12.3: Ronald Reagan: “A Time for Choosing” (1964)

In 1947, when the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) began investigating communist activity in Hollywood, Ronald Reagan was president of the Screen Actors Guild. He agreed to testify before Congress and proved to be a friendly witness. As time progressed, Reagan shifted further to the political right and began supporting the blacklisting of actors accused of being communists. As the Cold War progressed throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Reagan’s anti-communist attitude intensised. In 1962 he changed his party apliation from Democrat to Republican, and in 1964 he joined Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater’s campaign. Given Reagan’s charisma and exceptional public speaking abilities, he was asked by the campaign to start stumping (traveling around giving political speeches) on behalf of Goldwater. Although Goldwater’s 1964 bid for the presidency failed, involvement in the campaign helped launch Reagan’s own political career. The following speech is one he gave on behalf of Goldwater in 1964.