Johns Committee Collection

In 1956, the Florida Legislature established the Florida Legislative Investigation Committee, also known as the Johns Committee. Its purpose was "to make as complete an investigation as time permits of all organizations whose principles or activities include a course of conduct on the part of any person or group which would constitute violence, or a violation of the laws of the state, or would be inimical to the well being and orderly pursuit of their personal and business activities by the majority of the citizens of this state." (Laws of Florida, 1956, Chapter 31498). Headed by Senator Charlie Johns, members of the committee sought to connect members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and other civil rights activists to communism in an effort to undermine their efforts at desegregation. When these measures failed, the committee then sought to investigate homosexuals in education, particularly among students, faculty, and staff at Florida universities, starting with the University of Florida in 1958. As a result of these investigations, many faculty and students were forced to leave the university. In 1964, the Johns Committee published Homosexuality and Citizenship in Florida, which was also called the "purple pamphlet" because of its purple cover. The committee faced intense criticism after many people considered the publication to be pornographic. As a result, the Florida legislature disbanded the committee in 1965.