What were loyalty review boards established for during Truman's presidency?

Loyalty review boards were established during Truman's presidency primarily to evaluate the loyalty of federal employees to the United States government. The boards were formed in response to the widespread fear of communist infiltration in various sectors, especially following World War II and during the early Cold War period. The main objective of these boards was to determine whether federal employees had any connections to communist organizations or were deemed a security risk due to their affiliations or past activities.

These evaluations were often conducted using a set of criteria intended to ensure that individuals working in crucial government positions were not aligned with ideologies considered subversive to American values. This initiative aimed to reinforce national security and public confidence in the integrity of government operations.

The focus on vouching for federal employees' non-communist affiliations directly relevant to the concerns of that time made this approach a key part of Truman's efforts to address paranoia about communism and protect the government from perceived internal threats.