sentences:  Davis claimed that he and the then House Unamerican Activities Committee lawyer Richard Nixon squared off in a shouting match when he was called to testify before the committee.Davis stated that he changed his name in the 1950s after being arrested for serving as president of the Communist Party in America, which was then perceived by some artists and intellectuals as a means to develop true equality.This can be verified in the Denver, Colorado, newspaper of the time, including a photograph of him sitting behind bars.