By Robert Mayhew
In 1947, Ayn Rand testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), which was then investigating communist infiltration into the Hollywood movie industry. Why did she agree to testify as a "friendly witness"? What did she think of the HUAC as an instrument for combating communism? What did she say to the HUAC—and what did she want to say? What did she think of the "unfriendly witnesses" (the famous Hollywood Ten) and of the subsequent Hollywood blacklists? Were the First Amendment rights of Hollywood Ten violated? In the more than fifty years since the hearings, how have commentators treated Ayn Rand's HUAC testimony? In this lecture, Dr. Mayhew illuminatingly addresses these issues, and many more.
(MP3 download; 1 hr., 27 min., with Q & A, 60.18 MB)
