Recommended Conservative Book List

 

Keynes at Harvard                                                                                          The Veritas Foundation
The Great Deceit: Social Pseudo-Sciences                                                     “        “            “          

The Veritas Foundation was founded by a group of Harvard alumni who were concerned about the leftward movement of that school.  It included Archibald Roosevelt – the grandson of Teddy.  Veritas which means truth is Harvard’s motto.  These studies really look at the change in teaching at several premier American universities – not just Harvard.

“Keynes at Harvard” is more oriented toward economics – particularly that of the perverted British pedophile, John Maynard Keynes.  Our country has been following Keynesian economics for decades.  The recent bailout, stimulus mania (2008-2009) could aptly be called Keynes on steroids.

“The Great Deceit” is probably the one political book that has been the most helpful to me, and the one I have referred to the most.  My copy is battered and dog-eared.  Fortunately I read this shortly before starting college.  It prepared me for not being subverted by liberal ideas and helped me to understand why I was getting everything from a leftward slant.  My dad ordered multiple copies.  He had us give them to our history and social study teachers.  I don’t know if any of them read them or not.  It is probably the one book I would most highly recommend.  Unfortunately it may be the hardest to locate. 

It deals with various disciplines and how its teaching has changed in key schools.  It focuses on ideas that were imported from German and British Fabian Socialism.  It includes much other info.  It tells about the racist and anti-Semitic attitudes of key people on the left.  It goes into the origin of leftist organizations like the ACLU and forerunner groups that spawned Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).  This book really packs a lot into its 300+ pages.

 

The Creature from Jekyll Island                                                                     G. Edward Griffin
The Fearful Master                                                                                            “       “        “  

“The Creature from Jekyll Island” is a highly recommended book – particularly at this time (summer - 2009) when the Federal Reserve is so active in expanding credit in the country.  Not only is it the story of how the Fed was created, but it also relates the various efforts to establish national banks throughout our history.  The “Jekyll Island” in the title refers to the meeting place of the high-level financiers who met in secret to lay plans for the Federal Reserve System.  Interestingly although written in 1994, one of the chapter titles is “The Name of the Game is Bailout”.  This book has been recently re-printed and should be available.

“The Fearful Master” is the story of the founding of the United Nations.  The title is from the insightful quote by George Washington: “Government is not reason, it is not eloquence: it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master”.

 

Meltdown                                                                                                       Thomas Woods
The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History                                       “       “        “  
33 Questions about American History You’re Not Supposed to Ask              “       “        “  

“Meltdown” is an analysis of the financial breakdown in 2008-2009 which places the blame squarely where it belongs: the policies of the Federal Government and the Federal Reserve.  It is also an introduction to Austrian Economics.  Woods covers inflation, the boom-bust cycle, and myths about the great depression.  It is written in a very easy-to-understand style. 

Either of Woods’ other two books could well be titled “Myths of American History”.

 

God and Caesar                                                                                              John Eidsmoe
Christianity and the Constitution                                                                      “        “          

Eidsmoe has Minnesota roots -   When he lived here he regularly give presentations on a variety of topics at seminars sponsored by The Berean League – the original name of The Minnesota Family Council. 

“God and Caesar” is an excellent analysis of the proper functions of the state versus that of the church.

“Christianity and the Constitution” is a review of the influence Christianity had on the creation of the Constitution.  It reviews the lives and religious and political views of several key Christian signers of the Constitution.  It would be hard for anyone to read this book and not acknowledge the huge role of Christianity in the foundation of our country.

New Lies for Old                                                                                            Anatoliy Golitsyn

Golitsyn is one of the highest-ranking Soviets to defect to the West.  He was at a level where he was privy to the plans for the “breakup” of the Soviet Union.  Written before that event, he predicted the Communist “collapse” based on his knowledge.  His is the only explanation of that event that makes any sense.  The standard story sold by the media was that all these leaders decided at the same time to stop being Communists.  The conservative version of that story is that they decided to dismantle the Soviet Union when Reagan talked tough to them.  I wonder how many people have actually stopped to think about how implausible these explanations are.  Golitsyn wrote a follow-up book “The Perestroika Deception” which I have not read.

 

The Soul of the American University                                                             George Marsden

The story of how the teaching in American colleges has changed since Harvard was originally founded as a Christian institution.

 

The Naked Capitalist                                                                                      Cleon Skousen
Tragedy and Hope                                                                                          Carroll Quigley
The Anglo-American Establishment                                                                     “           “

The first book (“The Naked Capitalist”) is basically a long book review of the second (“Tragedy and Hope”).   Quigley’s book is a history of world affairs primarily of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  Within it he speaks at various points of the secret organizations working behind the scenes for world government.  He basically confirms what some conservatives have been writing about for years.  He, however, believed that what the conspirators were trying to accomplish was good – his only disagreement being with their decision to keep the workings secret.  Quigley who was a professor at Georgetown was cited by Bill Clinton as one of his mentors.

Skousen’s book quotes the portions of Quigley’s book that speak about this conspiracy and places it in the context of historical and current events. When his book came out, Quigley’s very shortly went out of print and was no longer available.  Later at least one pirated edition was printed.

