Secret City

The Hidden History of Gay Washington

By: James Kirchick

Narrated by: Ron Butler

2022 New York Times Book Review Notable Books of the Year, Long-listed

"Not since Robert Caro’s Years of Lyndon Johnson have I been so riveted by a work of history. Secret City is not gay history. It is American history.”
—George Stephanopoulos

Washington, D.C., has always been a city of secrets. Few have been more dramatic than the ones revealed in James Kirchick’s Secret City.

For decades, the specter of homosexuality haunted Washington. The mere suggestion that a person might be gay destroyed reputations, ended careers, and ruined lives. At the height of the Cold War, fear of homosexuality became intertwined with the growing threat of international communism, leading to a purge of gay men and lesbians from the federal government. In the fevered atmosphere of political Washington, the secret “too loathsome to mention” held enormous, terrifying power.

Utilizing thousands of pages of declassified documents, interviews with over one hundred people, and material unearthed from presidential libraries and archives around the country, Secret City is a chronicle of American politics like no other. Beginning with the tragic story of Sumner Welles, Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s brilliant diplomatic advisor and the man at the center of “the greatest national scandal since the existence of the United States,” James Kirchick illuminates how homosexuality shaped each successive presidential administration through the end of the twentieth century. Cultural and political anxiety over gay people sparked a decades-long witch hunt, impacting everything from the rivalry between the CIA and the FBI to the ascent of Joseph McCarthy, the struggle for Black civil rights, and the rise of the conservative movement. Among other revelations, Kirchick tells of the World War II–era gay spymaster who pioneered seduction as a tool of American espionage, the devoted aide whom Lyndon Johnson treated as a son yet abandoned once his homosexuality was discovered, and how allegations of a “homosexual ring” controlling Ronald Reagan nearly derailed his 1980 election victory.

Magisterial in scope and intimate in detail, Secret City will forever transform our understanding of American history.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company

©2021 James Kirchick (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Very powerful telling of this important history.

This powerful telling of history was excellent to sit through. Having lived during during the time this book covers, it provided me an extraordinary look at a very different world, I’m glad to see this issue continuing to fade away. I appreciated the hard work of the narrator and spent hours doing an excellent job. My only comment is to look up the pronunciation of some of the people mentioned, like Nofsinger (not Nofziiiiiger. Still, amazing job and story.

Even I learned a few things

I'm a gay man and a history buff who spent three years living in DC, though not working for the government. Of course I had to read this book as soon as I heard about it. I;m happy to say that I learned a lot and got a better handle on the players - gay and straight - who had significant roles in the experience of LGBT people in the capital over the years. Even more, I had my eyes opened to the significant contributions LGBT people made to major events in US history. Some good, some bad, but always interesting. Great narration, too. Mr. Butler has the right vocal quality for the material and he keeps the tone bright and engaging.

so glad I bought this learned so much

should be a mandatory read for any political science student. excellent. there were several really noticeable pronunciation errors. sorry.

Excellent history of DC secret societies

This book must’ve required so much research!
Loved every chapter and will listen again after I have looked up some of the more obscure people on Wikipedia and Google image so as to catch nuances I may have missed with this, my first listen.
Thank you Mr. Kirchick for all of your hard work.

Lots of history, but boring, cold reader/performer

Great big book with lots of interesting history. Terrible reader. Sounds antiseptic and cold. Frustrating.

Very interesting piece of American history

I loved everything I learned from this book, but I found it a difficult listen, at times, because of all of the names of the individuals whose lives are detailed.

fantastic reporting and storytelling

the narration is incredible as it spans decades and he manages to embody famous personalities without it becoming comical while remaining entertaining.

Kirchick has done a phenomenal job of investigating and threading together a myriad of stories to show the damage the fear of homosexuality wrought and how the last half of the 20th century the tide turned so remarkably. the information about the gay corner of the Congressional Cemetery is a poignant capstone to a remarkable book. a must read/listen!

Fantastic book

Absolutely loved this fascinating book and I have recommended it to tons of friends. Great history of an awful time in history, but it leaves you feeling good about how the majority of Americans have just moved on from homophobia thanks to advocacy and leadership from the gay community and those willing to stand up in support.

Entertaining and informative

Having moved to Washington DC in 1979 with my then lover and staying for 30 years … I found this an informative and fascinating production … a follow up through the horrible years of trump would I’m sure be informative as well… as I cannot remember a time in my life feeling more threatened as a gay man ..,

Sweeping and Compassionate

Essential for understanding American history. Kirchick weaves together the personal stories at the heart of so much history. History of the nation, history of the District’s culture, history of change, and history of prejudice. As fascinating as it is upsetting at times, this book will grow your mind with knowledge and swell your heart with a mix of sadness and pride. It will make readers better citizens and expand their capacity to be compassionate towards others citizens. Not shying away from uncomfortable complexities it will arm anyone that wants to improve the world for themselves and others through politics or governance with the hardboiled facts and emotional vocabulary necessary to do so.