Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
Loading
RT![]()
author
Ralph de Toledano
Ralph de Toledano (1916-2007) was a major figure in the conservative movement in the United States throughout the second half of the 20th century. A friend of President Richard Nix...view moreRalph de Toledano (1916-2007) was a major figure in the conservative movement in the United States throughout the second half of the 20th century. A friend of President Richard Nixon, he was a journalist and editor of Newsweek and the National Review, and the author of twenty-six books, including two novels and a book of poetry. He also wrote about music, particularly jazz.
Born on August 17, 1916 in Tangiers, Morocco, to Simy (Nahon), a former news correspondent, and Haim Toledano, a businessman and journalist, his parents were both Sephardic Jews and American citizens. The family moved to New York when he was five years old.
A proficient violinist from childhood, he attended the Ethical Culture Fieldston School and the Juilliard School. He graduated from Columbia University in 1938 with a degree in literature and philosophy. In 1940, he became editor of the Socialist Party of America’s magazine, The New Leader.
During WWII, he was drafted and became an anti-aircraft gunner before being transferred to the Office of Strategic Services and trained for covert work in Italy, although he was never sent.
After the war, he pursued a career in journalism, joining Newsweek in 1948. In 1950 he became a Republican and met Nixon during his coverage of Nixon’s 1950 Senate campaign, during which Toledano addressed crowds and Nixon introduced him as the author of Seeds of Treason, which Toledano co-wrote in 1950 with Victor Lasky and which covers the perjury trial of Alger Hiss, a man accused of being a Soviet spy.
He was among the founders of National Review in 1955, and in 1960 began a column for the King Features Syndicate. An avid scholar of jazz, he turned back to his first passion of music during the latter half of his long career at National Review and wrote a music review column.
In 2005, he became commander of the National Press Club, a post he held until his death in Bethesda, Maryland, on February 3, 2007, at the age of 90.view less
Books by Ralph de Toledano
Spies, Dupes, and Diplomats Day of Reckoning: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings