In 1946, John and Hildred Blewett were invited to join the staff of the new Brookhaven Laboratory. Both were physicists who had worked on secret projects during the Second World War but, even though they would be engaged in unclassified research, their employment at Brookhaven required security clearance. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) questioned the Blewetts extensively about their politics and associations. David Lillienthal, a member of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), confided to his diary on hearing of the Blewetts' plight,"... the fact that ten years ago a scientist contributed to the defense of the Scottsboro boys, or believes in collective bargaining or the international control of atomic energy — such things as these are solemnly reported and regarded as 'derogatory information'."
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