Item Detail
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18512
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2
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0
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English
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Senator William H. King of Utah and His Campaigns Against Russian Communism
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Utah Historical Quarterly
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2006
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74
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no.2
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147-163
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William H. King was a Senator from Utah and a passionate leader of a movement to take anti-Bolshevik military action in the 1920's. His anticommunist sentiments were rooted in his faith as a Mormon. He stated that Bolshevism was condemned by God. He "blazed the trail" for LDS Church leaders to later give an official position on Communism. Even during the war (around 1918), King advocated military intervention against the Bolsheviks and wanted to provide aid to anti-Bolshevik groups in Russia. Within the U.S. government, few Senators paid attention to King, but former Presidents Taft and Roosevelt and conservative leaders in Europe sided with him. Despite continued pressure from those notable figures who agreed with King, President Wilson would not give in to military action. When King's proposals weren't adopted, he began to promote anticommunist education within America.