Everett T. Moore - Censorship After World War II

Censorship After World War II

After World War II, censorship was often linked with patriotism. The McCarthy era and the Cold War had begun. Communist and leftist literature was frequently challenged as was literature on feminism, sex education, critiques of capitalism, and civil rights. In Alabama, a controversial new law required "that every book used in college or public school…was to be labeled to indicate that the author was or was not an advocate of Communism…" Pressure was applied to New Jersey libraries by the Sons of the American Revolution for this similar kind of labeling. The group also insisted on an application of sorts to gain access to Communist literature which they felt "should not be freely available in libraries…" This "dark…very unfortunate chapter in American history" included public, private, often secret interrogations of American citizens. Led by Wisconsin senator Joseph McCarthy, it was a modern day witch hunt of sorts in that an individual American's intellectual thought was suspect and invoking the Fifth Amendment right was often detrimental. This is verified with McCarthy's interrogation of one New York City teacher:

According to the transcript, McCarthy asked an aide to transmit the testimony to the city's board of education. "I assume with this testimony they will discharge this man," McCarthy said. He turned to the teacher and added, "I may say your wife's testimony is being transmitted to the board of education also. I assume she will be discharged too."

Moore explores the story in Bartlesville, Oklahoma of Free Public librarian, Ruth Brown, in his book Issues of Freedom in American Libraries (1964). Moore states that, "so many threats to the freedom to read occurred during the early 1950s." Although Brown was not under suspicion for being a Communist, she had included magazines such as the "New Republic, The Nation and Soviet Russia Today" in the library collection. A group called the Citizens' Committee filed a complaint which was investigated by the city. The City Commission sided with the Citizens' Committee but was unable to impose consequences, especially since Brown had the support of the library board. The City Commission repealed an ordinance that then allowed them to "assume control of the library." They were able to overrule the library board and fire Brown. Moore declares that although this particular story is all but forgotten, "her case did more…than any other in our time to shock librarians…into examining their beliefs in intellectual freedom."

McCarthyism fell farther out of favor after the "harsh treatment of Army officers" especially Colonel Chester T. Brown, who also refused to answer questions. McCarthy stated that, "Any man in the uniform of his country who refused to give information to a committee of the Senate which represents the American people, that man is not fit to wear the uniform of his country." "Such attacks infuriated President Eisenhower", who had been a high-ranking officer in World War II. McCarthy died three years after the unpopular 1954 Army–McCarthy hearings on May 2, 1957." Current Michigan Senator Carl Levin denounced McCarthyism stating, "To attack people personally for their political beliefs and to browbeat them for asserting their rights, is no longer something which people are willingly engaged in…"