A. Mitchell Palmer

In the 1920s, poorly paid workers who tried to organize for better conditions were often branded as communists. Many of these working people were recent immigrants to the United States. Playing on the unfounded fears of millions of Americans, powerful U.S. attorney general A. Mitchell Palmer achieved political notoriety rounding up and deporting thousands of suspected communist sympathizers during the early years of the decade. In the excerpt below, Palmer defends his actions with harsh words for immigrants, union organizers, socialists, and others who were perceived to be sympathetic to the communist cause.

Although his actions were judged unconstitutional, Palmer was cleared of charges brought against him and he retired from public life in 1921 at the end of President Woodrow Wilson's term in office.

In this brief review of the work which the Department of Justice has...