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This article is about the lawyer. For the neuroscientist, seeRoy Cohen.

Roy Cohn
Cohn in 1964
Born
Roy Marcus Cohn

(1927-02-20)February 20, 1927
New York City,U.S.
DiedAugust 2, 1986(1986-08-02)(aged 59)
Bethesda, Maryland,U.S.
EducationColumbia University(BA,LLB)
OccupationLawyer
Known for
Political partyDemocratic[1]
ParentAlbert C. Cohn
FamilyJoshua Lionel Cowen(great-uncle)[2]

Roy Marcus Cohn(/koʊn/KOHN;February 20, 1927 – August 2, 1986) was an American lawyer and prosecutor who came to prominence for his role as SenatorJoseph McCarthy's chief counsel during theArmy–McCarthy hearingsin 1954, when he assistedMcCarthy's investigationsof suspectedcommunists.In the late 1970s and during the 1980s, he became a prominent politicalfixerin New York City.[3][4]He also represented and mentored New York City real estate developer and later U.S. PresidentDonald Trumpduringhis early business career.[5]

Cohn was born inthe Bronxin New York City and educated atColumbia University.He rose to prominence as aU.S. Department of Justiceprosecutor at the espionage trial ofJulius and Ethel Rosenberg,where he successfully prosecuted the Rosenbergs, which led to their conviction and execution in 1953. After his time as prosecuting chief counsel during the McCarthy trials, his reputation deteriorated during the late 1950s to late 1970s after McCarthy's downfall.

In 1986, Cohn wasdisbarredby theAppellate Division of the New York State Supreme Courtfor unethical conduct after attempting to defraud a dying client by forcing the client to sign a will amendment leaving him his fortune.[6]He died five weeks later fromAIDS-related complications, having vehemently denied that he wasHIV-positive.[7]

Early life and education

[edit]

Born to an affluent Jewish family inthe Bronx,New York City, Cohn was the only child of Dora née Marcus (1892–1967)[8]and JusticeAlbert C. Cohn(1885–1959); his father was an Assistant District Attorney of Bronx County, then appointed as a judge of the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court.[9][1]His maternal great-uncle wasJoshua Lionel Cowen,the founder and long-time owner of theLionel Corporation,a manufacturer of toy trains.[2]

Cohn and his mother were close; they lived together until her death in 1967 and she was constantly attentive to his grades, appearance and relationships.[10]When Cohn's father insisted that his son be sent to a summer camp, his mother rented a house near the camp and her presence cast a pall over his experience. In personal interactions, Cohn showed tenderness which was absent from his public persona, but he was vain and deeply insecure.[10]

Cohn's maternal grandfather, Joseph S. Marcus, founded theBank of United Statesin 1913. The bank failed in 1931 during theGreat Depression,and its then-president, Bernie Marcus, Cohn's uncle, was convicted of fraud. Bernie Marcus was imprisoned atSing Sing,and the young Cohn frequently visited him there.[11]

After attendingFieldston Schooland theHorace Mann Schooland completing studies atColumbia Universityin 1946, Cohn graduated fromColumbia Law Schoolat the age of 20.[12][13][14]

Early career

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After his graduation from law school, Cohn worked as a clerk for the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York for two years. In May 1948, at age 21, he was old enough to be admitted to the state bar. He became an assistant U.S. attorney later that month.[15][16]That same year, Cohn also became a board member of theAmerican Jewish League Against Communism.[17]

As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Cohn helped to secure convictions in a number of well-publicized trials of accusedSovietmoles.One of the first began in December 1950 with the prosecution ofWilliam Remington,a formerCommerce Departmentemployee and member of theWar Production Boardwho had been charged withespionagefollowing the defection of formerKGBhandlerElizabeth Bentley.[18]Although an indictment for espionage could not be secured, Remington had denied his long-time membership in theCommunist Party USAunder oath on two separate occasions and was later convicted ofperjuryin two separate trials.[18]

