On this day in 1948: James Zarichny, a Michigan State College senior and political activist, took a stand against the Michigan legislature. He refused to testify before the Senate Committee on Un-American Activities, defending political freedom. Zarichny was sentenced to jail but served only one day as the Senate term ended. His actions highlighted the tension of the Cold War era.
TRANSCRIPT
On this day in 1948, James Zarichny, a Michigan State College, later MSU, senior and Political Activist, took a stand against the Michigan legislature. In 1948, the Michigan Senate Committee on Un-American Activities concerned with communism during the height of the Cold War era. And grilling of College President John A. Hannah and other admins about the presence of Reds in East Lansing. As a result, the Detroit Republican Senator Matthew Callahan, chairman of the Un-American Activities Committee, issued a subpoena for MSC student James Zarichny to appear before the committee on April 21, 1948. Zarichny refused to testify, saying, “it will help open the door to questioning of everyone in public quasi-trials. No one’s freedom of political belief will be safe.” Zarichny was eventually sentenced to jail for the rest of the Senate term, but since the term ended on that very same day, he only had to serve one day before being let go that night.