 Nonetheless, hundreds of people lost their jobs and/or destruction of their careers; some even suffered imprisonment and other violations of civil liberties.The Smith Act, also known as the Alien Registration Act was a 1940 act that set criminal penalties for “advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government” and required all non-citizen adult residents to register with the government.A Connecticut native who moved to San Francisco after World War II, she worked as a waitress and bookkeeper.