ABSTRACT
The resolution creating the Fish Committee had initially been killed by the Rules Committee in March 1930. As the effects of the depression had become increasingly visible, society had polarized over the issue of political radicalism. Many of the antiradical groups that had emerged during and after World War One remained active and energetic, but were confronted by a growing civil liberties-based opposition. Pressure was building for the recognition of Soviet Russia: the United States was the last great power not to have established formal ties with the Communist regime. While anti-Communism was undoubtedly a deeply held commitment, then, there can be no doubt that it also offered a chance for an aspiring politician to attach his name to an issue in a way that would have offered clear advantages in any future bid for power within the Republican Party apparatus. Not all of the committee's claims were red herrings.