While working inIrving H. Saypol's office for the Southern District of New York, Cohn assisted with the prosecutor's case against 11 senior members of the American Communist Party for advocating for the violent overthrow of theU.S. Federal Government,under theSmith Act.[19]

Rosenberg trial

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Main article:Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Cohn played a prominent role in the 1951 espionage trial ofJulius and Ethel Rosenberg.Cohn'sdirect examinationof Ethel's brother,David Greenglass,produced testimony that was central to the Rosenbergs' conviction and subsequent execution. Greenglass testified that he had assisted the espionage activities of his brother-in-law by acting as a courier of classified documents that had been stolen from theManhattan ProjectbyKlaus Fuchs.

Greenglass would later change his story and allege that he committedperjuryat the trial in order "to protect himself and his wife, Ruth, and that he was encouraged by the prosecution to do so."[20]Cohn always took great pride in the Rosenberg verdict and claimed to have played an even greater part than his public role. He said in his autobiography that his own influence had led to both Chief Prosecutor Saypol and JudgeIrving Kaufmanbeing appointed to the case. Cohn further said that Kaufman imposed the death penalty based on his personal recommendation.[21]Cohn denied, however, participation in any illegalex partediscussions.[22][23]

Consensus among historians is that Julius Rosenberg was guilty of being a highly valuedNKVDspymasteragainst the United States, but that his trial was marred byprosecutorial misconduct– mainly by Cohn – and that the Rosenbergs should not have been executed.[24][25]Distilling this consensus,Harvard Law SchoolprofessorAlan Dershowitzwrote that the Rosenbergs were "guilty – and framed."[26]

Work with Joseph McCarthy

[edit]
Main article:Army–McCarthy hearings

The Rosenberg trial brought the 24-year-old Cohn to the attention ofFederal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) directorJ. Edgar Hoover.With support from Hoover andCardinal Spellman,Hearst columnistGeorge SokolskyconvincedJoseph McCarthyto hire Cohn as his chief counsel, choosing him overRobert F. Kennedy.[27][28]Cohn assisted McCarthy with his work for theSenatePermanent Subcommittee on Investigations,becoming known for his aggressive questioning of suspected Communists. Cohn preferred not to hold hearings in open forums, which went well with McCarthy's preference for holding "executive sessions" and "off-the-record" sessions away from the Capitol to minimize public scrutiny and to question witnesses with relative impunity.[29]Cohn was given free rein in pursuit of many investigations, with McCarthy joining in only for the more publicized sessions.[30]

Cohn played a major role in McCarthy's anti-Communist hearings.[31]During theLavender Scare,Cohn and McCarthy alleged thatSoviet Blocintelligence serviceshadblackmailedmultiple U.S. Federal Government employees into committing espionage in return for not exposing theirclosetedhomosexuality.[31]In response, PresidentDwight Eisenhowersigned an executive order on April 29, 1953, to ban homosexuals, whom he considered anational securityrisk, from being employed by the federal government. According to David L. Marcus, Cohn's cousin, many Federal employees in Washington, D.C., who were exposed as homosexuals by Cohn and McCarthy committedsuicide.As time went on, it became well known that Cohn was himself gay, although he always denied it.[32]McCarthy and Cohn were responsible for the firing of many gay men from government employment, and strong-armed opponents into silence using rumors of their homosexuality.[33]Former U.S. SenatorAlan K. Simpsonwrote: "The so-called 'Red Scare' has been the main focus of most historians of that period of time. A lesser-known element…and one that harmed far more people was the witch-hunt McCarthy and others conducted against homosexuals."[34]

