Philip Jaffe Communist Businessman and the Amerasia Affair

Philip Jacob Jaffe (1895–1980) was a complex figure in 20th-century American history: a successful businessman, an editor, and a committed sympathizer of the Communist movement. Born in Ukraine and raised in New York City, Jaffe navigated the worlds of corporate profit and radical politics, eventually becoming a central figure in one of the early Cold War's most controversial espionage scandals, the Amerasia affair.

Early Life and Education

Born in Mogileb near Poltava in the Russian Empire, Jaffe's early life was marked by the instability of the region, including experiencing a pogrom in 1905. In 1906, he moved with his mother and siblings to join his father on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Jaffe was an academically gifted student, attending the selective Townsend Harris Hall and later studying electrical engineering at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute and English literature at City College of New York and Columbia University.

During his college years, Jaffe met Jay Lovestone, who would later become the General Secretary of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA), marking the beginning of Jaffe's lifelong interest in leftist politics.

Business Success and Political Awakening

After completing his master's degree in English literature in 1921, Jaffe entered the business world. He eventually took full control of the Wallace Brown Corporation, a stationery distributor. Under his leadership, the company diversified into the mail-order and door-to-door sale of greeting cards, becoming a highly profitable enterprise by the early 1930s.

While his business flourished, Jaffe's political interests deepened. In 1929, he met Chi Ch'ao-ting (Ji Chaoding), a translator for the Chinese delegation to the Communist International. Chi introduced Jaffe to communism and sparked a deep fascination with China. This relationship led Jaffe to join the International Labor Defense (ILD) in 1931 and contribute to the journal Labor Defender.

Editorial Work and the China Connection

Jaffe became a prominent figure in left-wing circles, associating closely with CPUSA leader Earl Browder and various pro-Soviet and pro-Chinese organizations. In 1933, he became the Executive Secretary and editor of China Today, a publication that largely disseminated material provided by the Chinese Communist Party underground in Shanghai.

Seeking a more moderate platform that could reach a wider audience without being overtly Communist, Jaffe collaborated with Frederick Vanderbilt Field to launch Amerasia in 1937. Despite its more moderate appearance, Jaffe continued to use the journal to promote the Communist party line.

The Amerasia Affair

The turning point in Jaffe's life came in 1945 during the Amerasia affair. The FBI discovered classified State Department documents in the offices of Amerasia magazine. These documents had been leaked to Jaffe by John S. Service, a State Department employee. The discovery sparked a massive investigation into espionage and 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 point of contention and was subject to repeated Congressional reviews throughout the 1950s, reflecting the growing paranoia of the McCarthy era.

Later Years

In his later years, Jaffe reflected on his political journey and wrote about the rise and decline of the Communist Party in the United States, providing an insider's perspective on the movement's trajectory in America.