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History Beyond The Textbook
THE RED SCARE
AND
THE MCCARTHY
HEARINGS
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History Beyond The Textbook
ORIGINS OF THE RED SCARE
The ideals of communism were known in
America since at least the 1920s, due to the fact
that communists and socialists were involved in
organizing some labor unions and opposing
fascism. This allowed the Communist Party of
the United States to attract more members,
eventually reaching about 50,000 people by
1942. Still, communism was a minority
viewpoint in the United States and unpopular at
that. Anti-communistic feelings were briefly
subdued while the United States and Soviet
Union were allies during World War II. At the
conclusion of the war, however, the Cold War
started. The Soviet Union installed communist
regimes throughout Eastern and Central Europe.
Fear of the increasing power of communism
spread in the United States.
“Is This Tomorrow” was a comic
book that talked about the dangers
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History Beyond The Textbook
ORIGINS OF THE RED SCARE
“Joe-1” the first Soviet atomic bomb, was
tested on August 29, 1949.
The Second Red Scare occurred from 1947
to 1957. During this time, many Americans
were afraid of communism infiltrating the
United States. Tensions were heightened
after Americans heard about the case of
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, accused of
selling secrets to the Soviets on how to make
an atomic bomb. The two were later
convicted and executed for their acts. In
1947, British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill said an “Iron Curtain” was falling
on the region of Eastern Europe, cut off from
the West by the Soviet Union. Eventually,
the Soviets created their own version of the
atomic bomb, which caused more concern
and fear among U.S. citizens.
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ORIGINS OF THE RED SCARE
By this time, Americans were figuring
that an atomic attack could be caused
by the Soviet Union. Fallout shelters
became very common in the United
States, for those who could afford
them. In addition, students began
practicing atomic bomb drills in their
schools. Films like the “Duck and
Cover” video were shown in American
schools. The students were instructed
to get out of their seats and hide under
their desks. At that point, they would
take their hands and put them over
their heads. Some criticized these films
for giving people the false impression
that a nuclear war was more survivable
than it actually would be.
Screenshot from the film “Duck and Cover,”
which taught children through the use of
cartoon characters how to prepare for an
atomic attack.
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ORIGINS OF THE RED SCARE
Elizabeth Bentley (left) and Whittaker
Chambers
At this time, former members of the
Communist Party of the United States
were brought before the House UnAmerican Activities Committee.
Elizabeth Bentley and Whittaker
Chambers said there were people who
were communists or sympathized with
communism who had infiltrated the
United States government during and
after World War II. The hard times of the
Great Depression had caused some
Americans to think communism was an
idea worth considering. This prompted
Congress to pass the Smith Act in 1940,
which made it illegal for a U.S. citizen to
participate in a group that actively tried
to overthrow the government.
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History Beyond The Textbook
ORIGINS OF THE RED SCARE
The Smith Act had another function, as it
required everyone who entered the United
States to first register with the government.
This was done so everyone in the United
States could be accounted for. In 1947,
United States President Harry Truman also
enacted Executive Order 9835, which led to
the establishment of the Federal Employment
Loyalty Program. The program reviewed all
Americans who worked for the federal
government and determined if they were
loyal to the United States. If any
discrepancies were found, the person would
be called before a board and questioned.
Page One of Executive Order
9835
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History Beyond The Textbook
THE RISE OF MCCARTHY
Joseph McCarthy while running
for the United States Senate
Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin came
to lead one of the committees in the United
States government that investigated
communism. McCarthy strongly opposed the
ideals of communism. On February 9, 1950,
during a Lincoln Day speech at the
Republican Women’s Club in Virginia, he
stated that the Executive Branch of
government knew there were communists
working for the government. He also said that
Secretary of State Dean Acheson knew of at
least 205 people who were working for the
State Department that were known
communists or supported it. McCarthy
produced and waved a piece of paper that
contained the names of those individuals.
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THE TYDINGS COMMITTEE
America was sent into a frenzy
following Senator McCarthy’s report.
In response to his claims, the Tydings
Committee was formed. It investigated
the names on McCarthy’s list to see if
they were loyal to the United States.
The Democratic Party was not pleased
with McCarthy’s attack on the State
Department. At the same time,
McCarthy accused nine other people of
being involved in communism, but did
not have sufficient evidence to back it
up. When the Tydings Committee
concluded its report, it was determined
that none of the people on McCarthy’s
list was communist or had even
supported communism.
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Senator Millard Tydings of
the Tydings Committee
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MCCARTHY CONTINUES
TO RISE
When McCarthy began his second term
as United States Senator in 1953, he
became the chairman of the Senate
Committee of Government Operations,
which included the Senate Permanent
Subcommittee on Investigations.
