Aftermath of the October SISS Hearing

[Part 3 of 3] “The [SISS] hearings shade imperceptibly from the incompetent and absurd to the nasty and sinister; there is some temptation to say that they are simply ludicrous – objectionable, perhaps, as a waste of taxpayers’ money and congressional time, but not on grounds more closely related to liberty.“ -Harry Kalven, Jr., 1960. [...]

The October SISS Hearing

[Part 2 of 3] “Until Supreme Court of United States decides Pauling v. Eastland, Dodd and others pending before it, Dr. Pauling will not appear before your subcommittee and bring with him the documents ordered. Respectfully request that committee postpone hearing date until October 26 on assumption court will act on pending petition for writ [...]

Prelude to the October SISS Hearing

[Ed. Note: October 11, 2010 marked the fiftieth anniversary of Linus Pauling's final appearance before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee.  This is post 1 of 3 recounting Pauling's autumn SISS ordeal.  A five-part series examining Pauling's June 1960 subcommittee appearances is available here.] In June 1960 Linus Pauling was ordered to appear before the Senate [...]

Aftermath of the June SISS Hearing

[Part 5 of 5] Shortly after his first appearance before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee, Linus Pauling’s counsel succeeded in postponing the scheduled follow-up hearing from August to October, 1960. The extra time gave Pauling room to plan for his upcoming defense, and to resume plans he had made before being served with the SISS [...]

The June Hearing, Part 2: Pauling Makes His Stand

[Part 4 of 5] When his June hearing before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee was resumed two and a half hours later, Linus Pauling agreed to submit a list of the individuals that he had sent petition requests to, but refused to submit a list of those who returned more than one signature. In making [...]

The June Hearing, Part 1: Ultimatum Delivered

[Part 3 of 5] “It is well, therefore, to begin with the simple legal profile of what a Committee can and cannot do. All that it can do is to compel a witness to testify. If he talks, and talks honestly, that is the end of the matter. The Committee has no power to deal [...]

Thomas J. Dodd, Head of the SISS

[Part 2 of 5] “I gladly confess that I recall Tom Dodd as a somehow larger and more appealing figure than his critics acknowledge or the record of the recent past shows. For twelve years I followed him, long enough to leave with me some fond memories and a share in his guilt. Had he [...]

The SISS Ordeal: Background to a Trying Time

[Ed Note: June 21, 2010 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Pauling's first appearance before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee.  We are marking the occasion with a five-part series that tells the story of this important and traumatic experience.] [Part 1 of 5] In 1956 and 1957, Linus Pauling helped organize a petition which protested against [...]

The Story of 1960

[A look back 50 years in honor of the Pauling birthday anniversary on February 28th.] Throughout most of 1959, Linus and Ava Helen Pauling were actively engaged in several peace-related activities, including a nuclear test ban treaty being deliberated in Geneva. Certain developments preceding the New Year made it clear, however, that a full nuclear [...]

Featured Document: Angry and Frustrated, Pauling Considers a Run for the U.S. Presidency

Though often encouraged to, Linus Pauling never ran for elected office. From the vantage point of his peace work, Pauling believed himself to be a far more effective agent for change when working in an environment that was essentially unencumbered by political considerations. Of at least equal importance was the fact that the time commitments [...]