Sokolsky introducedG. David Schine,an anti-Communist propagandist, to Cohn, who invited him to join McCarthy's staff as an unpaid consultant.[28]When Schine was drafted into theUS Armyin 1953, Cohn made extensive efforts to procure special treatment for him, even threatening to "wreck the Army" if his demands were not met.[35]That conflict, along with McCarthy's claims that there were Communists in the Defense Department, led to theArmy–McCarthy hearingsof 1954, during which the Army charged Cohn and McCarthy with using improper pressure on Schine's behalf, and McCarthy and Cohn countercharged that the Army was holding Schine "hostage" in an attempt to squelch McCarthy's investigations into Communists in the Army. The Army-McCarthy hearings ultimately contributed to McCarthy's censure by the Senate later that year. After resigning from McCarthy's staff, Cohn returned to New York and entered private practice as an attorney.[36]

SenatorJoseph McCarthy(left) chats with Cohn at the Army–McCarthy hearings
[edit]

After resigning from McCarthy's staff, Cohn had a 30-year career as an attorney in New York City. His clients includedDonald Trump;[37]New York Yankeesbaseball club ownerGeorge Steinbrenner;[5]Aristotle Onassis;[38]MafiafiguresTony Salerno,Carmine Galante,John GottiandMario Gigante;Studio 54ownersSteve RubellandIan Schrager;theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of New York;Texas financier and philanthropistShearn Moody Jr.;[39]and business owner Richard Dupont. Dupont, then 48, was convicted of aggravated harassment and attemptedgrand larcenyfor his attempts at coercing further representation by Cohn for a bogus claim to property ownership in a case against the actual owner of 644 Greenwich Street, Manhattan, where Dupont had operated Big Gym, and from where he had been evicted in January 1979.[40]Cohn's other clients included retired Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz, who has referenced Cohn as "the quintessentialfixer".[41]Following federal investigations during Cohn's legal career in the 1970s and 1980s, Cohn was charged three times with professional misconduct, including perjury andwitness tampering,and he was accused in New York of financial improprieties related to city contracts and private investments. He was acquitted on all charges.[1]

Political activities

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Cohn with PresidentRonald ReaganandNancy Reaganat the White House in 1982

In 1979, Cohn became a member of theWestern Goals Foundation;he served on the board of directors withEdward Teller.[42]Although he was registered as a Democrat, Cohn supported most of theRepublicanpresidents of his time and Republicans in major offices across New York.[1]He maintained close ties inconservativepolitical circles, serving as an informal advisor toRichard NixonandRonald Reagan.[43]While aligning himself with Republicans he simultaneously forged close ties to Democrats including New York mayorEd Koch,[42]Secretary of StateCarmine DeSapio,[38]and Brooklynparty BossMeade Esposito.[44]

In 1972, he helped Nixon discredit the candidacy ofGeorge McGovern's Vice Presidential running mateThomas Eagletonby leaking Eagleton's medical records to the press. Eagleton's medical record unveiled that he had been treated for depression.[45][46]

During the years of debate over the passage of New York's first gay rights bill, Cohn would align himself with the Archdiocese of New York and express his conviction that "homosexual teachers are a grave threat to our children".[47][48][49]

Association with Ronald Reagan

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Cohn worked on the 1980 Reagan campaign, where he befriendedRoger Stone.[50]Cohn aided Roger Stone inRonald Reagan's presidential campaign in 1979–1980,helping Stone arrange forJohn B. Andersonto get the nomination of theLiberal Party of New York,a move that would help split the opposition to Reagan in the state. Stone said Cohn gave him a suitcase that Stone avoided opening and, as instructed by Cohn, dropped it off at the office of a lawyer influential in Liberal Party circles. Reagancarried the statewith 46% of the vote to Carter's 44%, with Anderson taking over 7% of the vote. Speaking after thestatute of limitationsfor bribery had expired, Stone said, "I paid his law firm. Legal fees. I don't know what he did for the money, but whatever it was, the Liberal Party reached its right conclusion out of a matter of principle."[51]

Rupert Murdochwas a client, and Cohn repeatedly pressured PresidentRonald Reaganto further Murdoch's interests. He is credited with introducing Trump and Murdoch, in the mid-1970s, marking the beginning of what was to be a long association between the two.[52]

