McCarthyism Exposed

The massive anti-Communism and the vicious McCarthyism of the late 1940’s to the 1960’s represented a time in American where civil liberties and the First Amendment rights in general were violated in general as a means for some to promote the lie that every Communist wanted to take over the world (and make a totalitarian empire).  It was a time where debates about national security and protecting human freedoms were abundant. After World War II, the Cold War existed in full swing by the late 1940’s. This new Red Scare was part of the McCarthyism era and the overall paranoia that some embraced about Communism when Communism is not monolithic. There are variations in the Communist system as the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has accurately stated. Me personally, I don’t believe in Stalinist Communism (as Stalin is complicit in overt murder of millions of people and used totalitarianism to violate the human rights of people in the Soviet Union just like the anti-Semitic murderous Czars did before Stalin was born). I do believe that laissez faire, neoliberal capitalism is evil since it involves little to no regulation of the market and it abhors a public social safety net. Not to mention that many imperialists and colonialism have used laissez faire capitalism historically to dominate and harm the peoples of the world (especially people of color). Capitalism readily promotes covetousness, a lust for profit, and an ignoring of human solidarity. The promotion of the common good is a prerequisite for better society. That is why the individual has a responsibility to use his or her gifts in the best way possible and the collective has a responsibility to improve society in general. The role of government to is to promote the general welfare for the people. By the 1950’s, the Korean War existed. American life changed. Weapons and supplies were grown by American industries. Popular culture, movies, and newspapers promoted the idea of us vs. them (being the Soviets). The Cold War was truly global and murderous at times. Ironically, it was an extension of World War II. The paranoia of Communists infiltrating every aspect of American society was promoted by General J. Howard McGrath. He was Truman’s Attorney General. Truman was a staunch anti-Communist throughout his Presidency. McGrath said that communists were in businesses, offices, street corners, etc. Communism grew in Eastern Europe and Asia. Some Americans felt that this meant that Communists would try to take over the American government.

The truth is that only a few American communists were agents of the Soviet Union. Only a handful of them were in high ranking positions in government. Most government officials were loyal to the United States. President Truman by March of 1947 created the Federal Employee Loyalty Program. This allowed the FBI and the government security agencies to screen federal employees for signs of political disloyalty. Then, about 3,000 federal employees were dismissed or resigned after investigations. The Attorney General then formed a list of what he deemed fascist, totalitarian, and subversive organizations. People of those groups were scrutinized by the Attorney General. Many were fired for jobs since they were labeled “security risks.” The Truman administration used the 1940 Smith Act to try to cripple the Communist Party in America. The act made it illegal to teach or advocate the violent overthrow of the U.S. government. A New York jury found 11 communists guilty of violating the Smith Act in 1949. They were sent to prisons. Congress wanted to search for communists too. The House Un-American Activities Committee or HUAC was created in 1938. It was done to investigate actions of possible fascists, Nazis, and communists. HUAC investigated Communists more after World War Two. They investigated the government, newspapers, science, education, unions, armed forces, and other parts of American life. What we know about HUAC comes heavily from their persecution of Hollywood actors and actresses back in 1947. They accused many actors and actresses of being communists. Many actors and actresses were Communists and some were just progressive left wing non-Communist people. Regardless, these human beings have the right to believe in what they want as stated in the First Amendment. Left wing writers, directors, and producers were known as the Hollywood Ten. These people refused to answer questions as asserting their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. The Congressional HUAC hearings were filled with yelling, accusations and counter-accusations. The Hollywood Ten were later cited for contempt of Congress. They were tried, convicted, and sent to prison. This was bad. Also, it was evil for many movie executives to circulate a blacklist of entertainment people who they didn’t hire because of accused communist ties. Many careers of actors and actresses ended because of the new Red Scare hysteria that violated the freedom of conscience. 

It wasn’t until the Supreme Court decision in 1957 with the Watkins v. United States decision that witnesses before HUAC couldn’t be forced to name radicals that they knew. HUAC bullied filmmakers during that time to only show films about entertainment. Before that time and before the Hays Code, films had controversial subjects and talked about issues like racism including anti-Semitism. Freedom of speech was further violated with the Hollywood Ten incident and other situations during that time. Many Americans, who lost their jobs, were of organizations that they belonged to as a product of the Attorney General’s list. Some people were fired for just talking with communists or making statements those authorities deemed “disloyal.” Communists were expelled and blacklisted from academic places, labor unions, scientific laboratories, and city hall. J. Robert Oppenhemier was investigated too. He led the Manhattan Project that led to the creation of the atomic bomb. He was the chairman of the General Advisory Committee of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission or the AEC (after World War II). Oppenheimer had ties to the Communist Party including his wife and brother. He didn’t deny this, but he had the right to believe in what he wanted to believe in without persecution. By 1954, the AEC denied Oppenhiemer access to classified information. There is no evidence that Oppenheimer was disloyal to America, but they did it anyway. Many spy cases came about during this era too. They were the cases of Alger Hiss and Julius plus Ethel Rosenberg. Hiss was educated at Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Law School. The Rosenbergs were from the poor, lower east side of Manhattan. Alger Hiss had a long career. He worked in New Deal agencies and helped to form the United Nations. Whittaker Chambers came to accuse Hiss of something. Chambers was a communist and then opposed it because of Stalin’s brutality. He wrote about his views of Communism being evil omitting that Stalin isn’t representative of all Communists on Earth. He testified before HUAC about his communist past. He accused Alger Hiss was one of his contacts in the federal government Hiss talked before HUAC. He denied that he was a communist agent or espionage agent. He denied that he knew Whittaker Chambers. Richard Nixon back then was a young member of Congress from California. Nixon told other committee people to keep the pressure on Hiss. Hiss’s story fell apart. Information proved that Chambers did know about Hiss. Hiss was given confidential government documents. Chambers had a microfilm copy of some of these documents. They were stored by him in a pumpkin on his Maryland farm. Hiss was tried for perjury. He had a hung jury at first and was convicted during the second trial. He was sentenced for five years in prison. 

