The Second Red Scare (1947–1954) was a period during which communists and left-wingers in general were persecuted in the USA. This period also affected Slovene Americans. In this master’s thesis, I first present this period and the history of Slovenes in America, before moving on to the main section: an examination of the criticisms levelled by progressive Slovene Americans at the policies and events of the Second Red Scare in the US, and an examination of Slovene Americans, their newspapers, organisations and individuals who were persecuted during this period. In my master’s thesis, I conclude that Slovene Americans were vocal critics of the events during the second Red Scare. They defended the victims, spoke out against political repression, and championed left-wing views, for which individuals were persecuted at that time. They were also critical of the US’s aggressive foreign policy during this period. Their criticism softened when the Korean War broke out. Slovene Americans were also persecuted during the Second Red Scare. The authorities targeted the Slovenian American National Council; Matthew Cvetič, a CP USA member and, at the same time, an FBI informant, mentioned and denounced communists – including Slovenian ones – to the authorities in his testimony before the Congressional Committee on Un-American Activities; the writer Louis Adamič was labelled a subversive; Reverend Franc Gabrovšek seized the moment and brought a defamation case against Slovenian left-wing newspapers; George Witkovich, a Slovene American Communist, was also persecuted by the government. In this thesis, I describe these events and analyse the sources that show us how American Slovenes fought back against the attacks levelled against them.
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