Representation of Donald Trump

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Main articles:Personal and business legal affairs of Donald TrumpandList of lawsuits involving Donald Trump

In 1971, Donald Trump first undertook large construction projects in Manhattan.[53]In 1973, theJustice Departmentaccused Trump of violating theFair Housing Actin 39 of his properties.[54]The government alleged that Trump's corporation quoted different rental terms and conditions and made false "no vacancy" statements to African Americans for apartments it managed in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.[55]Representing Trump, Cohn filed a countersuit against the government for $100 million, asserting that the charges were "irresponsible and baseless".[54][56]The countersuit was unsuccessful.[57]Trump settled the charges out of court in 1975, saying he was satisfied that the agreement did not "compel the Trump organization to accept persons on welfare as tenants unless as qualified as any other tenant."[54]The corporation was required to send a bi-weekly list of vacancies to theNew York Urban League,a civil rights group, and give the league priority for certain locations.[55]In 1978, the Trump Organization was again in court for violating terms of the 1975 settlement; Cohn called the new charges "nothing more than a rehash of complaints by a couple of planted malcontents." Trump denied the charges.[55][57][58]

Cohn was allegedly involved in the construction ofTrump Tower.Trump Tower was to be built with concrete; however, at the time there was a city-wide Teamster strike and most unions in Manhattan were controlled by or had ties toorganized crime[citation needed].Cohn had represented mobsters in the past likeCarmine GalanteandAnthony Salerno.Salerno andPaul Castellanoat the time controlled the concrete unions in Manhattan and, when Donald Trump needed concrete, he received it from union leaderJohn Codywho was linked to mob Boss Castellano.[59]

Lionel trains

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Cohn was the grandnephew ofJoshua Lionel Cowen,founder of theLionelmodel train company. By 1959, Cowen and his son Lawrence had become involved in a family dispute over control of the company. In October 1959, Cohn and a group of investors stepped in and gained control of the company, having bought 200,000 of the firm's 700,000 shares, which were purchased by his syndicate from the Cowens and on the open market over a three-month period prior to the takeover.[60]Under Cohn's three-and-a-half-year leadership, Lionel was plagued by declining sales, quality-control problems and huge financial losses. In 1963, Cohn was forced to resign from the company after losing aproxy fight.[61]

Disbarment and death

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In 1986, a five-judge panel of theAppellate Division of the New York State Supreme CourtdisbarredCohn for unethical and unprofessional conduct, including misappropriation of clients' funds, lying on a bar application, and falsifying a change to a will. The last charge arose from an incident in 1975, when Cohn entered the hospital room of the dying and unconscious Rosenstiel, forced a pen into his hand, and lifted it to a document appointing himself and Cathy Frank, Rosenstiel's granddaughter, executors. The resulting marks were determined in court to be indecipherable and in no way a valid signature.[6]Despite the disbarment, many famous people showed up as character witnesses including Barbara Walters,Firing Linehost William F. Buckley Jr. and Donald Trump.[62]

AIDS Memorial Quilt panel for Roy Cohn, 1988

In 1984, Cohn was diagnosed with AIDS and attempted to keep his condition secret while receiving experimental drug treatment.[63]He participated in clinical trials ofAZT,a drug initially synthesized to treat cancer but later developed as the first anti-HIV agent for AIDS patients. He insisted until his dying day that his disease wasliver cancer.[64]He died on August 2, 1986, inBethesda, Maryland,of complications from AIDS, at the age of 59.[7]After his death, theIRSseized almost everything he had including his house, cars, bank accounts, and other personal property and assets.[65]One of the things that the IRS did not seize was a pair of knock-off diamondcufflinks,given to him by his client and friend Donald Trump.[66]According to Roger Stone, Cohn's "absolute goal was to die completely broke and owing millions to theIRS.He succeeded in that. "[67]

