Communism in Hollywood

Description

This letter was written by Congressman Norris Poulson to Congressman J. Parnell Thomas on May 22, 1947. In it Poulson transmits a list of people who, according to screenwriter and movie critic Jack Moffitt, are members of the Communist Party. Representative Thomas served as Chairman of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC), which conducted investigations into alleged communist activities. Moffitt had recently testified before a HUAC subcommittee and may have provided the names to bolster his testimony. Moffitt likely wrote to Poulson because Poulson represented the district that included Los Angeles. A document accompanied Moffitt’s letter to Poulson, perhaps written by Moffitt himself that appears to be an anti-Communism screed intended to blacklist people in Hollywood.