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Women and HUAC

Gerda Lerner, one of many significant women sought after by HUAC.

HUAC did not only attack men in their attempts to root out communism. The committee also went after many significant women. Women with prominent roles in government, authors, and many others also found themselves subpoenaed by HUAC. Women like Mary Dublin Keyserling were sought after for their involvement with committees that drew suspicion like the Woman's National Democratic Club, or the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women. The committee also targeted Betty Friedan, Katherine DuPre Lumpkin, Gerda Lerner, and Esther Brunauer, significant names in women's history. These women were at risk of losing everything, much like their male counterparts. Often times, the spouses of officials were attacked, as it was seen as an easier target to make an impact on the face of politics. Many women affected would soon resume their careers, including Keyserling who would resume their careers in politics after years in political exile. The committee did not only cause uproar from their own investigations, but caused a Ripple effect. In 1946 Emily Taft Douglas would lose an election because of her supposed involvement with the communist party. Other instances include Helen Douglas Mankin in 1948, and Helen Gahagan Douglas in 1950. Other cases outside of politics include Mary van Kleeck, who lost her passport due to allegations. Pauli Murray lost a government contract with Cornell University. Many of these women were not actually members of the Communist Party, but instead were active in popular front activities. These women did not have a concrete communication network, but in many instances did have contact with one another, often times about their conflict with HUAC. These allegations not only hurt careers, but left women with physiological trauma from strained relationships caused by the investigations.

Though women were targets, they also fought back against HUAC. In December 1962, the Women Strike for Peace would come under scrutiny from HUAC. 13 women including founder Bella Abzug would be issued subpoenas pertaining to their loyalty. The members used their status as mothers, with a motherly morality as their main rebuttal. These women would not come under further persecution, as the hysteria of the Red Scare would soon pass.