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The '''Subversive Activities Control Board,''' (SACB) 1950–1972 records are a treasure trove of information about the [[Communist Party of the United States]] (CPUSA) and its [[[[Glossary_of_espionage_terms#Fronts_and_cutouts|front organization]]s.  The records constitute one of the most valuable resources for the study of [[left-wing]] radicalism during the 1950s and 1960s.  

The '''Subversive Activities Control Board,''' (SACB) 1950–1972 records are a treasure trove of information about the [[Communist Party of the United States]] (CPUSA) and its [[[[Glossary_of_espionage_terms#Fronts_and_cutouts|front organization]]s.  The records constitute one of the most valuable resources for the study of [[left-wing]] radicalism during the 1950s and 1960s.  

Organized on November 1, 1950, under authority provided in the Internal Security Act, the SACB was empowered to order the registration of organizations that it found to be "[[Communist front]]," "Communist action," or "Communist infiltrated." In carrying out this mandate, the SACB took a leading position in the federal government’s response to the Red Scare of the late 1940s and 1950s.  

Organized on November 1, 1950, under authority provided in the Internal Security Act, the SACB was empowered to order the registration of organizations that it found to be "[[Communist front]]," "Communist action," or "Communist infiltrated." In carrying out this mandate, the SACB took a leading position in the federal government’s response to the [[Red Scare]] of the late 1940s and 1950s.  

Unlike the hearings undertaken during this era by such government agencies as the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]], the SACB’s proceedings were thorough, methodical, fact-finding exercises. The SACB called hundreds of witnesses in these cases, compelled the production of thousands of documents, and allowed those testifying on behalf of the government to be vigorously cross-examined by many of the most able radical lawyers in the nation. In addition, the decisions and findings of the SACB were subject to judicial review. These procedures combined to enhance the credibility of the hearings and allowed the SACB to engage in detailed inquiries into the history, activities, outside influences, and ideology of all of the organizations that appeared before it.

Unlike the hearings undertaken during this era by such government agencies as the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]], the SACB’s proceedings were thorough, methodical, fact-finding exercises. The SACB called hundreds of witnesses in these cases, compelled the production of thousands of documents, and allowed those testifying on behalf of the government to be vigorously cross-examined by many of the most able radical lawyers in the nation. In addition, the decisions and findings of the SACB were subject to judicial review. These procedures combined to enhance the credibility of the hearings and allowed the SACB to engage in detailed inquiries into the history, activities, outside influences, and ideology of all of the organizations that appeared before it.