The bandwagon was already rolling when Sen. McCarthy jumped on. The following is a chunk from Washington State history. This bit of nastiness started while I was still in high school, and I remember it well. I have good friends—not communists, just actors—who got burned in this, not to mention a couple of excellent professors at the University of Washington. Note the date: this began in 1947.-----------------------------------------------
The Canwell Committee and the Seattle Repertory Playhouse A Short History:
In 1947 the Washington State Legislature created the Washington State Legislative Committee on Un-American Activities. Headed by Senator Albert F. Canwell (R-Spokane), the committee was granted the power to investigate groups suspected of being under control of a foreign power or engaging in communist activities. All in all, the Canwell Committee tried and found guilty 32 professors at the University of Washington. With this behind them, they then turned their eyes to a quaint little community theater near the University.
On June 10th, 1948, Burton and Florence James, founders of the Seattle Repertory Theater, were subpoenaed to appear before the Canwell Committee. Canwell decided to make them a focus of the committee as well because he called the Seattle Repertory Theater an ". . . off-campus drama school, largely attended by University students."
Canwell himself headed the hearings and refused to let witnesses the committee put on the stand to be cross-examined. Canwell later referred to himself as, "a one-man FBI." The James's refused to answer any of the questions asked them by the committee because they believed the committee to be unconstitutional. They issued a statement of reasons for not answering, rather than testifying in court.
During the hearings, several witnesses alleged that the Playhouse produced "communist plays" and served as a "recruiting ground" for the Communist Party. The witnesses supplied little evidence to corroborate their charges, except for the fact that some members of the Playhouse had occasionally provided entertainment at Communist Party fund-raisers. Nevertheless, attendance at the theater declined precipitously after the July hearings, and the Playhouse's income fell by two-thirds the following year. In early 1950 the Playhouse filed for bankruptcy. Because of their standing in the community, Florence and Burton James were not forced to serve any time, but their dream, the Playhouse, had been destroyed.
After the hearings, the Playhouse's landlord, Sam Fitz, sold the Playhouse to the University of Washington.
by Daniel Eneberg
There are a series of links at the end of the article. The article can be foundhere
Links to letters courtesy of Manuscripts, Special Collections, University Archives at the University of Washington. Other information gathered from above links.
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Launching an in-depth investigation of governmental agencies in search of foreign agents is something that is usually done in secret, and therefore does not garner much publicity for the political figure or figures who spearhead the investigation until and unless it achieves a measure of success. Investigations of college professors, theater companies, and high-profile entertainers (remember, Pete Seeger was a member of The Weavers, who were having a series of very popular hit recordings at the time) hardly does much to root out agents of foreign powers, but it's almost guaranteed to make quite a splash in the news.
Don Firth