Letter to the House UnAmerican Activities Committee (HUAC) from Lillian Hellman Regarding Testimony

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Description

Playwright Lillian Hellman sent this letter to the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in response to being subpoenaed to appear before the Committee. In her letter she states that her legal counsel informed her that if she answered any questions about her life, she would waive her rights under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and thus be forced to answer questions about other people that she knew. She notes she is opposed to being required to answer questions about others, but would answer questions about herself.

The Fifth Amendment provides protections to accused criminals, including the right against self-incrimination. During the “red scare” of the 1950s, the House UnAmerican Activities Committee subpoenaed film industry members and required that they answer questions about themselves and others who may have been communists. Although she was a playwright, not a criminal, Lillian Hellman “pled the Fifth,” refusing to testify.

Citation

This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.

National Archives Identifier: 24200384

Full Citation: Letter to the House UnAmerican Activities Committee (HUAC) from Lillian Hellman Regarding Testimony; 5/19/1952; Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, Record Group 233. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/document/letter-to-the-house-unamerican-activities-committee-huac-from-lillian-hellman-regarding-testimony/, February 20, 2026]

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