result#PPA383,M1
pages = 383
isbn = 9780807854167] cite journal
author = Hewsen, Robert H.
autho—rlink = Robert H. Hewsen
year = 1963
month = October
title = Armenian Names in America
journal = American Speech
volume = 38
issue = 3
pages = 214–219
doi = 10.2307/454102] [cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=gzROAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Avedis+Boghos+Derounian%22&dq=%22Avedis+Boghos+Derounian%22&ei=QpOcSOmQAZyMjAGHlaX6BA&client=firefox-a
title=Debates: Official Report
author=Canada Parliament. House of Commons
publisher=Queen's Printer
date=2008-08-08
volume=5
pages=5212
quote=His real name is Avedis Boghos Derounian, an Armenian immigrant. The name of theauthor of "Under Cover" is given as Derounian, alias Carlson, alias Paige, ... ] cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=0yP3HkzSGT0C&q=%22Avedis+Boghos+Derounian%22&dq=%22Avedis+Boghos+Derounian%22&ei=QpOcSOmQAZyMjAGHlaX6BA&client=firefox-a&pgis=1
title=Documents of American Prejudice: An Anthology of Writings on Race from Thomas Jefferson to David Duke
pages=406
quote=This beauty is an Armenian born in Greece, whose real name, if such a person can be said to own a real name, is Avedis Boghos Derounian, alias John Roy Carlson, amongst a string of fifteen aliases.
isbn=9780465016242
first=Sunand Tryambak
last=Joshi
authorlink=Sunand Tryambak Joshi
publisher=Basic Books
year=1998 (other quote elided)] the journalist and best-selling author of "Under Cover".cite book
author = Sarles, Ruth
coauthors = Kauffman, Bill
year = 2003
title = A Story of America First: The Men and Women who Opposed US intervention in World War II
url = http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ea1onGAgT1gC&pg=PR17&vq=derounian&dq=derounian+carlson&lr=&source=gbs_search_s&sig=ACfU3U08MKuCP1aYfFMJNhYFA1jwAMkfrw
publisher = Greenwood Press
isbn = 9780275975128
pages = xvii]

Derounian wrote for the Armenian General Benevolent Union's Armenian Information Service, and the "Armenian Mirror-Spectator". His exposé writing has been the subject of lawsuits. [ Sanctuary v. Thackrey, [NO NUMBER IN ORIGINAL] , Supreme Court of New York, Trial Term, New York County, 189 Misc. 724; 72 N.Y.S.2d 104; 1947 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2709, July 29, 1947. (The "New York Post", published by Dorothy S. Thackrey, had serially printed "Under Cover" starting on October 16, 1943.)]

Derounian is notable for editing the controversial manifesto of Armenia's first prime minister, Hovhannes Katchaznouni. [cite book|title=The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnagtzoutiun) Has Nothing to Do Anymore|author=Katchaznouni, Hovhannes|year=1955|month=August|location=New York |publisher=Armenian Information Service|editor=John Roy Carlson|editor=John Roy Carlson (trans. Matthew A. Callender)]

Personal life

He was born to Boghos Derounian and Eliza Aprahamian in Alexandroupoli, Greece, and spent part of his childhood in Turkey and Sofia, Bulgaria, where his brother Steven Derounian (who later became a Republican Representative) was born. [cite news|title=Austin man remembered for honesty in 'Quiz Show' |work=Austin American-Statesman|first=Lee|last=Kelly|date=1994-11-05|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?s_hidethis=no&p_product=AASB&p_theme=aasb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=derounian&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(derounian)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no ] [cite news
url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE4DA1639F936A15757C0A967958260&sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
accessdate=2008-08-08
title=Arthur Derounian, 82, an Author Of Books on Fascists and Bigots
work=New York Times
date=1991-04-25
first=Glenn
last=Fowler] His family, fleeing the Balkan Wars, eventually settled in Mineola, New York. He went on to study at New York University's School of Journalism. Later, he married Marie Nazarian, and had a daughter, Elyse, and a son, Robert.

He died of a heart attack on April 23, 1991 at the library of the American Jewish Committee on East 56th Street.

Undercover work

Derounian was a tireless investigator of subversive activity, and claimed to have joined numerous "patriotic" groups, some of which he listed in the opening of his book "Under Cover": American National Socialist Party, German American Bund, Christian Front, The Ultra-American, Nationalist Party, American Nationalist Party, American Women Against Communism, The Gray Shirts, America First Committee, No Foreign War Committee, Christian Mobilizers, American Destiny Party, American Brotherhood of Christians Congress, The Ethiopian Pacific Movement, Citizens Protective League, Social Justice Distributors Club, The American Defense Society, Anglo-Saxon Federation of America, Paul Revere Sentinels, Ra-Con Klub, Crusaders for Americanism, Inc., We the Fathers (Auxiliary to We the Mothers Mobilize for America), "The Christian Mobilizer", Phalanx, PAX (secret gun club), National Workers League, Yankee Freemen, Cross and the Flag, Committee of One Million, Flanders Hall, American Patriots, American Bulletin, National Gentile League.

He was also the chief investigator of the anti-fascist organization, Friends of Democracy. [cite news|url=http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1947/07/26/1947_07_26_028_TNY_CARDS_000209522
title=Profiles: 'Democracy's Friend'
authorlink=Ely Jacques Kahn, Jr.
author=Kahn, E.J.
work=New Yorker
date=1947-07-26
accessdate=2008-08-06
quote=One of Friends of Democracy most fruitful accomplishments has been discovering a man named Avedis Derounian, better known by his pen name of John Roy Carlson.]

Lawsuits related to "Under Cover"

Several parties instituted actions against him for alleged libelous matter in "Under Cover". Three of the four cases failed the consolidated case before the jury, leaving a verdict in favor only of lawyer Jeremiah Stokes, whose appearance Derounian had allegedly mocked. Stokes is first mentioned on page 365 of "Under Cover", and his patriotism questioned in the next chapter, which begins:

I was in the room alone with two men. The one who had pumped both my hands in welcome was a small round man with a bald dome and rotund face. He had small, beady eyes and he peered at you from behind rimmed glasses He was definitely of the single-track, uncompromising zealot type. Jeremiah Stokes had let his law practice slide and was devoting the major portion of his time to the writing of "patriotic" tracts.

Derounian appealed; the appellate court reversed the district court and remanded the matter, stating in the overview:Derounian v. Stokes, No. 3526, UNITED STATES CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS, TENTH CIRCUIT, 168 F.2d 305; 1948 U.S. App. LEXIS 3253, May 11, 1948.]

The court found error in the submission to the jury of a physical description of the individual as small and rotund in stature, bald, round of face, and having small and beady eyes. The description of the individual was not reasonably calculated to subject him to public ridicule. It was error to submit to the jury ridicule of personal appearance as an element of damages.

Bibliography

*
*
*

References

External links

* [http://www.solomonia.com/blog/undercover.shtml John Roy Carlson's "Under Cover"] , Martin Solomon
* [http://www.solomonia.com/blog/cairotodamascus.shtml John Roy Carlson's "Cairo to Damascus"] , Martin Solomon