CLASH WITH THE UN-AMERICAN
ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE
 

During the decade following the death of President Roosevelt
and the end of the Second World War, I found myself increas¬
ingly under attack and compelled more and more to defend my
own civfl Hberties, I was a radical in economics and polities, in
philosophy and international affairs, and—most unpardonable of
all—an advocate of American-Soviet cooperation and of peaceful
co-existence between the capitalist and Communist blocs.

Meanwhile in postwar America the Congressional committees
of investigation, exercising limitless uncurbed powers, were spear¬
heading the upsurge of the anti-demoeratie and narrowly na¬
tionalistic right-wing forces, I suppose it was inevitable that
sooner or later one of these committees should seek my scalp. In
due course two Congressional committees came after me, both of
them because of my interest in the Soviet Union. I had lectured
and written books on the subject of the U.S.S.R., and early in 1943
I had become Chairman of the National Council of American-
Soviet Friendship. This was a non-partisan organization with the
purpose of disseminating the facts about Soviet hfe and of tiying
to create better understanding between the American and Soviet
peoples. The National Council had strong backing among liberal
and conservative elements in the United States.

During the summer of 1945, after the surrender of Japan, I had
resigned as Chairman of the National Council after serving in