Description
The California Un-American Activities Committees (CUAC) files (identification numbers 93-04-12 and 93-04-16) span the period
1935-1971 and consist of eighty cubic feet. The files document legislative investigations of labor unions, universities and
colleges, public employees, liberal churches, and the Hollywood film industry. Later the committee shifted focus and concentrated
on investigating communist influences in America, racial unrest, street violence, anti-war rallies, and campus protests.
Background
The growth of international communism in the 1930s had an enormous impact on American politics. Coupled with the rise of Nazi
Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan, the threat of communism during the period leading up to World War II was very
real and pervasive. In response to allegations that communists had infiltrated the State Relief Administration, the California
Legislature created in 1940 what was to become a thirty-one year investigation into un-American activities in California.
Extent
48 cubic feet and 13 boxes
Restrictions
For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives. Permission for reproduction or publication
is given on behalf of the California State Archives as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility
for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives
collections.
Availability
While the majority of the records are open for research, any access restrictions are noted in the record series descriptions.