Statement of the Committee for the First Amendment

The Committee for the First Amendment, a group of American Hollywood actors and writers, issued this statement in regards to the hearings of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Pursuing communists during the Cold War, Congress had subpoenaed a group of producers, directors, and screenwriters who came to be known as the “Hollywood Ten” to question their beliefs. Citing the First Amendment, the Hollywood Ten refused to answer, and were jailed for contempt. The founders of the Committee for the First Amendment believed that holding political beliefs considered “unAmerican” should not send you to prison. Congress later abandoned these hearings.