Subversive Activities Control Board

The Subversive Activities Control Board (SACB) was a United States federal committee.[1] It was the subject of a landmark United States Supreme Court decision of the Warren Court, Communist Party v. Subversive Activities Control Board, 351 U.S. 115 (1956), that would lead to later decisions that rendered the Board powerless.[2]

Subversive Activities Control Board
Seal of the Subversive Activities Control Board
Board overview
Formed1 November 1950 (1950-11-01)
Dissolved1972 (1972)
JurisdictionUnited States government
Employees5

The board was founded on November 1, 1950, pursuant to the McCarran Internal Security Act.[3] The original 5 members of the panel were Seth W. Richardson of Washington, D.C., the Board's Chairman,[4] along with Peter Campbell Brown of New York, Charles M. LaFollette of Indiana, David J. Coddaire of Massachusetts, and Dr. Kathryn McHale of Indiana.[5] Mr. Brown later served as Chairman in 1952 and 1953.

The SACB was empowered to order the registration of organizations that it found to be "Communist fronts", "Communist action" groups or "Communist infiltrated" groups:[6]

(e) It shall be the duty of the Board-

(1) upon application made by the Attorney General under section 13(a) of this title, or by any organization under section 13(b) of this title, to determine whether any organization is a Communist-action organization within the meaning of paragraph (3) of section 3 of this title, or a Communist-front organization within the meaning of paragraph (4) of section 3 of this title; and
(2) upon application made by the Attorney General under section 13(a) of this title, or by any individual under section 13(b) of this title, to determine whether any individual is a member of any Communist-action organization registered, or by final order of the Board required to be registered, under section 7(a) of this title.

In 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed former Arkansas Governor Francis Cherry as SACB director. The appointment was continued by Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. However, the 1965 U.S. Supreme Court Albertson v. Subversive Activities Control Board case eliminated the SACB's authority to enforce Communist registration requirements.

The Subversive Activities Control Board was officially abolished by Congress in 1972.[7]

See also

References
  1. "Anti-Red Board Begins Its Duties". New York Times. November 2, 1950.
  2. Irons, Peter; Guitton, Stephanie, eds. (1993). May it please the court: the most significant oral arguments made before the Supreme Court since 1955. The New Press. p. 137. ISBN 1-56584-046-1.
  3. South Dakota State University (October 18, 2013). "Internal Security Act of 1950 (McCarran Act)" (PDF). sdsu.edu. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  4. United States Department of Justice (June 2013). "Seth W. Richardson (1929-1933)". justice.gov. Archived from the original on 2014-10-13. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  5. United States Civil Service Commission (1951). Official Register of the United States. p. 610. Archived from the original on 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  6. Ashland University (October 17, 2013). "EXCERPTS FROM THE MCCARRAN INTERNAL SECURITY ACT (1950)". ashland.edu. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  7. Schipper, Martin Paul (1988). Records of the Subversive Activities Control Board, 1950–1972: Communist Party USA. University Publications of America. hdl:2027/mdp.39015088950723. ISBN 978-1-55655-050-8. OCLC 698017558.

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