At the height of his fame from the organized crime hearings, Kefauver gave a speech laying out a rigorous vision of active citizenship. Was America up to the challenge? Are we still?
During Kefauver’s final re-election campaign in 1960, he bet that voters would opt for reason and honest facts instead of race-baiting and segregation. See how he made the case in an important campaign brochure.
The organized crime probe wasn’t the only Kefauver investigation to spawn a movie. There was also a movie inspired by his juvenile delinquency investigation. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good movie.
During the infamous comic book hearings, the publisher of EC Comics volunteered to defend the honor of his industry. It went… poorly. But the story is more complicated than it’s usually told.
I’ve been reluctant to write about these hearings, since they’re so often misunderstood and frequently caricatured. So today, I’m tackling some of the biggest myths about these hearings. Comic book fans, take note.