Cohn was buried in Union Field Cemetery inQueens,New York. His tombstone describes him as a lawyer and a patriot.[1][68]HisAIDS Memorial Quilt panelis white with "Roy Cohn. Bully. Coward. Victim" in black letters, with "bully" in red and "coward" in yellow.[69]

Personal life

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Cohn datedBarbara Waltersin college and remained friends with her.[38]Si Newhouse,heir to theCondé Nastpublishing empire, was Cohn's classmate at Horace Mann, and they remained lifelong friends. Cohn describedGeneroso Popeas "a second father".[70]Cohn exchanged Christmas gifts with FBI director J. Edgar Hoover;[38]they attended parties with their mutual friend,Lewis Rosenstiel,founder of liquor companySchenley Industries.[71]Cohn referred to Donald Trump as his best friend. Cohn told journalists that Trump phoned him 15 to 20 times a day[11]and according to Christine Seymour, his long-time switchboard operator, Trump was the last person to speak to Cohn on the phone before he died in 1986.[72]

Cohn had many influential social contacts.[73]According to Seymour, he had frequent phone calls withNancy Reagan,and formerCIAdirectorWilliam Casey"called Roy almost daily during [Reagan's] 1st election."[72]Both Casey and Cohn were reportedly close withCraig J. Spence,an influential Republican lobbyist.[74]Cohn metAlan Dershowitzwhen they worked together on theClaus von Bülowcase and praised Dershowitz's support for Israel.[75]Cohn was also friends withEstée Lauder,[1]William F. Buckley Jr.,[76]and New York City mayorAbraham Beame.[38][77]

Sexuality

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When Cohn recruitedG. David Schineas chief consultant to the McCarthy staff, speculation arose that Schine and Cohn had a sexual relationship.[78][79]Schine's chauffeur later volunteered to testify that he had seen the two "engaged in homosexual acts" in the back of his limousine,[80]though there was no evidence that Schine ever had any romantic feelings for Cohn. During this period, Schine dated the actressPiper Laurie,[81]and he eventually married a formerMiss Universe,with whom he had six children.[82][83]During the Army–McCarthy hearings, Cohn denied having any "special interest" in Schine or being bound to him "closer than to the ordinary friend".[79]Joseph Welch, the Army's attorney in the hearings, made an apparent reference to Cohn's homosexuality. After asking a witness, at McCarthy's request, if a photo entered as evidence "came from a pixie", Welch defined "pixie" as "a close relative of a fairy". "Pixie" was a camera-model name at the time; "fairy" is a derogatory term for a homosexual man. The people at the hearing recognized the implication, and found it amusing; Cohn later called the remark "malicious", "wicked", and "indecent".[79]

The young Cohn also attached himself to several older powerful men who, in return, provided Cohn with assistance. One of them may have been New York'sCardinal Francis Spellman,whose own alleged homosexuality has been a subject of controversy in theCatholic Church.[84]Although Cohn always denied his homosexuality in public, he had a few known boyfriends over the course of his life, including his assistant Russell Eldridge, who died from AIDS in 1984, and Peter Fraser, Cohn's partner for the last two years of his life, who was 30 years his junior.[78][85]Speculation about Cohn's sexuality intensified following his death from AIDS in 1986.[1]In a 2008 article published inThe New Yorker,Jeffrey Toobinquotes Cohn associateRoger Stone:"Roy was not gay. He wasa man who liked having sex with men.Gays were weak, effeminate. He always seemed to have these young blond boys around. It just wasn't discussed. He was interested in power and access. "[67]

Sexual blackmail allegations

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Some of Cohn's former clients, includingBill Bonanno,son ofJoseph Bonanno,credit him with having compromising photographs of former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. Because Hoover knew the pictures existed, Cohn told Bonanno, Hoover feared being blackmailed.[86][87]Other organized crime figures have corroborated these allegations.[88]

