Fallout
The activities of FLIC required a steady stream of state funding. Since FLIC's establishment in 1956, many legislators began to wonder what return, if any, could be expected on such an investment. The release of the so-called Purple Pamphlet proved to be a turning point. Most legislators and taxpayers found the pamphlet to be prurient and inconsequential. After years of funding and controversy, FLIC did not identify a single communist. Instead, the committee created a pamphlet that became an instant hit among homosexuals and liberals as proof of the folly of cold warriors.
The pamphlet can be seen as one of FLIC’s desperate attempts to be relevant. The committee even began investigating racist groups that it did not agree with, such as the neo-Nazi National State’s Rights Party. John Evans was a relative newcomer to the committee, and defended it with the enthusiasm of the newly-converted (link below). Legislator Terrell Sessums was not so sure. Several letters to constituents from the spring of 1963 reveal his growing distaste for FLIC. The Committee's influence was waning; the glory days of the Pork Chop Gang were over. The legislature cut off funding for FLIC, and the committee dissolved in 1965. Johns left the Florida Senate the following year.
The AAUP censured and criticized USF at every opportunity, with little appreciation for the sensitive job Allen performed or for the difficult political situation of USF. In response, Allen said USF was "in good company," because other institutions to be censured by the AAUP included Auburn, the University of Illinois, and Texas Tech. Allen walked the tightrope skillfully, without incurring permanent damage from either side of the political divide. USF was as lucky to have him as Florida was unlucky to have Charley Johns and the reactionaries who supported him.
In 2005, the University of Florida honored Johns as one of its Outstanding Alumni. The University of South Florida, and many citizens of this state, remember him somewhat differently.
