The following is an interview with Catholic author and commentator Kevin J. Symonds regarding his latest book The Recorded Lectures of Dr. Bella Dodd (2026).

Abbott: Can you give a description of Dodd’s background?

Symonds: Dodd was born in 1904 and originally came from Italy but her family came to the United States early on in her life. They settled in New York and that is where Dodd grew up. She went through a normal education and was an exceptionally bright child. She attended Hunter College and became very involved in the New York education system, especially from 1926 onward while (now) a professor at Hunter. She later attended New York University Law School and became an attorney. As regards her faith, Dodd’s family was Catholic, but unfortunately lost much of the daily practices of the Faith. Losing these practices affected Dodd’s understanding of Christianity and she was poorly catechized. As her secular education continued, she fell prey to a materialist understanding of the world and began to focus upon social issues and how best to ameliorate the social conditions of her time. She was eventually brought to the Communist Party of the USA (CPUSA). Dodd attended communist meetings and was under Party discipline for many years before declaring herself openly as a card-carrying member. She eventually realized that the Party’s goals did not align with her goals for social amelioration. Dodd became disenchanted with the Party and was expelled in 1949.

Abbott: What happened to Dodd after her expulsion from the CPUSA?

Symonds: Dodd became persona non grata and lived a bitter life for the next few years. She maintained her law practice in New York, but many of her clients dried up with the loss of her contacts within the Communist Party. Although expelled from the Party, Dodd maintained a communist mindset and all the poison that came with it. While in this state, she bumped into a congressman she knew, Christopher McGrath, and they had a conversation. He could tell how miserable Dodd was and so he asked if she’d be open to meeting with a priest. Surprisingly, she consented and McGrath introduced her to [now Blessed] Fulton J. Sheen. She had a conversion while speaking with him and was formally brought back to the Catholic Church in April 1952.

Abbott: What happened between Dodd and Sheen?

Symonds: Well, Dodd recounts more of that story in her autobiography School of Darkness and also in various lectures she gave (found in The Recorded Lectures). Essentially, she was a little apprehensive to meet with Sheen because she had been away from the Church for so long and she thought he would judge her severely. He was anything but judgmental. She ended up in tears, healing tears, during the meeting. She was finally able to let go of the bitterness and poison built up inside of her. This conversion was remarkable because prior to 1952, one can tell Dodd was a very hardened and embittered woman. Then, from 1952 onward, one can see a tremendous change within her. I was particularly struck by the complete difference between two particular testimonies she gave before the United States Congress, one in April 1950 and then another in September 1952. In the former, reading the transcript, one can hear a severe negative tone and direction of her discourse whereas in the latter, she is quite the opposite. It is a testament to a later point that she makes about the regeneration of the human heart in Christ as being the only answer to the problems plaguing the world. For his part, Sheen became a spiritual father to Dodd and she took advice from him throughout the rest of her life.

Abbott: I’m glad you mentioned that last part because one can find stories about his guidance to her on the internet. Would you mind telling us more about that guidance?

Symonds: Dodd had obtained a tremendous wealth of information about communist activity within the United States (if not the world) and knew the CPUSA inside and out. The catch was the communists also knew she knew. Dodd claimed she had been harassed by people who were either communists or working for them and that this harassment was meant to intimidate her into silence. She spoke with Sheen about everything, and, having recommitted herself to patriotism for her country, she wanted to speak out but did not know if that would be a good thing. Sheen did not tell her one way or another, but asked Dodd three questions. Depending upon how she answered the questions, she would have a clearer sense of what to do. Those questions pertained to what she knew, if it was true, and if telling would help her country. Dodd answered accordingly by testifying before the United States House of Representatives Un-American Activities Committee on numerous occasions. She also spoke with the FBI and became known as “The Falcon.” Information she provided became very important in governmental activities against communist infiltration of the United States.

Abbott: Your book is about Dodd’s recorded lectures. Can you tell us more about what she hoped to accomplish through lecturing?

Symonds: As a part of making up for the harm she did as a communist, Dodd went around the country giving talks or lectures wherever she was invited. A gifted speaker, Dodd could hold any audience, and took care to tailor her talks. She spoke largely on education and communism.

Abbott: How did Dodd present her material?

Symonds: Dodd typically used her own story as a baseline from which to lay the foundation of her talks and then expounded upon different areas. It is for this reason that people will see repetition in her lectures. As far as her presentation is concerned, Dodd was fairly polished, but also very influenced by a “stream of consciousness.” Sometimes, this created a problem of consistency, but when taken with a grain of salt, one can understand her points. Additionally, as an attorney, she knew well to exercise caution in certain areas. For example, she was concerned about libel suits and was careful not to say things that would be considered libelous.