Reputation

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In 1978,Ken Aulettawrote in anEsquireprofile of Cohn: "He fights his cases as if they were his own. It is war. If he feels his adversary has been unfair, it is war to the death. No white flags. No Mr. Nice Guy. Prospective clients who want to kill their husband, torture a business partner, break the government's legs, hire Roy Cohn. He is a legal executioner—the toughest, meanest, loyalest, vilest, and one of the most brilliant lawyers in America."[38]

Maureen Dowdwrote in an article forThe New York Timeswhich described Matt Tyrnauer's filmWhere's My Roy Cohn?:"Roy Cohn understood the political value of wrapping himself in the flag. He made good copy. He knew how to manipulate the press and dictate stories to the New York tabloids. He surrounded himself with gorgeous women. There was always something of a nefarious nature going on. He was like a caged animal who would go after you the minute the cage door was opened."[89]

Several people have asserted that Cohn had considerable influence on thePresidency of Donald Trump,e.g. Ivy Meeropol, director ofBully, Coward, Victim: The Story of Roy Cohnsaid "Cohn really paved the way for Trump and set him up with the right people, introduced him toPaul Manafortand Roger Stone—the people who helped him get to the White House. "[90][91]

Vanity Fair'sMarie Brennerwrote in an article about Cohn'smentorshipof Trump: "Cohn—possessed of a keen intellect, unlike Trump—could keep a jury spellbound. When he was indicted for bribery, in 1969, his lawyer suffered a heart attack near the end of the trial. Cohn deftly stepped in and did a seven-hour closing argument—never once referring to a notepad… When Cohn spoke, he would fix you with a hypnotic stare. His eyes were the palest blue, all the more startling because they appeared to protrude from the sides of his head. While Al Pacino's version of Cohn (inMike Nichols's2003 HBO adaptationof Tony Kushner'sAngels in America) captured Cohn's intensity, it failed to convey his child-like yearning to be liked. "[11]

Media portrayals

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Theatre

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Cohn inspired several fictional portrayals after his death. Probably the best known is in Tony Kushner'sAngels in America(1991), which portrays Cohn as a closeted, power-hungry hypocrite haunted by the ghost ofEthel Rosenbergas he denies dying ofAIDS.In the initialBroadwayproduction, the role was played byRon Leibman;in theHBOminiseries(2003), Cohn is played byAl Pacino;and in the 2010Off-Broadwayrevival by theSignature Theatre Companyin Manhattan, the role was reprised byFrank Wood.[92]Nathan Laneplayed Cohn in the 2017Royal National Theatreproduction and the 2018 Broadway production.[93][94]

Cohn is also a character in Kushner'sone-act play,G. David Schine in Hell(1996). That play may have been inspired in part by theNational Lampooncomic strip "Roy Cohn in Hell" (February 1987), which depicts Cohn joining Hoover and Senator McCarthy in the nether regions.

In the early 1990s, Cohn was one of two subjects ofRon Vawter's one-man showRoy Cohn/Jack Smith;his part was written byGary Indiana.[95]

Cinema and television

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Cohn had been played numerous times on both film and television. Cinematic portrayals include the following:

Year Actor Project Notes Ref.
1977 George Wyner Tail Gunner Joe NBCtelevision film [96]
1985 Joe Pantoliano Robert Kennedy and His Times CBSminiseries [97]
1992 James Woods Citizen Cohn HBOtelevision film [98]
2003 Al Pacino Angels in America HBO miniseries [99]
2023 Will Brill Fellow Travelers Showtimeminiseries [100][101][102]
2024 Jeremy Strong The Apprentice Motion Picture [103]

Cohn was the subject of two 2019 documentaries:Bully, Coward, Victim: The Story of Roy Cohn,directed byIvy Meeropol(a documentary filmmaker and granddaughter of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg)[104]andMatt Tyrnauer'sWhere's My Roy Cohn?[105]David Moreland appears as Cohn inThe X-Filesepisode "Travelers"(1998). Roland Blum, played byMichael Sheen,is a dishonest lawyer inspired by Cohn, who appears in "The One Inspired by Roy Cohn", Season 3, Episode 2 ofThe Good Fight.[106]Cohn is name checked in theBilly Joelsong "We Didn't Start the Fire".[107]

