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The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) investigated suspected cases of subversion and disloyalty to the US government. It primarily focused on left-wing politics and was accused of anti-socialist and anti-communist bias. HUAC had great power to issue subpoenas and blacklist those who refused to testify. McCarthy was not affiliated with HUAC but was inspired by their techniques. The committee was dissolved in 1975.
The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives that investigated suspected cases of subversion and disloyalty to the United States government. Although it was actually called the House Committee on Un-American Activities, the acronym HUAC is more commonly used to refer to it. The committee’s actions attracted great public attention while it was active and continues to be a topic of discussion and research among academics. The long arm of the committee is also often referred to in popular parlance.
In 1934, the House established the Special Un-American Activities Committee, presumably to investigate Americans of German ancestry and to keep a close eye on subversive behavior in the United States. In 1938, the committee acquired permanent status, changing its name to HUAC and appointing Martin Dies as its chairman. The committee was active in the 1960s, although its influence had begun to wane by 1969, when it was renamed the House Committee on Internal Security; it was dissolved completely in 1975.
Although HUAC was supposed to investigate all potential subversions, conspiracies, disloyalties, and other unacceptable activities, it primarily focused on people with politics to the left of the political spectrum, and was often accused of an anti-socialist and anti-communist bias. Dies himself was an active member of the Klu Klux Klan, and the committee did not often prosecute or question people with conservative politics, including right-wing extremists and Nazi Party supporters. One of the most famous cases was that of Alger Hiss, who was sentenced to prison for perjury, despite the fact that he was a notable politician, diplomat and lecturer.
HUAC members had great power, with the ability to issue subpoenas to compel testimony. Some prominent people refused to testify for the committee, for fear of implicating themselves and others, and were blacklisted; HUAC’s Hollywood blacklist included a number of prominent celebrities. Once blacklisted, people had difficulty finding work, social services, and other support.
Many people associate the famous anti-Communist Senator Joseph McCarthy with HUAC. While McCarthy’s actions and those of HUAC were often very similar, McCarthy was, in fact, not affiliated with this organization, as he was a member of the Senate, not the House. He was certainly inspired by some of the techniques used by the committee members, however, and the combined strength of the two has undoubtedly shaped the American political landscape.
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