Superman Versus the Real-Life Ku Klux Klan[edit]
In 1946, folklorist and civil rights activists Stetson Kennedy contacted the producers of the radio show and made them an interesting proposal: He had a lot information of the Ku Klux Klan's inner workings and secret passwords and the like and was having trouble getting southern law enforcement agencies to do anything about it, so he thought that the publicizing this information via the radio program, which would embarrass the southern terrorist organization and temporarily "throw a wrench" in its workings.
The writers and executives at DC comics were thrilled at the chance to actually fight the good fight for truth, justice and the American Way for real and the plot arc "Superman vs. The Ku Klux Klan" hit the air. Ratings were high and according to Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt's Freakonomics, the show had its intended effect of ridiculing the Klan and publicizing its secret passwords and the like, visibly aiding the cause of Civil Rights in America. The amount of inside information about the KKK that was revealed on the show appears exaggerated. A review of all 16 episodes of the "Clan of the Fiery Cross" storyline reveals that no passwords were revealed on the air and only one ritual was portrayed.