At the US Naval Academy library, which was Founded in 1845 in Annapolis, Maryland, the history has continued to grow and was recently addressed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. He directed the removal of controversial books.
Hegseth is not the first Republican to call for a library cleanup. This has echoes of the activities of the infamous Senator Roy Cohn, Joe McCarthy, and early proponents of President Trump.
However, Hegseth uniquely contended that future military leaders might be negatively impacted by exposure to inappropriate literature. This perspective challenges the widely held public perception of US historical narratives.
The inaugural curriculum of the Naval Academy covered subjects such as mathematics, navigation, artillery, chemistry, and notably, natural philosophy with resources from about 400 books, originally housed for the 50 midshipmen in the Superintendent’s Office.
Over 180 years, the library evolved, relocating numerous times until 1973, when it became part of the newly established Nimitz Library, which nowcontains over 500,000 print volumes, alongside ebooks, periodicals, databases, and multimedia resources, both academic and general.
Initially, Annapolis officials believed that university-level institutions were not subject to President Trump’s Executive Order mandating the withdrawal of diversity, equity, and inclusion themed books from K-12 libraries.
Nevertheless, Hegseth had a different perspective. His office communicated to the Naval Academy that Trump’s directives needed to be thoroughly enacted.
Thus, the academy was compelled to comply and issued a statement: “We are fully committed to executing and enforcing all directives stipulated in the Executive Order and reviewing the Nimitz Library Collection to ensure adherence.”
This review resulted in a list consisting of 381 titles deemed too risky to remain accessible.Among the banned works is the bestselling memoir by Maya Angelou titled, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”
Other excluded titles encompass examinations of Southern lynching, the history of the Ku Klux Klan, the Holocaust, Weimar-era Germany, anti-Asian discrimination, gender studies, works on Mormonism, and various texts regarding Muslims and Palestinians. Aligning with Trump’s campaign principles for political retribution, this list also includes Stacey Abrams’s “Our Time is Now.”
A representative from the Navy conveyed that the purge was part of the “Mission of the Naval Academy… fostering moral, spiritual, and physical leadership to nurture honorable leaders, foster a culture of excellence, and prepare for a life of service to our country.”
In 1953, Korn undertook a comparable task at McCarthy’s behest. He was assigned to examine the libraries of the American Cultural Center in Europe with the intent of eliminating “Communist” literature from their collections.
Unsurprisingly, Korn found what he sought, declaring the library “filled with anti-American, pro-Soviet publications authored by communists and sympathizers.”
Cohn’s endeavors were showcased via multi-city tours with pride, as he concluded that the “Malta Falcon” served as “evidence of communists infiltrating American libraries,” despite the 1941 film adaptation receiving three Academy Award nominations.
McCarthy himself vowed to “pin down” individuals who were “responsible” for giving “US endorsement to a vast number of renowned communist writers.” Over seventy years prior to Hegseth’s actions, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles ordered the removal of many texts from “libraries around the globe.”
While McCarthy lacked the authority Trump holds today, the Senate nonetheless upheld initiatives aimed at cleansing contentious literature. His Senate Committee for Government Operations unanimously endorsed the discovery of problematic materials during the “Communist Invasion of Our Libraries.”
President Dwight Eisenhower, a former leader during World War II, ultimately resisted the pressures of political censorship.
In an address at Dartmouth College in 1953, he encouraged graduates to “not join the ranks of book burners.” He advised them instead to “fearlessly access their libraries and explore all the texts available.”
It is regrettable that the Navy Academy midshipmen are receiving a vastly different message under the Trump administration.
Eventually, McCarthy faced his downfall during the Army-McCarthy Hearings when he questioned a military officer’s loyalty. Today’s military leaders may ultimately adopt a similar position for their intellectual autonomy.
Making public the titles and authors of 381 banned books at the Naval Academy might have been a small gesture of defiance. Fortunately, the restricted volumes have not been destroyed or penalized, but “They are stored in areas inaccessible to library users,” keeping the door open for potential restoration.
Meanwhile, Hegseth has likely claimed the most infamous rebuke reminiscent of the McCarthy era: “At some point, can’t you feel that this is wrong?”
Stephen Loubett is Professor Emeritus of Williams Memorial Professor at the Northwest University Pretzker School..
