The Firing of Wolf Ladejinsky

The Firing of Wolf Ladejinsky

Most people have never heard of Wolf Ladejinsky. However, his 1954 case provides a cautionary tale. Ladejinsky lost his job because the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) considered him a security risk—mainly because he was born in Ukraine, which was then part of the Soviet Union. The evidence cited against him was both extremely weak and constantly changing. Ladejinsky’s struggles and eventual triumph offer insights into the fragility of Ameri…