Most people were convicted on a person s statement. Miller was called before the committee after being named. His case finally went before the Supreme Court. The church in 1692 was the political center. Following WWII, the Cold War instilled a fear of Communism as an unseen danger as strong as the fear of witches had been in the Puritan era.
Communists are real.
McCarthy actually said some of the lines used in the Salem Witch Trials. Echoes of history repeating itself. Miller used this play to try to keep history from repeating itself. Orson Wells was blacklisted. McCarthy exploited the communist problem for political ends.