Timisha Smith-Rafi and Miss. Tavella

THE COMMITTEE ON UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES

• Lasted from 1938-1975. • It was a committee of the

House of Representatives. It was "created to investigate disloyalty and subversive organizations.” • Their main purpose was to

search out communists in America.

HOUSE OF UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE

(HUAC)

• Began as a Special Investigation Committee under Chairman Martin (who dies in 1938).

• Became the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1945.

• Became the House Committee on Internal Security in 1969.

• Abolished in 1975.

A BRIEF HUAC HISTORY

The house of Un-American Activities Committee tried to get

the names of members of the communist party, and proof from

witnesses or prior members. Witnesses who didn't answer were

held for contempt of congress.

THE GOAL

Having such a vague name, made it possible for the

Committee to make accusations over a wide

variety of offenses without much hard evidence.

THE PURPOSE

On April 24, 1960, the students at University of California protested the un-fair "trials” for the

people accused of being members of the communist party.

The audience and Jury were made up of people who were for the H.U.A.C., making the trials

unfair.

HUAC controversial tactics contributed to fear, distrust and repression that existed during the

anti-communist 1950s and early 1960s.

AMERICAN JUSTICE?

The most infamous case about Communists infiltrating the federal government began in August 1948.

Whittaker Chambers (a confessed former Communist Spy) accused Alger Hiss of being a Communist Spy before

the HUAC.

Hiss (formally a high official in the U.S. Department of State, had apparently given Chambers a secret government

document in the 30’s.

ALGER HISS CASE (1948)

Microfilms of confidential government papers were presented by Chambers as evidence.

One of the members of the HUAC in the late 1940s was a first term U.S. representative from California named Richard Nixon; he

played a prominent role in the Alger hiss spy hearing in the 1948 by testifying against him.

20 years later he was elected the 37th president of the United states.

He was sentenced to jail for 44 months (3 years 8 months)

Hiss continued to proclaim his innocence for the rest of his life.

ALGER HISS CASE (1948)

The HUAC was a committee whose main purpose was to accuse people of communism and put them in jail. However, they didn't have evidence

to back up their claims which caused much controversy among

the committee.

IN OTHER WORDS….

• America’s political hub on anti-communism

• Established the initial framework for McCarthyism

• Political Backing• Seen as more crucial than public support

• Tied in with FDR’s existing anti-radical policies

THE IMPACT

• Nazi-Soviet Pact encouraged anti-communist hostility

• Heavily impacted by international conflict

• Increased anti-communist fears in the USA

• Facilitated a US government offensive on domestic reds

THE IMPACT

• Hollywood blacklisting led to high-profile media frenzy.

• People’s reaction: • Some believed the HUAC did a valuable

service.

• Others argued the HUAC abused its powers and violated many constitutional rights of witnesses.

• Many witnesses could not cross-examine their accusers

• Many believed the matter should have been left up to the FBI/Law enforcement and not some committee created by the House of Reps.

THE IMPACT

The climax of the investigations was when the Hollywood 10, a group of writers and directors,

were called to testify in October 1947.

The TEN refused to cooperate and used their public appearance to denounce the HUAC’s

tactics.

The entire group was cited for contempt of Congress and sentenced to jail time.

They were also blacklisted from Hollywood

HOLLYWOOD 10

• Alvah Bessie: Screenwriter

THE HOLLYWOOD 10

• Herbert Biberman: Screenwriter and Director

THE HOLLYWOOD 10

• Lester Cole: Screenwriter

THE HOLLYWOOD 10

• Edwrd Dmytryk: Director

THE HOLLYWOOD 10

• Ring Lardner Jr.: Screenwriter

THE HOLLYWOOD 10

• John Howard Lawson: Screenwriter

THE HOLLYWOOD 10

• Albert Maltz: Screenwriter

THE HOLLYWOOD 10

• Samuel Ornitz: Screenwriter

THE HOLLYWOOD 10

• Adrian Scott: Producer and Screenwriter

THE HOLLYWOOD 10

• Dalton Trumbo: Screenwriter

THE HOLLYWOOD 10

Many major studios imposed a strict blacklist policy against actors, directors, writers and other personal implicated in communist activity.

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6440

http://libguides.ecu.edu/content.php?pid=448043&sid=3671474

http://www.bpl.org/govinfo/online-collections/federal-congressional/house-committee-un-american-activities-1957-1958/

http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/teachinger/glossary/huac.cfm

http://www.history.com/topics/house-un-american-activities-committee

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAhuac.htm

Images Used

http://atrahasisblog.wordpress.com/tag/arthur-miller/

http://www.blacklistedjournalist.com/column108i.html

http://www.listal.com/list/blacklisted-in-hollywood

REFRENCES