Statement by Jesus Colon to the Walter Commission on Un-American Activities, 1959

After World War II, the United States engaged in what was termed the Cold War. This war had more to do with political ideas than it did with actual combat. As communism spread throughout Europe and the Far East, Americans became increasingly fearful of attacks on democracy in the U.S. The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC, established in 1938) searched for communist sympathizers who were believed to be a security risk for the United States and conducted hearings during which people were interrogated regarding their connections to communist organizations or individuals. During these hearings, individuals were asked to "name names" of others who were suspected of being communists.  

Congressman Francis Walter and Senator Paul McCarran worked together in 1950 to write the McCarran-Walter Act (also called the Internal Security Act). The act assigned strict immigration quotas from countries that had large communist populations but also denied entry to anyone who could be accused of voicing the "wrong" political opinion. Individuals already living in the U.S. who were found to be supporters of communism could be deported immediately. Though President Truman vetoed the act, and stated to Congress that it "would make a mockery of the Bill of Rights and of our claims to stand for freedom in the world," the legislation was passed in 1952 by 89 percent of Congress. The Senate Subcommittee on Internal Security was created to administer and enforce the provisions of the security law.

Anti-communist investigations and hearings continued in both houses of Congress even after Senator Joseph McCarthy’s "Red Scare" tactics were discredited by the U.S. Senate in 1954. During the 1960s, the House and Senate committees focused their attention on social activism among minority populations. The FBI assisted in the investigation and intimidation of "communist subversives."

In November of 1959, Congressman Walter, chairman of HUAC, investigated Puerto Ricans in San Juan and New York who were suspected of being communists. The hearings were considered by many to be a form of discrimination because they were aimed specifically at the Puerto Rican population.

Jesús Colón was an African American Puerto Rican who immigrated to New York City in 1917 and lived there for the remainder of his life. He wrote about the discrimination that he encountered in books like "A Puerto Rican in New York and Other Sketches." Colón was an active socialist and communist. He ran for comptroller of New York City on the Communist Party ticket in 1969, but lost. Jesús Colón died in 1974.

 

How do immigrant populations influence politics?

 

Identify the purpose of this statement and evaluate the significance of this document in encouraging civic participation by new immigrants.