No. 5 Column

The No. 5 Column refers to a group of pro-Communist political activists and sympathizers who operated within the United States, particularly in the 1930s and 1940s. They aimed to influence American policies and public opinion to favor Soviet interests, often under the guise of leftist or progressive movements. This term became associated with concerns about espionage, political subversion, and infiltration during the Cold War era, highlighting fears that these individuals could undermine U.S. government and society from within by promoting communist ideology covertly.