Reflections On Un-American Committees
| Published date | 01 September 1948 |
| DOI | 10.1177/106591294800100310 |
| Author | Dean E. Mchenry |
| Date | 01 September 1948 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
298
REFLECTIONS
ON
UN-AMERICAN
COMMITTEES
by
DEAN
E.
MCHENRY
University
of
California
at
Los
Angeles
Several
times
since
Salem
this
country
has
gone
through
periods
of
witch
hunting.
Most
Americans
who
are
conscious
of
such
things
are
ashamed
of
the
Alien
and
Seditions
Acts
of
1798,
the curtailments
of
civil
liberties
during
the
Civil
War,
and
the
great
&dquo;red
hunt&dquo;
of
1917-1920.
To-
day
this
country
is
in
the
midst
of
a
heresy
inquisition
that
already
has
lasted
longer
than
the
earlier
objects
of
our
shame.
The
current
witch
hunt
differs
from
earlier
ones
in
two
important
respects:
(1)
it
is
directed
mainly
against
local
representatives
of
the
most
powerful
foreign
nation,
and
(2)
it
is
spearheaded
by
federal
and
state
legislative
committees.
Both
of
these
factors
make
it
unusually
difficult
for
Americans
to
keep
their
heads
and
their
civil
liberties.
So
long
as
the
threat
of
war
with
Russia
persists,
Ameri-
can
adherents
of
Communism
are
likely
to
be
regarded
as
potentially
dan-
gerous
individuals
apt
to
commit
acts
of
treason
and
therefore
as
wholly
despicable
citizens.
The
danger
to
individual
rights
is
even
greater
when
the
attack
is
led
by
an
agent
of
the
legislature,
for
that
branch
is
not
subject
to
an
established
set
of
rules
of
fair
procedure
such
as
governs
the
judiciary
and
the
administration.
Having
said
this
much,
it
should
be
emphasized
that
this
point
of
view
expresses
the
ideas
of
an
old
fashioned
&dquo;liberal&dquo;
who
regards
the
state
of
civil
liberties
as
one
of
the
surest
indices
of
American
security.
On
the other
hand,
it
would
seem
that
the
Soviet
Union
is
now
the
only
possible
aggressor
against
the
United
States,
and
that
many
local
Communists,
in
case
war
should
break
out,
would
be
loyal
to
Russia.
American
Communists
are
an
infernal
nuisance
to
American
progressives
both
because
their
adherence
to
a
good
cause
frightens
away
moderate
people
and
because
their
industry
and
purposefulness
often
makes
possible
their
capturing
control
over
other
groups.
Un-American
activities
committees
are
established
as
either
special
or
standing
committees
of
one
or
both
houses
of
the
legislature.
Interim
com-
mittees
of
Congress
are
certainly
constitutional,
as
they
are
in
over
one-half
of
the
states.
The
powers
of
investigating
committees
usually
are
set
forth
in
resolutions
creating
them,
or
in
rules
of
the
legislature;
they
commonly
include
power
to
subpoena
persons
and
records,
to
compel
testimony,
and
to
recommend
contempt
actions.
In
no
instance,
it
appears,
have
such
com-
mittees
been
subjected
to
a
comprehensive
set
of
rules
of
procedure
designed -
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