The Imposter's War: The Press, Propaganda, and the Newsman who Battled for the Minds of America

During WWI, Germany spent one billion dollars to infiltrate American media, industry, and government to undermine the Allied forces. John Revelstoke Rathom, editor of the Providence Journal, exposed these plots and helped to galvanize American will, contributing to the conditions necessary for President Wilson to request a Declaration of War from Congress. Rathom's biography was outrageous fiction, and his acts of journalistic heroism were never happened. In The Imposters War, Mark Arsenault unearths the truth about Rathoms origins and revisits a surreal and too-little-known passage in American history.

Format: Hardback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 12 May 2022
Publisher: Pegasus Books

The shocking history of espionage and infiltration of American media during World War I and the man who exposed it. A man who was not who he claimed to be...

Russia was not the first foreign power to subvert American popular opinion from inside. In the lead-up to America's entry into the First World War, Germany spent the modern equivalent of one billion dollars to infiltrate American media, industry, and government to undermine the supply chain of the Allied forces. If not for the ceaseless activity of John Revelstoke Rathom, editor of the scrappy Providence Journal, America may have remained committed to its position of neutrality. But Rathom emerged to galvanize American will, contributing to the conditions necessary for President Wilson to request a Declaration of War from Congress—all the while exposing sensational spy plots and getting German diplomats expelled from the U.S.

And yet John Rathom was not even his real name. His swashbuckling biography was outrageous fiction. And his many acts of journalistic heroism, which he recounted to rapt audiences on nationwide speaking tours, never happened. Who then was this great, beloved, and ultimately tragic imposter?

In The Imposters War, Mark Arsenault unearths the truth about Rathom's origins and revisits a surreal and too-little-known passage in American history that reverberates today.

The story of John Rathom encompasses the propaganda battle that set America on a course for war. He rose within the editorial ranks, surviving romantic scandals and combative rivals, eventually transitioning from an editor to a de facto spy. He brought to light the Huerta plot (in which Germany tried to push the United States and Mexico into a war) and helped to upend labor strikes organized by German agents to shut down America.

Rathom's activities were not limited to the United States. He also played a key role in exposing the German spy ring in Canada, which was operating under the guise of a newspaper called the National Observer. He helped to expose the plot and topple the government of Prime Minister Robert Borden, who had been collaborating with the Germans.

Despite his heroic efforts, Rathom's life was not without its controversies. He was accused of being a German spy and of having ties to the German government. He was also known for his extravagant lifestyle, which included lavish parties and expensive trips.

In the end, Rathom's legacy is a complicated one. He was a man who claimed to be a hero, but who was ultimately revealed to be a fraud. His actions helped to shape the course of World War I, but his true identity and motives remain a mystery.

The Imposters War is a fascinating and important book that sheds light on a little-known chapter in American history. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of espionage, propaganda, and the media.

Weight: 497g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 33 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781643139364