Magazines: A Passion for Ideas

• Share

(2 of 2)

As much as ever, Commentary warns of the dangers abroad. "I venture the opinion that the idea 'Hate America' is now more deeply anchored in Chinese minds than 'Hate the Jew' was in German minds at any time," wrote Economist Oscar Gass in a perceptive appraisal of recent U.S.-Chinese relations. Even though he feels U.S. diplomatic recognition of Red China is the realistic thing to do, Gass cautions that the Chinese will not "jump with joy." For 13 years, he writes, the "government of China has devoted its talents to building a wall of misinformation and hatred between the Chinese people and the U.S." Until an effective balance of power is created in Asia, argues Gass, the U.S. must maintain its strength there. "It is perhaps a noble illusion that an honorable peace will come if only we rectify our errors," he concludes. "But it is nevertheless an illusion, and one that can bring death."

Style & Substance. Still operating modestly out of a small Manhattan office with only two assistant editors, Podhoretz commissions most articles himself, although some 5,000 unsolicited manuscripts arrive every year. Over its two decades, Commentary's price per issue has grown from 400 to 750, and its circulation has gradually risen from 14,000 to 57,000. Its annual deficit has been cut from $100,000 in 1963 to $30,000 this year. By the end of 1967, Podhoretz expects to break even. Aimed originally at New York's intellectual community, Commentary now reaches across the country and is widely read in Washington. To his surprise, Podhoretz is courted by politicians; after a four-hour session with President Johnson, he emerged with an impression typical of his magazine's contrariness. "I don't like the substance of all of L.B.J.'s policies," said Podhoretz. "But I certainly like his style."