Abbott: What were some of Dodd’s general points?

Symonds: Her overall point was on the dangers posed by communism to the American way of life. While careful on specific details (such as naming people), one of the main points that Dodd consistently raised was a three-fold distinction within communism. She enumerated them as: 1) The Communist Party, 2) The Communist Movement, and 3) The Communist Conspiracy.

Abbott: What did Dodd mean by this distinction?

Symonds: In the lectures from Dodd available to us today, there is no set definition of all three elements. She does, however, provide descriptions and so, taking my cue from her, I would like to explain them as follows. The overall idea in Dodd’s thinking was that there was a cabal of people looking to start revolutions throughout the various countries of the world, take over their affairs and business, and install communism. That is what she described as the “Communist Conspiracy.” Such an installation would not happen overnight as there would be cultural resistance in many quarters, especially within Western civilization. Therefore, gradual changes would have to take place in order for the conspiracy to succeed. Dodd proffered the “Communist Movement” as the means by which these changes would take place. For these to be accomplished, one must have a political mechanism. That mechanism was the Communist Party.

Abbott: Can you elaborate a little further?

Symonds: Most everyone knows about the Communist Party as it was the most visible of the three elements. It has been greatly diminished in the last 50-60 years here within the United States, though it was never entirely gone. There are a number of young people marching behind its banner today, according to one news article that I recently saw. One of the components of communism that Dodd was keen to point out was that it could easily change its stripes depending upon the need. I suspect that ability is in play at present, especially under the name “Democratic Socialism.” It is a notable threat that needs to be addressed as it has made headway into various institutions, even religious ones. That said, the Communist Movement never truly went away after the fall of communism in Russia. It lived on within China and Cuba, for example, and the world was warned by Pope St. John Paul II in 1991 that if the western world was not careful, there could be a resurgence of totalitarian regimes. Sadly, I suspect we are well on our way down this path. As for the Communist Conspiracy, the history is a little less clear as to how it continues today, but it isn’t absurd to say that there are still cabals of Marxists who want to implement communism in the world.

Abbott: Did Dodd tell us anything else in her lectures that would be helpful for us to discern what is going on in our day?

Symonds: Dodd believed we needed to restore what she called a “basic philosophy.” Everyone has an underlying philosophy that guides them. Communism maintained a materialist philosophy wherein “Man is born, he grows, he dies, he decays, and that’s the end of him,” as Dodd put it in her 1961 Utica lecture. There is nothing more to him, no spiritual nature, no soul, just matter. Contrast this against the philosophy of Western civilization, rooted in the Judeo-Christian ethic of man created in the image and likeness of God, possessing a divine spark within him. As such, he has dignity, and from this basis flowed much of the culture of the West, inspiring things such as mission works to lepers (a specific example that Dodd gave in a few of her lectures). She believed if we remain firmly rooted in Western philosophy, we could withstand the onslaughts of communism. I think her point remains true today.

Abbott: There is a tremendous effort today to make people feel sorry for the history of Western civilization. What would Dodd say about this effort?

Symonds: Dodd knew it is a Marxist tactic to make people feel bad for their history while leading them to reject that history. Inspiring a sense of patriotism and common sense, therefore, is important to overcoming challenges today. Dodd acknowledged shortcomings in her 1962 Omaha lecture, but we shouldn’t “destroy this country to wipe out the wrongs,” she argued. Rather, we must “reassert our Christian ethic and solve the problems in the Christian way.”

Abbott: Those are universal concerns. Did Dodd happen to speak about local concerns?

Symonds: Following the principle of subsidiarity, and speaking on political action, Dodd believed people should keep vigilant over local affairs and know one another. She knew how erroneous it was to consider one’s self a “citizen of the world” and yet not know (if not actually hate) one’s neighbor. She encouraged people to be involved on the local level with political groups and know one another, meeting in homes or even garages to discuss matters of importance to the community. In our day, for example, we see people fighting pornographic material in public schools, attending public meetings and speaking out, only to be told it is inappropriate to read at the meetings from the same material available to children. The double-standard is obvious and Dodd warned us years ago to keep vigilance. She warned against the breakdown of western morality as she was in the room when decisions were made by communists to pervert that morality and cause the deterioration of the country’s moral fiber. We have reached a level today the communists of her day could have only dared to dream.

