The Frame-Up of Benjamin Lowell Careathers: Opening Statement to the Court and Jury by Benjamin Lowell Careathers, Defendant in the Thought Control Smith Act Trial... [wrapper title]

Pittsburgh: Committee to Defend the Pittsburgh Five, 1953. 24pp. Original pictorial self wrappers, stapled. Minor toning and handling wear. Very good. A scarce pamphlet pertaining to the controversial legal battle pertaining to one of the Pittsburgh defendants in a notable Smith Act case. Careathers, a longtime Communist activist, was accused by an informant of plotting violence with other Communists, collectively known as the Pittsburgh Five. Here, Careathers provides a passionate defense by detailing his life struggles, his positive history with the Communist Party (which Careathers believed was "sincere in fighting for the rights of the Negro people"), his experiences as a labor organizer in the steel industry, his "fight for Democratic rights" against those "trying to outlaw and smash the Communist Party," his "fight for peace," his opposition to war and fascism, and his support for socialism. A truly erudite defense through careful argument of issues and experiences relevant to the Smith Act defendants.

The Alien Registration Act (or Smith Act) of 1940 required all adult non-citizens in the U.S. to register with the federal government and also set penalties for advocating for the overthrow of said government. The government used it mainly to harass and imprison Communists. After being sentenced to five years in prison, the Pittsburgh Five launched appeals that ended up reaching the Supreme Court. The informant was shown to be an untrustworthy witness, and the Smith Act convictions were tossed. In a 1957 retrial, a federal judge threw out the charges and the prosecutors dropped the case. Fewer than a dozen copies in OCLC.