Portraits and Profiles-a Foreword

This issue of DISSENT is devoted to reports and interpretations—mostly reports—of the American scene. We have asked a number of writers to describe those aspects of our national life with which they are most familiar. What they wrote, we have printed.

In the nature of things, the picture that will emerge from this issue cannot be said to be “well-rounded” or “balanced.” Many significant areas of American life had obviously to be neglected. The “America” of this issue is not the whole truth; the portrait drawn here is fragmentary, unfinished and, at some points, contradictory. But that seems to us eminently desirable.

It is desirable because there is an inherent value in any descripti...