I have a copy of Quigley’s book.  I have read from it, but not finished the whole book.

Quigley’s other book “The Anglo-American Establishment” focuses more directly on the conspirators.  

 

The Light and the Glory                                                                                 Peter Marshall/David Manuel
From Sea to Shining Sea                                                                                    “        “               “          “

“The Light and the Glory” tells the story of America from Columbus to the Revolutionary War, demonstrating how God’s hand was on the development of our nation.  “From Sea to Shining Sea” is basically a sequel – continuing the story up to the Civil War.

Peter Marshall is a junior – the son of Peter Marshall, Senior, the chaplain of the U.S. Senate whose story was told in the book and movie “A Man called Peter”.  His mother was Catherine Marshall whose novels include “Christy”.

 

Witness                                                                                                           Whittaker Chambers

The autobiographical story by Chambers of his days as a Soviet spy.  He ultimately came forward and provided testimony against other Communists and turned to Christianity.  It is a fascinating story and provides insight on how the Soviets were working in this country.  Most enlightening was his story of working with Alger Hiss with whom he was closely associated and against whom he eventually testified.  Hiss was no garden-variety spy.  He was an aide to Franklin Roosevelt at Yalta, the Secretary-General of the UN at its founding meeting in San Francisco, and the head of the Carnegie Foundation.

 

Shadows of Power                                                                                          James Perloff
The Invisible Government                                                                              Dan Smoot

Both books are about the Council on Foreign Relations which promotes world government and whose members have dominated virtually all the administrations since World War II.    Perloff also wrote “Tornado in a Junkyard” which disputes the claims of evolutionists.  I have not read that, but mention it just to indicate something about the author.

Perloff’s book is more recent and much more available.  Smoot’s is also very good, but older and probably harder to find.

 

The Conservative Mind                                                                                  Russell Kirk

A classic, definitive explanation of the conservative philosophy.

 

William F. Buckley: Pied Piper for the Establishment                                   John McManus

Bill Buckley adopted some very curious positions for a person reputed to be one of the country’s conservative leaders,   Of course, he is no longer living.  But, this book is as valuable for what it says about the origins of neo-conservatism as it is about the career of Buckley.

 

Is Public Education Necessary?                                                                      Samuel Blumenfeld

This book is much more interesting than its title might imply.  It is really the story of how we got a public education system in the U.S.  Blumenfeld maintains that private education was doing a fine job and the only reason we got a public system was due to the lobbying of Unitarians, utopian socialists, and professional educators led by Horace Mann.

 

Wall Street and FDR                                                                                      Anthony Sutton
Wall Street and the Rise of Hitler                                                                        “           “       
Wall Street and the Bolshevik Revolution                                                           “           “       

Sutton was a fellow with the Hoover Institute for War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford University.  He demonstrates the ties between some high-level Wall Street bankers and corporation heads and seemingly unlikely allies.  Particularly illuminating is the role of U.S. financiers in the industrialization of the Soviet Union in its early years.

 

A Republic, Not An Empire                                                                           Pat Buchanan

While I don’t agree with Buchanan on everything, I would recommend anything he writes since he is a talented and entertaining author who is on the mark on most issues.  One thing about him is that he is solidly pro-American and opposed to all these internationalist, globalist schemes.

I think it is a shame how the media has tried to portray Buchanan as some kind of ogre.  I have met him a few times and had a chance to observe him interacting personally with people.  He is a very gracious person.

I particularly recommend this book because it is the one he has written that has the message I think Americans most need to hear – particularly conservatives who may have succumbed to the ideas of the neo-cons.  It is the story of how the U. S. moved from the non-interventionist foreign policy advised by early leaders like Washington, Jefferson, and John Quincy Adams to the one we have today where we are running around trying to solve all the problems in the world.

 

The Vision of the Anointed                                                                            Thomas Sowell
Quest for Cosmic Justice                                                                                     “           “  

I recommend anything that Sowell, a black economist, sociologist, and columnist, writes due to his entertaining style, thorough research, and deep insights.

“The Vision of the Anointed” is about those elitist, statists who think they know better than individuals how to run their lives and wish to codify almost everything into the law.

Quest for Cosmic Justice” is about the liberals’ efforts to try to create a perfect world where everyone experiences their notion of justice.

Sowell has also written books analyzing why certain ethnic groups in various geographical and historical settings have prospered more than others.

 

Miracle at Philadelphia                                                                                   Catherine Drinker Bowen

The story of the drafting of the Constitution.

 

The Politician                                                                                                  Robert Welch

The political career of Dwight Eisenhower by the founder of the John Birch Society.  When the Birch Society was being so heavily attacked in the media, part of the controversy surrounded their quoting out of context part of one sentence from this 300 page book.  It is doubtful whether hardly any of those who used that quote to smear Welch and the Birch Society had read any significant portion of the book – much less the whole thing. One of the most heavily documented books I have ever read.  This book is important in that it illustrates so well how many political personages and events are in reality much different than portrayed in the press.

