House Un-American Activities Committee

American  

noun

1. an investigative committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. Originally created in 1938 to inquire into subversive activities in the U.S., it was reestablished in 1945 as the Committee on Un-American Activities, renamed in 1969 as the Committee on Internal Security, and abolished in 1975. HUAC

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House Un-American Activities Committee British  

noun

1. the former name of the Internal Security Committee of the US House of Representatives: notorious for its anti-Communist investigations in the late 1940s and 1950s

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Example Sentences

Jane Fonda has relaunched the Committee for the First Amendment, a free-expression coalition originally formed by Hollywood stars in 1947 to oppose the House Un-American Activities Committee and the Hollywood blacklist.

From Salon • Oct. 5, 2025

Government entities like the House Un-American Activities Committee and intelligence agencies decided who was allowed to represent the country and whose voices were unwelcome.

From New York Times • May 17, 2024

Truman, then out of office, refused to comply with a subpoena to testify to the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1953 and Congress didn’t pursue the matter.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2022

Her father, Leonard Boudin, was a civil-liberties lawyer whose client roster included entertainer Paul Robeson, among other figures called before the House Un-American Activities Committee during anti-communist witch hunts of the 1950s.

From Washington Post • May 1, 2022

In the 1950s, when Bobby frequented the establishment, the Bureau was particularly active, hoping to supply information to the House Un-American Activities Committee.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady