This Just In: Just Words: Lillian Hellman, Mary McCarthy, and the Failure of Public Conversation in America

On this day thirty-two years ago, Lillian Hellman filed a libel lawsuit against Mary McCarthy for $2.2 million in damages. The two women were known for having an uncongenial relationship because of their disparate views on communism. Hellman was harshly called a “Stalinist” by McCarthy, while she herself was an outspoken anticommunist. The lawsuit was sparked by an interview on the Dick Cavett Show with McCarthy on February 15, 1980. In the interview, McCarthy pronounced that every word Hellman wrote was a lie, “including ‘and’ and ‘the.’” The lawsuit was eventually dropped in 1984 because Hellman died before it came to trial.

Alan Ackerman’s book Just Words examines the central conflict that occurred on the Dick Cavett Show as well as other events in the lives of the two women. In addition, it offers an opinion on how these events affected the balance between freedom of speech and the right to privacy. Ackerman’s title comes from a quotation by Senator Hillary Clinton during the Democratic presidential primary of 2008. Clinton stated, “When all is said and done, words aren’t action. They are just words.” Ackerman’s intention in using this title is to diminish the common association of words with universal truth.

This book can be found on the new arrivals shelf in front of the main circulation desk under the call number KF 228. H45 A25 2011.