1975 January 14

HUAC Abolished; 37 Years of Civil Liberties Violations Finally Ends

 

After 37 years of civil liberties abuses involving  investigations of freedom of belief and association, almost all of which involved left-wing, labor and liberal individuals and groups, the House of Representatives on this day abolished the notorious House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).

HUAC was created on May 26, 1938. Its most famous investigation involved its 1947 investigation of alleged communist influence in Hollywood and the resulting confrontation with the “Hollywood Ten,” a group of directors and screenwriters who refused to cooperate with the investigation and were all cited for contempt and sentenced to prison. The second most dramatic event in the history of HUAC were the protests against its hearings of alleged communism in San Francisco that began on May 12, 1960 and resulted in violent confrontations between protesters and the police. The protests marked a major turning point in public attitudes toward HUAC, and its reputation never recovered.

Search “HUAC” on Today in Civil Liberties History for the many abuses by HUAC involving famous Americans; these include playwright Arthur Miller (June 21, 1956), screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (October 28, 1947), folk singer Pete Seeger (August 18, 1955), German playwright Bertolt Brecht (October 30, 1947), and many others.

Read the fascinating book about HUAC, Hollywood and the blacklist: Thomas Doherty, Show Trial: Hollywood, HUAC, and the Birth of the Blacklist (2018)

Read the History of HUAC: Walter Goodman, The Committee: The Extraordinary Career of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (1968)

Watch the History of HUAC on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1Z5aYU6x0o

Learn more about HUAChttp://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/huac

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