1950 Loyalty Hearing Board Investigation

In 1945, Schmidt became a member of The Washington Cooperative Bookshop. The Bookshop was listed as a front for subversive activites by the United States Attorney General. Although the Bookshop denied the charges and was disbanded by 1950, its members were investigated by the U.S. Department of Interior Loyalty Board for being unloyal to the United States Government. Because she worked for the United States Geological Survey and was a government employee, Schmidt was suspended from her job and retained a lawyer. It was essential for her to present several affidavits concerning her personal integrity and loyalty to the United States Government.