McCarthyism ( Red Scare)

A) What Was McCarthyism

The extreme opposition to communism
shown by Senator Joseph R. McCarthy and
his supporters in the 1940s and 1950s.
Senator McCarthy spent almost five years
trying in vain to expose communists and
other left-wing loyalty risks in the U.S.
government. In the hyper-suspicious
atmosphere of the Cold War, insinuations of
disloyalty were enough to convince many
Americans that their government was packed
with traitors and spies.

B) McCarthy's Rise

Encouraged by publicity, the senator from Wisconsin continued his witch hunt from 1950
to 1953. As his popularity grew, McCarthy began receiving monetary support from various
organizations. In 1952, he was reelected as the senator for Wisconsin. Around this time,
McCarthy was at the height of his power. Opponents feared him and many politicians
actually supported the witch-hunting. McCarthy's immense popularity convinced his party
to appoint him as the chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittees on
Investigations. Unlike the House of Un-American Activities, this committee focused on
investigating government institutions.
McCarthy first started his investigations on Voice of America, the official broadcasting
service of the United States government. Around this time, the organization was trying to
decide whether it should become an objective news agency or a propaganda tool for the
government. McCarthy, of course, sided with the conservatives and charged that some of
the broadcasters at VOA were "representing Joe Stalin". He was unsuccessful in weeding
out Communist spies in VOA, but still managed to force many people out of their jobs.
He then concentrated his efforts on the State Department's overseas library. McCarthy
and his committee forced the library to get rid of any books that were written by
"Communists", "pro-Communists" and "former Communists". Out of fear, foreign service
officers threw out any books that were associated with Communism.

C)Key Accomplices
Alfred Kohlberg
Alfred Kohlberg was a former FBI agent. He compiled piles of
information about the Communist Party's connections between writers
and public officials. Kohlberg was another anti-Communist who
accused the State Department of downplaying the Communist threat in
China and not giving enough aid to Chiang Kai-Shek.

Senator Pat McCarran

Patrick McCarran was senator to Nevada. As the chairman of the Senate Internal Security
Subcommittee, McCarran made many investigations that added credibility to McCarthy's
anticommunist persecutions. In the 1950's, the committee he chaired conducted hearings
on the Institute of Pacific Relations. McCarran and his associates tried to proved that the
Nationalists' defeat in China's civil war was caused by Communist influence in the United
States government.
McCarran was also one of the chief sponsors for the McCarran-Woods Act of 1950. This act
required all Communist organizations to register with the US Attorney and members of
these organizations were barred from becoming citizens. Americans who remain in

D)Victims Of McCarthyism
McCarthy's Victims
A few of the people on McCarthy's list were actually spies for the Soviet Union. However, many of the
listed suspects were merely left-leaning public figures, liberal Democrats The list also included those who
used to or never work for the State Department. Even being drunk or incompetent while working for the
State Department could land a person on the list.
During hearings, McCarthy often asked extremely detailed questions involving what the person did 10
years ago. When the accused invoked the Fifth Amendment to protect themselves, McCarthy said this act
is "the most positive proof obtainable that the witness is Communist."
Owen Lattimore
Born and raised in Shanghai, Owen Lattimore was the former editor for the Institute of Pacific Relations
Journal. He was the United States government liaison to Chiang Kai-Shek before the Nationalists' defeat in
their civil war with China. From 1938 to 1950, Lattimore was directed the Page School of International
Relations a Johns Hopkins University.
Lattimore's outspokenness, liberal views and acquaintance with Chiang Kai-Shek made him an easy target
for McCarthy's anti-Communist campaigns. In 1950, McCarthy accused Lattimore of being the number one
spy for the Soviets. After facing 12 days of intense questioning by McCarthy and his committee, Lattimore
was charged with seven counts of perjury. Even though these charges were dismissed three years later,
Lattimore's reputation and credibility among people was destroyed. Even after his death in 1989, many
still questioned his loyalty to his country.
Val Lorwin
Val Lorwin was a State Department employee who had served in the labor section. When Joe McCarthy
first brandished his list of alleged Communists, Lorwin was number 54 on the list. At this time, Lorwin was
working as a labor economist in Paris.

E)McCarthy's Downfall
McCarthys downfall finally began in October of 1953, when he started to investigate
communist infiltration into the military. This was the final straw for then president
Dwight D. Eisenhower, who realized that McCarthys movement needed to be stopped.
The Army fired back at the accusations, sending information about McCarthy and
advisors abusing congressional privileges to known critics of McCarthy. Reporters, Drew
Pearson included, and other critics soon hopped on board, publishing unflattering
articles about Joseph McCarthy and his methods of seeking out the supposed
communists in America.
Through the televised investigations into the United States Army and the reporters
attack, the nation grew to realize that McCarthy was evil and unmatched in malice. He
lost his position as chairmanship on the Government Committee on Operations of the
Senate and in December of 1954, a censure motion, which is a formal reprimand from a
powerful body, was issued condemning his conduct with the vote count at 67 to 22. The
media subsequently became disinterested in his communist allegations and McCarthy
was virtually stripped of his power. He died in May of 1957 after being diagnosed with
cirrhosis of the liver due to heavy drinking. The resounding effects of McCarthys era
symbolized the pure terror of communism during the time due to the Cold War. Although
it came to an end in a few short years, it attributed to the growing dissension between

F)McCarthyism: The Aftermath

McCarthyism had many detrimental effects on people.
Many hard-working citizens had loss their jobs because they were labeled as
"Communists". While many fired college professors returned to their jobs in
universities, public school teachers could not. Those who retained their jobs realized
that their career has been destroyed. Many, like Owen Lattimore, failed to convince
everyone that they were in fact innocent.
McCarthyism also had a huge effect on the psychological aspect of life. Innocent
people had to go through the trauma of being prosecuted by their own country.
Relationships were destroyed because one could never know who to trust or would
turn you in.
The children of the accused were victims as well. Their peers at school were often
told by their parents to stay away from them.
Finally, McCarthyism stifled progress and individual expression. The witch-hunting of
the 1950's forced many leftists to go underground. It discouraged people from
proposing reforms because doing so would mean persecution by the government.