| Description | In 1944, thirty-three opponents of American involvement in the war against Germany went to trial on charges of violating the Smith Act of 1940 (which makes it a criminal offense to: "knowingly or willfully advocate, abet, advise or teach the ... propriety of overthrowing the Government of the United States or of any State by force or violence, or for anyone to organize any association which teaches, advises or encourages such an overthrow, or for anyone to become a member of or to affiliate with any such association"). The bill of indictment states: "As a means of accomplishing their objectives, the said Nazi Party and its leaders carried on a systematic campaign of propaganda designed and intended to impair and undermine the loyalty and morale of the military and naval forces of the United States of America and of other countries." The case against the defendants was extremely thin; the trial dragged on for months, turned into a farce, and ultimately ended in mistrial. Now infamous in legal circles, the proceedings became known as the Great Sedition Trial of 1944. 14 x 8.5 in. |
