INTERNAL SECURITY ACT SEPTEMBER 1950 INTERNAL SECURITY ACT U.S GOV'T LEGISLATIVE COLD WAR FOREIGN POLICY U.S GOVERNMENT AND CONSTITUTION GLOBAL RELATIONS IN SEPTEMBER 1950 CONGRESS PASSED THE INTERNAL SECURITY ACT OVER PRESIDENT HARRY S TRUMAN'S VETO THIS ACT IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE MCCARRAN ACT FOR ITS SPONSOR SENATOR PAT MCCARRAN OF NEVADA THE ACT REQUIRED THAT COMMUNISTS AND COMMUNIST FRONT ORGANIZATIONS REGISTER WITH THE U.S GOVERNMENT THE LAW ALLOWED THE U.S GOVERNMENT TO ARREST SUSPECTED SUBVERSIVES OR PEOPLE TRYING TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT AND TO JAIL REGISTERED COMMUNISTS DURING NATIONAL EMERGENCIES IT PROHIBITED COMMUNISTS FROM HOLDING NATIONAL DEFENSE JOBS IT ALSO ALLOWED THE GOVERNMENT TO DENY U.S CITIZENS WHO WERE COMMUNISTS PASSPORTS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL THE ACTS ALSO FORBADE ANYONE WHO HAD BEEN A MEMBER OF A TOTALITARIAN ORGANIZATION FROM ENTERING THE UNITED STATES ON MARCH 28 1951 CONGRESS AMENDED THE ACT IT BECAME ILLEGAL FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO KEEP OUT OF THE COUNTRY ANYONE WHO HAD JOINED A SUBVERSIVE GROUP UNDER THE AGE OF 16 OR TO MAINTAIN THEIR LIVELIHOOD THE 1964 U.S SUPREME COURT CASE APTHEKER V SECRETARY OF STATE FURTHER WEAKENED THE INTERNAL SECURITY ACT BY LIMITING THE GOVERNMENT'S ABILITY TO FORBID U.S CITIZENS INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