After his convictions, some believed that Alger Hiss was innocent. People among both sides exist. Hiss being accused of being a communist threat grew anti-Communist paranoia in America. Richard Nixon was in the national spotlight. That is why in 1952, Richard Nixon was named Eisenhower’s running mate and would be President by the late 1960’s. The Rosenbergs were accused of helping the Soviets to build the atomic bomb. Klaus Fuchs was accused of sending atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. When authorities investigated Klaus Fuchs, it led to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. The trial of the Rosenbergs has been debated to this very day. The word of one confessed spy was used against the Rosenbergs. The Rosenbergs pleaded innocent to all charges. They said that they are being persecuted because they are Jewish Americans and they held unpopular views in America. Both were found guilty and sentenced to death. Some believed that the harsh sentence was used to try to find others of the alleged spy ring. Both Rosenberg denied knowledge of any spy ring. They were on death row for 26 months. They were electrocuted in 1953. Debates existed to this very day. Some believe that they are guilty and others view both human beings as innocent. Some believe that anti-Semitic sentiment influenced the outcome. Back in the 1990’s, new evidence claimed that Julius Rosenberg was  a recruiter for the Soviet Union (according to the VERONA documents) and Ethel Rosenberg had a minor role in the espionage. Others believe that the death penalty was too harsh for both people. In 2015, following the most recent grand jury transcript release, the Rosenberg’s' sons, Michael and Robert Meeropol called on the Obama administration to acknowledge that Ethel Rosenberg's conviction and execution was wrongful, and issue a proclamation to exonerate her. Similarly, on September 28, 2015, the 100th anniversary of Ethel's birth, 11 members of the New York City Council issued a proclamation stating that "the government wrongfully executed Ethel Rosenberg", and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer officially recognized, "the injustice suffered by Ethel Rosenberg and her family", and declared it, "Ethel Rosenberg Day of Justice in the Borough of Manhattan.” 

Joseph McCarthy was famous for his anti-Communist zealotry. He used ruthless tactics. The early Cold War had many historical events like the Chinese Revolution, Soviets testing nuclear bombs, and the Soviet agents in America. Americans in many cases lacked confidence. McCarthy exploited these American fears as a way for him to harass witnesses and promote the lie that every Communist is a treacherous proponent of world dictatorship. McCarthy believed that American traitors were undermining America. By February of 1950, Joseph McCarthy accused many State Department leaders of being communist agents. He held a paper citing names of such individuals. This happened in Wheeling, West Virginia. McCarthy was a Senator from Wisconsin. This caused people to want McCarthy to say names. He said that 205 people had security risks. Later, he claimed that 57 employees were communists. Names on his list soon changed. He had never publicly shown the list of names. When the Korean War started by June of 1950, more Americans heard of McCarthy. He used anticommunism to win another term as Senator. Then, he promoted his anti-Communist witch hunt called McCarthyism. It lasted for the next 4 years. He made many reckless allegations against people. From 1950 to 1954, he was one of the most powerful Senators in America during that time. He was the head of the investigative subcommittee, but he made false accusations against people. Many people lost jobs and had their reputations destroyed for just being accused by McCarthy of being communist. McCarthy was caught telling lies and then told another one. Then, McCarthy accused former Secretary of State George Marshall (a national hero and author of the Marshall Plan) of being a Communist. Other Senators feared him. They were afraid that they would be called sympathizers of communists. Members of the far right American Security Council aided McCarthy. Joseph McCarthy was educated at the Jesuit Marquette University. J. Edgar Hoover agitated anti-Communism too and he abhorred anyone promoting progressive causes regardless if that person was Communist or not. It isn’t a secret that the government (even backed by the AFL-CIO back then) helped to suppress left wing unions like the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, and the Maritime Cooks and Stewards Union. Dorothy Bailey (who was a black woman) worked in the U.S. Employment Service in Washington, D.C. She was fired from her job in 1949 just for opposing Jim Crow segregation. She was very loyal to America and only admitted to being a brief member of the American League for Peace and Democracy. Many people criticized the accusers for asking the following question to her since that question was offensive: “…Did you ever write a letter to the Red Cross about the segregation of blood? What was your personal position about that?” Great lawyers like Thurman Arnold, Abe Fortas, and Paul Porter defended her and the Supreme Court defended the firing. Later, Dorothy Bailey worked with the lawyers in a new job. The Eisenhower administration later opposed McCarthy too. The Supreme Court threw out state sedition laws that were on the books in 33 states. It cut back the Federal loyalty program and grew out a number of Smith Act convictions. McCarthy went after the United States Army in 1954. He said that it was filled with Communists. Army leaders said that McCarthy went personal. The Senate formed televised hearings to figure out the truth. Many Americans saw the emotional coverage. Many didn’t like McCarthy’s bullying tactics. The TV showed McCarthy snicker at others’ suffering, twist the truth, and harass witnesses. In mid-June, he had lost many of his supporters. The Senate censured and condemned him for his false allegations. The journalist Edward R. Murrow was one of the few journalists who criticized Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy served in the Senate. Yet, he had little power and influence. The Red Scare declined by 1954. McCarthyism and the Red Scare saw free speech suppressed and lax debate about issues. Americans later realized that democratic institutions are important and the First Amendment was great to preserve not suppress because of ideological views.

By Timothy