Abbott: You mentioned earlier about Democratic Socialism influencing private religious institutions. This reference brings me to Dodd in relation to Catholicism. She is believed to have remarked about infiltrating Catholic seminaries via seminarians who were either communist or at least sympathetic toward it. Do you have any information that can shed light on this matter?

Symonds: I spent considerable time researching the subject and wrote an essay in 2021 about it. For now, it’s enough to say that from 1988 to 2020, two central claims arose about Dodd and the infiltration of the Catholic Church: 1) she put hundreds of men into Catholic seminaries while she was a communist, and 2) Dodd knew of four cardinals working at the Vatican for communism. These claims were made by various people, the most notable being the respected Catholic philosopher Dr. Alice von Hildebrand, who actually knew Dodd.

Abbott: Have there been any developments on these two claims since 2021?

Symonds: Yes, the first is the publication of the book The Devil and Bella Dodd by Drs. Mary Nicholas and Paul Kengor in 2022. They made the case that there was infiltration of the Catholic Church on different levels and brought out new evidence for consideration. For example, they published the testimony of a still-living witness, Mrs. Sherry Finn of California. Mrs. Finn was educated at the (now defunct) University of Plano in Texas where Bella Dodd once taught. Mrs. Finn recounted to the authors that she was at a get-together at a private home. Dodd was present and Finn stated she recalled Dodd remarking about the infiltration of Catholic organizations.

Abbott: That is an impressive development and good to know there is a still-living witness. If I am not mistaken, however, was there some contradicting statement from Dodd in one of her lectures about the infiltration of Catholic seminaries?

Symonds: In her First Detroit lecture in September of 1961, Dodd was directly asked a question from an audience member “have you ever met Communists among the Catholic clergy and if so, were these people ever exposed?” Dodd replied “I never met a Communist who was a member of the Catholic clergy.” This statement appeared to contradict decades of consistent testimony.

Abbott: Can you account for the apparent contradiction?

Symonds: I don’t think there is a contradiction in fact when one weighs the information carefully. I listened to Dodd speak and also consulted with the FBI records on her given to me by Judicial Watch. I also re-read the prior statements on the infiltration of Catholic seminaries. Based upon this study, there are four observations. First, being an attorney, Dodd knew that it is all in how one phrases the question. Second, she had to exercise caution with public statements she could not back up with evidence. Third, Dodd knew things from her time with the CPUSA and her statements were taken as gospel in the public forum (sometimes, even her private remarks found their way to the FBI and she’d be asked to explain herself). Fourth, there is the ever-looming truth of statements recalled years later after an event are subject to distortion.

Abbott: Those seem reasonable observations. How do they apply to the two claims?

Symonds: With respect to the four cardinals, I think Dodd exercised her legal training while answering the question in Detroit. She was asked if she had “ever met” communists among the Catholic clergy. In the 1988 to 2020 statements, it was never claimed that Dodd stated she met communists among the Catholic clergy. The statements about what Dodd told people privately came years later after the fact and there is no harmonious narrative. For example, in 2001, von Hildebrand claimed Dodd had “dealt with” the four cardinals. Then in 2003, she said Dodd “was in close contact” with them. What were Dodd’s exact words? Does “close contact” mean she met them in person or was she corresponding via letters or intermediaries? The answers are not forthcoming, and I believe it best to take these statements with a grain of salt, especially with what Dodd herself stated publicly in Detroit. Of course, none of this questioning is meant to question people of good reputation like von Hildebrand. Rather, in the pursuit of truth, we have to be honest about the evidence. The jury is still out and I await more information that could help us decide things one way or another.

Abbott: Is it possible that Sheen might have influenced Dodd about the four cardinals?

Symonds: Von Hildebrand relayed that Sheen had forbidden Dodd from revealing the names of these four men so as to avoid scandal. I believe Dodd revealed what she knew to Sheen and he made it known through his own Vatican contacts.

Abbott: Is there a final word you’d like to say about Dodd or your book?

Symonds: Yes, for more information about me or the book, I encourage readers to visit my website: www.kevinsymonds.com. I have also established a website for Dodd that makes information about her easily accessible: www.belladodd.net. Lastly, I would like to exhort readers to take Dodd’s life and mission and be active in your families, communities, and churches. Dodd’s conversion is a beautiful model for the regeneration of the human heart in Christ and I’m convinced that this path is the only way to see us through the troubles of our day.

Abbott: Why would Dodd appear to say one thing in Detroit but another elsewhere? Wouldn’t that weaken her argument’s credibility?

She left the Catholic angle a little more mysterious, less formulated, in her available public lectures.