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147 THE ALGER HISS TRIAL
directors, and actors were called to testify. Their names were splashed across newspaper headlines. Many people denied being Communists. Some said they weren't Communists but gave names of those who were. Some people refused to testify; they said their political beliefs were none of the government's business. They were sent to jail. Many film people found their professional lives ruined. They were put on a "blacklist" and couldn't get jobs in Hollywood. Some Americans thought the hearings were more like trials than investigations. They thought HUAC's real intention was to punish people who were critical of government policies. They thought a furious anticommunist paranoia had taken hold in the United States.
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