Tiger, Tiger,BurningBright 249charismaticpoliticalfigurewhoofferswhatlookslikea planforworld
peaceandorderbutisactuallya satanicsnare.
FormostofitshistoryJacksonianAmericabelievedthattheRoman
CatholicChurchwasthechiefemissaryofSatanonearth.Rootedinthe
bloodystrugglesoftheBritishReformation,theScotch-Irish border
peoplecametobelievethatthebishopofRomewastheconsciousheadof
a vastconspiracy.Fortwohundredyearsplotsandrumorsofplotsroiled
Britishsociety.CatholicstriedtoblowupKingJamesI andbothhouses
ofParliamentintheGuyFawkesplot.MaryQueenofScotsschemed
withtheFrenchtooverthrowElizabethI andbringbacktheInquisition,
withProtestantmartyrsburnedatthestake.ThelaterStuartspartici-
patedinpapistplotsagainstthelibertiesofBritain.Trueandfalseaccu-
sationsstirredpublicopiniontoa feverpitch,whilea steadystreamof
propagandareinforcedpopularfearofthecruelty,thecleverness,andthe
utterruthlessnessoftheVaticananditsvastandfarflungarmyofcon-
spiratorialsecretallies.
FearofCatholicismhas graduallysubsided, butduringthe Cold
War,theKremlinreplacedtheVaticanastheprincipalobjectofAmeri-
canfears abouttheforcesofevilintheworld.Theinternationalcom-
munistconspiracycapturedtheold-stockAmericanpopularimagination
becauseitfittedculturaltemplatesestablishedinthedaysoftheLong
ParliamentandtheEnglishCivilWar,whenfearsoftheAntichristorof
globalconspiracies, along withhostilitytostronggovernment,were
fixedintheimaginationsoftheScotch-IrishancestorsofAmericanJack-
sonians.DescendantsofimmigrantsfromeasternEuropehadtheirown
culturaldispositionstowardconspiracythinking,plusinmanycases,
deephatredandfearofRussia.
Thefearofa ruthless,powerfulenemyabroadthatpossessesa power-
fulfifthcolumnwithintheUnitedStates-includinghigh-rankingoffi-
cialswhoserveitoutofeithergreedormisguidedideologicalzeal-is
olderthantheRepublic.
Duringthe ColdWarthis "paranoid tradition" inAmerican life
focused mostlyonthe Kremlin, thoughorganizations liketheJohn
BirchSocietysawominouslinksbetweentheKremlinandtheAmerican
establishment.Thoughgenerallyhelpfulinsustainingpopularsupport
forColdWarstrategy,theparanoidstreakhasprovedmoredifficultto
integrateintoeffectiveAmericanpolicysincetheColdWar.Tosome
degreethechiefobjectofpopularconcerninpost-ColdWarAmericais
theHamiltoniandreamofa fullyintegratedglobaleconomy,combined