Bibliography

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  • Cohn, Roy (1954).Only a Miracle Can Save America from the Red Conspiracy.Wanderer Printing Co.
  • Cohn, Roy (1968).McCarthy.New American Library.ISBN978-1125326596.
  • Cohn, Roy (1972).A Fool for a Client: My Struggle Against the Power of a Public Prosecutor.Dell Publishing.ISBN978-0-440-02667-9.
  • Cohn, Roy (1977).McCarthy: The Answer to 'Tail Gunner Joe'.Manor Books.ISBN978-0-532-22106-7.
  • Cohn, Roy (1981).How to Stand Up for Your Rights and Win!.Devin-Adair Publishers.ISBN978-0-8159-5723-2.
  • Cohn, Roy (1982).'Outlaws of Amerika' The Weather Underground.Western Goals.
  • Cohn, Roy (1986).Roy Cohn on Divorce: Words to the Wise and Not So Wise.Random House.ISBN978-0-394-54383-3.

References

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  1. ^abcdefgKrebs, Albin (August 3, 1986)."Roy Cohn, Aide to McCarthy and Fiery Lawyer, Dies at 59".The New York Times.RetrievedDecember 26,2018.
  2. ^ab"Joshua Lionel Cowen".JVL.RetrievedOctober 15,2019.
  3. ^Scott, A.O.(September 19, 2019)."'Where's My Roy Cohn?' Review: A Fixer's Progress ".The New York Times.RetrievedNovember 4,2019.
  4. ^Schaefer, Stephen (September 19, 2019)."Documentary spotlights infamous fixer 'Roy Cohn'".Boston Herald.RetrievedNovember 4,2019.
  5. ^ab"A mentor in shamelessness: the man who taught Trump the power of publicity".The Guardian.London. April 20, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 12,2018.
  6. ^ab"Cohn Ko'D".Time.July 7, 1986. Archived fromthe originalon September 30, 2007.RetrievedMarch 15,2008.One hospital attendant testified in a Florida court that Cohn 'tried to take (Rosenstiel's) hand for him to sign' thecodicilto his will. The lawyer eventually emerged with a document bearing what the New York judges described as 'a number of "squiggly" lines which in no way resemble any letters of the Alpha bet.'
  7. ^abMower, Joan (August 3, 1986)."Roy Cohn, Ex-Aide to Joseph McCarthy, Dead at 59".Associated Press News.Archived fromthe originalon November 12, 2020.RetrievedSeptember 19,2019.
  8. ^"Mrs. Albert C. Cohn Dies. Roy Cohn's Mother, 74".The New York Times.June 6, 1967. Archived fromthe originalon November 4, 2013.RetrievedApril 4,2008.
  9. ^"Albert Cohn".Historical Society of the New York Courts.RetrievedOctober 29,2022.
  10. ^abMarcus, David L. (September 27, 2019)."5 Things You May Not Know About My Vile, Malicious Cousin Roy Cohn (Guest Blog)".TheWrap.RetrievedJune 20,2020.
  11. ^abcBrenner, Marie (June 28, 2017)."How Donald Trump and Roy Cohn's Ruthless Symbiosis Changed America".Vanity Fair.Archived fromthe originalon August 8, 2021.RetrievedAugust 7,2021.
  12. ^Goodman, Walter (October 16, 1994)."In Business for Profit; Imagine That?".The New York Times.RetrievedApril 4,2008.
  13. ^"In a Neutral Corner; Roy Marcus Cohn".The New York Times.April 22, 1960.RetrievedApril 4,2008.By the time he was 20, Cohn, an alumnus of the Fieldston School in…
  14. ^Columbia College Today.New York, N.Y.: Columbia College, Office of Alumni Affairs and Development. 1961.
  15. ^ Gottlieb, Marvin (June 2, 1986)."New York Court Disbars Roy Cohn on Charges of Unethical Conduct".The New York Times.RetrievedAugust 5,2019.
