How did the fear of communism lead to reckless charges against american citizens? -?

People got paranoid, communism was the ultimate threat so if anyone even spoke in a communist fashion they were automatically prosecuted.

its like if you were burned at birth and hate fire the rest of your life, the moment you see fire you freak out because of that memory and feeling. same thing with communism.

In December 1937, the Japanese forces invaded Nanking and carried out destructive military operations over a period of 6 weeks.

Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu province of China and also the second largest city in the East China region.

In December 1937, in the context of the Second Sino-Japanese War between Japan and China, Japanese soldiers marched on the Chinese capital city of Nanking. Most Chinese residents fled Nanking, though the number of people within the city was increased by the presence of a large garrison of Chinese soldiers defending it. In the aftermath of the fall of the city on December 13, 1937, Japanese soldiers massacred Chinese prisoners of war and civilians in and around the city.