Seven Men Who Rule the World from the Grave                                          David Breese

If the title doesn’t intrigue you enough to want to read the book, probably nothing I would say about it would either.  A hint: two of the seven are Marx and Darwin.  If you want to know the other five are, you’ll have to read it or at least investigate it a little more.

 

How Should We Now Live?                                                                          Francis Schaeffer

I would recommend anything by Schaeffer – not because he’s a great writer, but because he’s a great thinker.  Most of his books don’t really fit the political category of this list – actually this one doesn’t really either totally.  But in it he speaks of the influences of Christianity on Western Civilization including our culture, science, etc. – which have certainly impacted politics.  He also discusses how we have moved away from the values of Christianity in today’s world. 

 

The Free and Prosperous Commonwealth                                                      Ludwig von Mises
Understanding the Dollar Crisis                                                                     Percy Greaves
Economics in One Lesson                                                                               Henry Hazlitt.

I also recommend anything by von Mises.  This economic giant of the twentieth-century was not the founder of the Austrian School of economics, but is probably its best-known proponent.  The Austrian School is gaining ascendancy at this time (2009) due to the financial shenanigans taking place in Washington and the interest in the presidential candidacy of Ron Paul who is a follower of their ideas.

If you decide to investigate von Mises, start with one of his shorter books.  Definitely don’t begin with “Human Action”, his magnum opus – which is really only for quite serious students of economics.  I hope to read it sometime.  I made one attempt.  I got a few pages into it and realized I didn’t have the time to devote to it at that point in my life.  It’s not a book you speed-read – you really have to study it.

“The Free and Prosperous Commonwealth” as its name implies is a description of what a country should do to become and stay free and prosperous.

“Understanding the Dollar Crisis” is a book that is much easier to understand from a man who was a follower of von Mises.  It is particularly good at explaining the concept of economic value.

“Economics in One Lesson” is a short course in basic economics.  Nathanael asked when he heard about Jesus “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  Henry Hazlitt wrote for both the New York Times and Newsweek.  One could legitimately ask that question of either of those publications: “Can anything good come out of the New York Times” or “Can anything good come out of   Newsweek“.  The answer to both those questions is “Yes, at least one thing; Henry Hazlitt”.

 

Meltdown                                                                                                       Patrick Michaels

Yes, I know there is another book in my list with this same title.  It is not a mistake.  The other one is about the economic meltdown.  This one may not be the best book refuting global warming, and there are some more current ones.  But, this is the one I’ve read and it does a good job of disputing the claims of the global warming alarmists.

 

The Tragedy of American Compassion                                                          Marvin Olasky

The story of the many private organizations that ministered to the needy in the past in American - primarily in the Nineteenth Century.  Tells how these organizations – mostly Christian-based – dealt with the underlying causes of an individual or family’s poverty which was often alcoholism as well as meeting needs.  Demonstrates how helping the poor should be done in contrast to the government welfare system we have today.
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The Law                                                                                                          Frederic Bastiat

This very short book by a Nineteenth-Century Frenchman deals with economics from a moral standpoint – rather than just the practical aspects of what works.

Liberal Fascism                                                                                               Jonah Goldberg

The left is always trying to portray conservatives as fascists.  But, this book thoroughly documents the way many on the left have supported fascist policies and leaders.

 

Understanding the Times                                                                                David Noebel

This book evaluates the views of four different worldviews in 10 different disciplines.  Those worldviews looked at in my edition are Christian, Humanist, Marxist, and Cosmic Humanism (New Age).  In newer editions more worldviews have been added.  It is the basis for Christian worldview training taught at Noebel’s Summit Institute for students in Colorado.  It has also been used in classes for adults at Grace Church in the past.

 

Saviors of the Earth                                                                                        Michael Coffman

A good analysis of the environmental movement with emphasis on the pagan religion promoted by some segments of the movement.

 

Trilateralists Over Washington - I                                                                   Anthony Sutton
Trilateralists Over Washington - II                                                                      “           “  

The two volumes talk about the influence the Trilateral Commission has asserted over U.S. politics.
Foundations –Their Power and Influence                                                      Rene Wormser

Wormser was the general counsel for the Reece Committee in the House of Representatives that investigated the influence (largely leftist) of the tax-exempt foundations like the Ford, Rockefeller and Carnegie.

 

The Separation Illusion                                                                                   John Whitehead

This work refutes the idea that the First Amendment calls for a complete separation of anything spiritual and the government.

 

Science of the Soul                                                                                         Kevin Favero

Favero, a Twin Cities resident, does not address the issue of physical evolution in this work, but rather that of the immaterial part of man.  Although he does not take a position in the book about whether God could have used evolution to create the physical part of man, he definitely asserts that the soul is not material and that it could not have evolved.  Having heard him speak and talked to him, I don’t think he believes in physical evolution either.  But to keep the focus on the soul, he does not address that question in his book.  He presents some fascinating possibilities of how our physical brains could interact with non-material things like thoughts.

 

The Biblical Flood and the Ice Epoch                                                                        Donald Wesley Patten
The Long Day of Joshua and Six Other Catastrophes                                       “           “           “  + others

Interesting speculation about how God could have used galactic occurrences to create miraculous events recorded in the Bible (not that he would have had to use such occurrences).