The HCUA pursued Hanns Eisler for guilt by association with his communist brother.

Evidence

In 1947 two friends of Horkheimer and Adorno, Hanns Eisler and Bertolt Brecht, were caught up in it. Both were victims of a typical principle of the witch-hunt: guilt by association. Hanns Eisler was summoned to appear before the HCUA because he was the brother of Gerhart Eisler, who had been denounced by two apostate communists, Louis Budenz, former editor of The Daily Worker and the real leader of the American Communist Party, and by his own sister, Ruth Fischer. In an open session from 24 to 26 September in Washington, Hanns Eisler stated that he had never been a member of the Communist Party and saw himself as a composer and musician; he was loyal to his brother, however. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 1669

Categorization

• XREF: Directly relevant to the Frankfurt School’s American experience: Horkheimer and Adorno’s friends and collaborators being targeted by the witch-hunt shaped the Institute’s decision to return to Europe.