As his passion for politics increased, his passion to make a statement towards communism did too. His journey began as he traveled the country speaking on behalf of an anticommunist group known as Crusade for Freedom, in hope to raise money for Radio Free Europe. His determination to voice his opinion on the matter made way as his traveled to Washington to speak of the retribution that was caused due to the emergence of the party in Hollywood. Having reached the nation’s capital, Reagan expressed his views on the matter to a congressional group by saying
I believe that, as Thomas Jefferson put it, if all the American people know all of the facts they will never make a mistake. Whether the [Communist] party should be outlawed, that is a matter for the government to decide. As a citizen, I would hesitate to see any political party outlawed on the basis of it political ideology. However, if it is proven that an organization is an agent of a foreign power, or in any way not a legitimate political party—and I think the government is capable of proving that—then that is another matter. (O’Reilly & Dugard