The year 1949 was a particularly rough time in the Cold War. The “Red Scare” was a topic for every part of American life. An editorial from The Pine Log of that year shows the maturity of the student editors on the campus at the time. The Editor of the Pine Log in 1949 was Burnis Lawrence.

“Academic Freedom” (An Editorial)

“The Un-American Activities Committee, that rare collection of witch hunters, shadow chasers and smear experts, has launched a drive against yet another cherished American freedom. The target this time is academic freedom.”

“To protect America from Red propaganda the committee is making a spot check of textbooks to make certain that nothing that smacks of Committee dogma is taught in our nation’s schools. So far, the requests for texts to check have gone mostly to the large cities and well-known educational institutions but there is no assurance that the committee will be satisfied until it has checked every kindergarten text for subversive material.”

“Educators all over the United States, very wisely, have protested that this check is an abridgment of academic freedom. It is, and a most bald-faced and insulting infringement. It is nothing more or less than censorship of education and, since this is so obviously the aim of the Un-American activities committee it should be forced to assume the responsibility for the high-handed acts it is perpetuating upon the American people under the guise of its own warped brand of patriotism.”

“This unholy fear of anything Russian is assuming the proportions of national hysteria. This fear must not be allowed to lead to the subversion of free institutions of which schools and colleges are among the most important.”

“Educators proved to be fairly competent in the choosing of textbooks in the past. They have not always chosen wisely as is evidenced by the many inferior texts being used in Stephen F. Austin, but their errors have been honest one. Certainly the so-called propaganda in a text should have no bearing on its acceptance or rejection. The Un-American Activities Committee has no excuse or right to ask educators for copies of textbooks being used in their schools and it would certainly reflect credit upon any school executives who refused to comply with the request for copies from the committee.”

“Has Stephen F. Austin been asked for any of its texts? And if so have administrators complied with the request? They could not honorably uphold their duty as educators and do so.”

“Censorship of textbooks, whether it be called spot checking or proof reading, is incompatible with academic freedom.”

[The Pine Log, 21 June 1949]