Civil Rights Congress Broadside Denouncing McCarthyist Persecution in Los Angeles

Civil Rights during Mccarthyism

Pamphlets

Jailed Until They “Talk.” This broadside denounces the imprisonment of suspected Communists in Los Angeles during the McCarthy era. Los Angeles: Civil Rights Congress. Circa 1950. 12” x 8” inches. This pamphlet demands “The immediate dismissal of the witch-hunt grand jury! Immediate release on bail for those convicted of contempt! Dismissal of the frame-up contempt charges!” There was a real effort in the late 1940s and 50s to illegalize the Communist Party and other radical formations, amid acute tensions between the US and USSR. This pamphlet alleges that U.S. Attorney General Tom Clark and the Truman administration devised a trick to detain suspected communists, force them to inform on their allies, and jail them indefinitely on the basis of “contempt” if they refused cooperation. They go on to say, “If this trick works, the Bill of Rights will have been thrown out of the window.” “Los Angeles’ latest victims of Tom Clark” were ten men who had recently been imprisoned on these grounds. This tactic was applied throughout the nation but is most recognized in the highly televised HUAC hearings of prominent celebrities who had left-leaning political affiliations. Overall in very good condition.

Item #17416

Price: $420.00