Philip Jaffe The Businessman and the Amerasia Affair

Philip Jacob Jaffe (1895–1980) was a complex figure in American history: a successful businessman, a dedicated editor, and a man deeply entwined with the Communist movement in the United States. Born in Ukraine and raised in New York City, Jaffe's life spanned the transition from the early 20th-century immigrant experience to the height of the Cold War's ideological battles.

Early Life and Education

Born in Mogileb near Poltava in the Russian Empire on March 20, 1895, Jaffe was the son of Morris Jaffe, a Jewish lumberjack. After experiencing a pogrom in 1905, Philip and his mother joined his father in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1906. Jaffe's academic journey was varied; he attended the selective Townsend Harris Hall and later studied electrical engineering at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute before transferring to the City College of New York. It was here that he met Jay Lovestone, a future leader of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA).

After a brief stint in the U.S. Army in 1918, Jaffe earned a bachelor's degree from Columbia University in 1920 and a master's in English literature in 1921. These academic achievements provided a foundation for his later work as an editor and author.

Business Success and Political Awakening

Jaffe entered the business world through a partnership with Wallace Brown, a stationery distributor. Eventually taking full control of the Wallace Brown Corporation, Jaffe diversified the company into the mail-order and door-to-door sale of greeting cards. By the early 1930s, the business was highly profitable, providing Jaffe with the financial independence to pursue his political interests.

His shift toward communism was sparked by his relationship with Chi Ch'ao-ting (Ji Chaoding), who married Jaffe's cousin. Chi introduced Jaffe to the ideologies of communism and the political landscape of China. Under Chi's influence, Jaffe joined the International Labor Defense (ILD) in 1931 and began contributing to the Labor Defender journal.

Editorial Work and the Amerasia Affair

Jaffe became a prominent figure in left-wing circles, associating closely with CPUSA leader Earl Browder and various pro-China organizations. He served as the Executive Secretary and editor of China Today, a magazine that frequently published material sourced from the Chinese Communist Party underground in Shanghai.

In 1937, seeking a more moderate image, Jaffe and Frederick Vanderbilt Field established the journal Amerasia. While it appeared less openly communist than its predecessor, Jaffe continued to promote the party line within its pages.

The Amerasia Affair and Legal Battles

The most defining moment of Jaffe's public life was the 1945 Amerasia affair. The FBI discovered classified U.S. government documents in the offices of Amerasia magazine. These documents had been leaked to Jaffe by John S. Service, an employee of the State Department. The scandal became a focal point for accusations of communist infiltration within the U.S. government.

Due to perceived bungling of the investigation by the OSS and FBI, Jaffe received a minimal sentence. However, the affair remained a subject of intense Congressional review throughout the 1950s, reflecting the broader anxieties of the McCarthy era. In his later years, Jaffe reflected on these events and wrote about the rise and fall of the Communist Party in the United States.