4 9 ▁by ▁Be acon ▁Press . ▁Bl ans hard ▁assert ed ▁that ▁America ▁had ▁a ▁" C atholic ▁problem " ▁in ▁that ▁the ▁Church ▁was ▁an ▁" und em ocr atic ▁system ▁of ▁al ien ▁control ". ▁The ▁book ▁has ▁been ▁described ▁as ▁propag anda ▁and ▁as ▁" the ▁most ▁unusual ▁best s eller ▁of ▁ 1 9 4 9 – 1 9 5 0 ". ▁Some ▁review ers ▁thought ▁that ▁the ▁book ▁incorpor ated ▁n ativ ist ▁sent iments ▁into ▁its ▁anti - C atholic ism , ▁including ▁that ▁the ▁Church ▁was ▁a ▁foreign ▁power ▁in ▁America ▁determined ▁to ▁domin ate ▁the ▁world . ▁In ▁the ▁pro log ue , ▁Bl ans hard ▁said ▁that ▁he ▁was ▁not ▁opposed ▁to ▁the ▁Catholic ▁religion ▁or ▁to ▁Catholic ▁Americans , ▁but ▁that ▁the ▁church ' s ▁hierarchy ▁had ▁an ▁und ue ▁influence ▁on ▁legisl ation , ▁education ▁and ▁medical ▁practice . ▁ ▁The ▁book ▁began ▁as ▁a ▁controvers ial ▁series ▁of ▁articles ▁in ▁The ▁Nation ▁that ▁set ▁the ▁Arch bishop ▁of ▁New ▁York ▁against ▁Ele an or ▁Ro ose vel t . ▁Despite ▁some ▁resistance , ▁it ▁became ▁a ▁best s eller , ▁winning ▁pra ise ▁from ▁well - known ▁intellect uals . ▁Catholic ▁writers ▁den ounced ▁it ▁as ▁big oted ▁and ▁based ▁on ▁long standing ▁Protest ant ▁bias . ▁ ▁Writ ings ▁in ▁The ▁Nation ▁Bl ans hard ▁started ▁doing ▁the ▁research ▁behind ▁the ▁book ▁in ▁ 1 9 4 6 ▁when ▁he ▁became ▁concerned ▁about ▁the ▁influence ▁of ▁Catholic ▁doctrine ▁on