McCarthy used this platform to conduct
his own communist investigations. He
first accused the Voice of America
(VOA) and its members of being
communists. While no charges were
filed, morale in the organization was
affected. One of its workers killed
himself during the hearings.
Logo for the Voice of America, the
institution accused by McCarthy of
containing communists
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THE ARMY INVESTIGATION
Seantor Joseph McCarthy began his
investigation into the United States Army in
the fall of 1953. He looked into the case of
Irving Peress, who had been promoted to
major shortly after his arrival in the army.
McCarthy wanted to find out why Peress did
not answer any questions about political
party affiliations on his loyalty review, even
though he was a member of the American
Labor Party. Peress was to be discharged in
three months when McCarthy brought him
before his committee on January 30, 1954.
Peress would not answer questions, citing the
Fifth Amendment. When McCarthy tried to
get him court martialed, Peress asked for his
discharge to be made effective immediately.
McCarthy and Chief Counsel Roy Cohn
(right) talk during the Army hearings
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THE ARMY INVESTIGATION
McCarthy next called General Ralph Zwicker,
Peress’ superior officer, to the committee on
February 18, 1954. Zwicker refused to answer
many of McCarthy’s questions, and he was
openly mocked by McCarthy. Zwicker was a
World War II hero and McCarthy’s mocking
caused many groups of people to dislike
McCarthy. This included President Dwight D.
Eisenhower, who had been a four-star general in
the Army. Secretary of the Army Robert Stevens
met with McCarthy and gave in to all of the
demands that McCarthy wanted for an
investigation into the United States military. The
public reacted strongly when Stevens signed this
document.
Secretary of the Army
Robert Stevens
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History Beyond The Textbook
THE ARMY-MCCARTHY
HEARINGS
The United States Army then accused
McCarthy and his Chief Counsel Roy Cohn
of putting pressure on the Army to give
preferential treatment to G. David Schine.
He had been an associate of theirs and was
now a private in the Army. McCarthy
disputed these facts, stating that the Army
was just trying to get back at him for what
had occurred during the questioning of
Zwicker. McCarthy’s own Senate
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
was put in charge of the hearing, with Karl
Mundt heading it on April 22, 1954.
G. David Schine, friend of both
McCarthy and Cohn
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THE ARMY-MCCARTHY
HEARINGS
The hearings went on for thirty-six days and
were televised live. Thirty-two witnesses
had taken the stand before the committee
concluded that McCarthy had not done
anything to influence the Army to give
Schine preferential treatment. However,
Cohn was found guilty of using persistent
efforts to get Schine preferential treatment.
But the most important part of these
hearings was the damage to McCarthy’s
credibility. In the American public’s eye,
McCarthy came off as nothing more than a
bully.
Senator Karl Mundt, in charge
of the Army-McCarthy
Hearings
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MURROW VS. MCCARTHY
McCarthy was further attacked on a TV
series called See It Now, which was hosted
by journalist Edward R. Murrow. The
episode was entitled “A Report on Senator
Joseph R. McCarthy.” The show featured
clips of McCarthy making many
accusations, including accusing the
Democratic Party of “twenty years of
treason.” Murrow attacked McCarthy,
stating that he only confused the public
and exploited the fear of communism in
the United States. McCarthy appeared on
the show on April 6, 1954. On the air he
insulted Murrow and made many charges
against the popular newscaster. This did
not sit well with the public and further
hurt McCarthy’s image.
Edward R. Murrow, respected television
newscaster and broadcast journalist
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THE FALL OF MCCARTHY
Senator Arthur Watkins, head of
the Watkins Committee
On June 11, 1954, Senator Ralph Flanders
introduced a resolution to remove McCarthy from
being the head of certain committees. While not
many people supported this decision, Flanders
next came up with legislation to censure him. A
committee headed by Senator Arthur V. Watkins
was established to investigate this. After two
months, the Watkins Committee and the Senate
wanted to censure McCarthy on two counts:
McCarthy’s contempt of the Subcommittee on
Rules and Administration and charging members
of the Watkins Committee with fraud. The
wording was also changed from “censure” to
“condemn” On December 2, 1954, the Senate
voted to condemn McCarthy, with both counts
receiving 67 votes in favor and 22 votes opposed.
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THE FALL OF MCCARTHY
McCarthy served on the United States
Senate for the next two and a half
years. His speeches were ignored by
the majority of the Senate, as his
credibility had been significantly
damaged. The press no longer paid
McCarthy much attention, even though
he still tried to rally people against
communism. Associates of McCarthy
state that he was a changed man after
the censure; his personal and
professional life were declining. A
drinker for the majority of his life, he
began drinking even more. McCarthy
died on May 2, 1957 at the age of 48
from acute hepatitis.
The grave of Senator Joseph McCarthy
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