This document provides background information on the federal government's treatment of domestic communists and supporters of Axis powers (Italy, Germany, Japan) during World War II. It discusses the establishment of committees like HUAC to investigate these groups. While Italian fascist support was small and declined after the US entered the war, the government interned hundreds and arrested thousands of Italian Americans. German Nazi support was a greater initial concern, and Japanese propaganda outlets operated until 1940 when the US entered the war and interned over 100,000 Japanese Americans. The document establishes context for a planned analysis of how the government approached and treated communists and each Axis power's supporters during this period.