Potter Stewart

“ Entry and dissemination within the United States of foreign Communist Party propaganda, the legislative purpose being to determine the necessity for, and advisability of, amendments to the Foreign Agents Registration Act designed more effectively to counteract the Communist schemes and devices now used in avoiding the prohibitions of the Act. ”

“ The Staff Director's statement to the petitioner also discussed legislation which the Committee had under consideration. [8] All these sources indicate the existence of a legislative purpose. And the determination that purposes of the kind referred to are unassailably valid was a cornerstone of our decision in Barenblatt, supra: 'That Congress has wide power to legislate in the field of Communist activity in this Country, and to conduct appropriate investigations in aid thereof, is hardly debatable. ”

“ The following circumstances were established by uncontroverted evidence at the petitioner's trial:
The Committee on Un-American Activities is a standing committee of the House of Representatives, elected at the commencement of each Congress. ”

“ Substantially all that was said there is equally applicable here, and it would serve no purpose to enlarge this opinion with a paraphrased repetition of what was in that opinion thoughtfully considered and carefully expressed. See 360 U.S. at pages 125-134, 79 S.Ct. ”

“ United States
Argued: Nov. 17, 1960. --- Decided: Feb 27, 1961
The petitioner was convicted for having unlawfully refused to answer a question pertinent to a matter under inquiry before a subcommittee of the House Committee on Un-American Activities at a hearing in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 30, 1958. [1] His conviction was affirmed by the Court of Appeals, which held that our decision in Barenblatt v. United States, 360 U.S. 109, 79 S.Ct. 1081, 3 L.Ed.2d 1115, was 'controlling.' 272 F.2d 783. ”