The Red Scare
New York City, New York - In 1954 I attended Queens College during the years before Senator Joseph McCarthy finally met his comeuppance at the Army-McCarthy hearings after terrorizing Americans for years with accusations of disloyal communists, waving lists of blacklisted citizens, threatening their lives, their employment, their ability to function in society because of their political affiliations.
In the college cafeteria, we were discussing politics when one student thrust a yellow pamphlet into my hands. “Here you should read this.” I glanced at the title. My heart skipped a beat as I saw the words “Communist Party of America.” I hastily stuffed it unopened into my bookbag, took the bus home, rode the elevator to the 8th floor, walked directly to the incinerator, and tossed the pamphlet down the chute, unread, before I entered my apartment.