  16. ^ "Roy Cohn Dies at 59".United Press International.August 4, 1986.RetrievedAugust 5,2019.
  17. ^Krause, Allen (2010)."Rabbi Benjamin Schultz and the American Jewish League Against Communism: From McCarthy to Mississippi"(PDF).Southern Jewish History.13.Marietta, Georgia:Southern Jewish Historical Society:167, 208.RetrievedOctober 29,2022.
  18. ^abSimkin, John."William Remington".spartacus-educational.Spartacus Educational.RetrievedOctober 29,2022.
  19. ^Caute, David (1978).The Great Fear: The Anti-Communist Purge Under Truman and Eisenhower.New York:Simon and Schuster.p. 63.ISBN0671226827.OCLC3293124.
  20. ^"False testimony clinched Rosenberg spy trial".BBC News.December 6, 2001.RetrievedMay 26,2010.
  21. ^Zion, Sidney (1988).The Autobiography of Roy Cohn.Lyle Stuart. pp. 76–77.ISBN9780818404719.
  22. ^Radosh, Ronald; Milton, Joyce (1997) [1983].The Rosenberg File.New Haven, Connecticut:Yale University Press.pp. 277–278.ISBN0300072058.
  23. ^Clune, Lori (2016).Executing the Rosenbergs: Death and Diplomacy in a Cold War World.Oxford, England:Oxford University Press.p. 15.ISBN978-0190265885.
  24. ^Radosh, Ronald(June 10, 2016)."Rosenbergs Redux".The Weekly Standard.Archived fromthe originalon July 3, 2016.RetrievedDecember 26,2018.
  25. ^Bailey, Frankie Y.; Chermak, Steven (2007).Crimes and Trials of the Century.Santa Barbara, California:ABC-CLIO.p. 205.ISBN978-1-57356-973-6.
  26. ^Dershowitz, Alan M.(July 19, 1995)."Rosenbergs Were Guilty – and Framed: FBI, Justice Department and judiciary conspired to convict a couple accused of espionage".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedJune 18,2017.
  27. ^Epstein, Jason(October 19, 2010).Eating: A Memoir.New York City: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 123.ISBN9781400078257.Cohn's position as Joseph McCarthy's chief counsel was a job Joseph P. Kennedy had wanted for his son Bobby.
  28. ^ab"The Press: The Man in the Middle".Time.May 24, 1954.RetrievedFebruary 2,2022.
  29. ^"Executive Sessions of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Government Operations".Government Publishing Office.January 2003.
  30. ^"U.S. Senate: 'Have You No Sense of Decency?'".senate.gov.RetrievedDecember 28,2018.
  31. ^ab"Lavender Scare".Out.April 26, 2013.RetrievedJuly 11,2013.
  32. ^Romano, Lois (December 21, 1985)."The Closing Arguments of Roy Cohn".The Washington Post.
  33. ^Johnson, David K. (2004).The Lavender Scare: The Cold War Persecution of Gays and Lesbians in the Federal Government.Chicago, Illinois:University of Chicago Press.pp.15–19.ISBN978-0-226-40481-3.
  34. ^Simpson, Alan K.;McDaniel, Rodger (2013). "Prologue".Dying for Joe McCarthy's Sins: The Suicide of Wyoming Senator Lester Hunt.Cody, Wyoming: WordsWorth Press. p. x.ISBN978-0983027591.
  35. ^"The Self-Inflated Target".Time.March 22, 1954. Archived fromthe originalon November 14, 2007.RetrievedMarch 11,2008.Roy Cohn had threatened to "wreck the Army" in an attempt to get special treatment for one Private G. David Schine.
  36. ^O'Harrow, Robert Jr.; Boburg, Shawn (June 17, 2016)."The man who showed Donald Trump how to exploit power and instill fear".The Washington Post.RetrievedDecember 28,2018.
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