Alger Hiss and the Hollywood Blacklisting

The 1948 trial of a high level State Department official named Alger Hiss for perjury not only captivated the nation but began a witch hunt that eventually reached all the way from Washington D.C. To Hollywood California. When Alger Hiss was convicted of lying about former Communist associations, this not only proved that he had been involved with Communist groups in the past, but it forced the public to ask whether he was currently a Communist spy. This question of Communist associations would then be asked of many throughout the country eventually leading to an investigation of the film industry. A government inquiry into Communism in the film industry in turn led to the "Hollywood Blacklisting;" where hundreds involved in the industry were denied employment.

Alger Hiss was a Harvard educated lawyer who began working for the U.S. State Department in the 1930's. In...
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