29. Deporting the Lovable Tramp
FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, a pervert himself if there was ever one, and one whose straitlaced public image was a fraud, had long disliked Chaplin’s political leanings. So he used the actor’s illicit scandals to launch a smear campaign against him. In 1944, he had Chaplin prosecuted for violating the Mann Act, which prohibits the transportation of women across state lines for carnal purposes. Chaplin was acquitted, but his reputation and public image were severely damaged.
In 1952, while Chaplin was in London for a film premiere, the US Department of Justice revoked the British actor’s re-entry visa. To reenter the US, he would have to submit to an interview concerning his politics and morality. Chaplain decided not to bother, cut his ties with America, and settled in Switzerland.