Word: huac
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...American Activities Committee can survive and even prosper without the full thrust of nationwide McCarthyism. Congressmen are scared to oppose the committee because they know such a move would cost them ten-fold the number of votes they might gain. The courts, while increasingly unwilling to convict uncooperative HUAC witnesses of contempt, are even less willing to pass judgment on HUAC constitutionality -- for fear that in so doing they would spur a major confrontation between Congress and the judiciary over the separation-of-powers issue...
Just such a confrontation has been long in the making. In 1957 the Supreme Court reversed the contempt conviction of John T. Watkins, a United Auto Workers organizer, on the narrow grounds that HUAC had not made clear either the purpose of its hearings or the relevance of Watkins' testimony. Although the decision did not rest on the larger points posed by Watkins' lawyers, it succeeded in arousing considerable opposition from members of Congress who contended the court was interfering with legislative procedure...
...Vasser who refused on first amendment grounds to answer questions about alleged Communist affiliations. Aside from the technical point which the Court had cited in the Watkins case, Barenblatt's suit was fundamentally the same. Thus Congress was reassured that the Watkins decision represented no broad judicial opinion on HUAC proceedings, and a confrontation between the two branches was avoided...
Since Barenblatt, the Supreme Court has consistently found technical reasons for dismissing contempt charges, and the American Civil Liberties Union has been repeatedly foiled in its attempt to secure a broad decision as to HUAC's constitutionality...
...secretary in the Dean's office at The University of California at Berkeley said last night that HUAC had subpoenaed the list of officers of the VDC. The list has been sent to Washington, she explained...