1915-
FBI Counterspy

A Patriot and Hero.

The title of Herbert Philbrick's best-selling autobiography, I Led Three Lives, describes how its author spent the 1940s: first, as an advertising executive; second, as a member of the Communist party; and third, as an agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, informing on communist activities. In the 1950s, when fear of and fascination with communist conspiracies reached a peak, Philbrick was considered a patriot and a hero for his work as a double agent.

A Communist Front.

Philbrick first became affiliated with the Communist party in 1940 in Boston, his hometown. He had studied engineering in college, but worked as a salesman for an advertising agency. In that capacity he entered the offices of the Massachusetts Youth Council one day. The council, Philbrick was told, coordinated the activities of "progressive youth groups" and served as an advocate of...