Frank Sinatra, a vocalist who helped raise American popular music to an entirely new level, is one of the most chronicled celebrities of modern times. Nonetheless, the extent of his involvement with the left has gone largely unreported. Sinatra played an active role in a score of Popular Front organizations. In contrast to most other celebrity leftists, he also actively fought against racism and intolerance by speaking widely, including at high schools where racial incidents had occurred. Vicious red-baiting contributed to an astounding downward spiral in his career, and caused him to distance himself from the left. Despite harassment of various kinds, Sinatra maintained close ties to the liberal wing of the Democratic Party until 1972, when he abruptly moved to the right. Sinatra's association with the Popular Front suggests that its influence was far wider and that its repression was more comprehensive that is generally recognized.
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