ENCORE: Secret City with James Kirchick

In 'Secret City,' James Kirchick chronicles the hidden history of the gay community in Washington, D.C. , and its profound impact on American politics. The book begins with the story of Sumner Welles, Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s diplomatic advisor, and explores how cultural and political anxiety over gay people led to a decades-long witch hunt. This anxiety influenced various aspects of American history, including the rivalry between the CIA and FBI, the ascent of Joseph McCarthy, the struggle for Black civil rights, and the rise of the conservative movement. Kirchick’s work is based on thousands of pages of declassified documents, interviews with over a hundred people, and material from presidential libraries and archives, offering a detailed and intimate look at the intersection of gay history and American politics.

This book is a meticulous and engaging narrative that explores the initial outbreak and spread of AIDS in the early 1980s. It delves into the personal stories of those affected, the scientific community's efforts to understand the disease, and the often inadequate and politicized responses from government and public health officials. Shilts' work is a critical examination of how societal attitudes, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and personal biases impacted the handling of the epidemic.