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During the last years of Woodrow Wilson's administration, a red scare developed in our country.

Many Americans reacted irrationally to the challenge of Russia and turned to the repression of ideas by force.

Postmaster General Burleson set about to protect the American people against radical propaganda that might be spread through the mails.

Attorney General Palmer made a series of raids that sent more than 4,000 so-called radicals to the jails, in direct violation of their constitutional rights.

Then, not many years later, the Un-American Activities Committee, under the leadership of Martin Dies, pilloried hundreds of decent, patriotic citizens.

Anyone who tried to remedy some of the most glaring defects in our form of democracy was denounced as a traitorous red whose real purpose was the destruction of our government.

This hysteria reached its height under the leadership of Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Demagogues of this sort found communist bogeys lurking behind any new idea that would run counter to stereotyped notions.

New ideas were dangerous and must be repressed, no matter how.