The Cold War At Home Chapter 18 – Section 3

Reasons for American Fear Following WWII, Americans had many reasons to fear Communist take over of America: –Soviet take-over of East Europe –Communist victory in China –Presence of Communist Party in America

American Response In an effort to ease American fears, the Truman administration authorized the government to investigate possible communist sympathizers within the American Government. The organization to conduct investigations was the House Un-American Activities Committee, or HUAC.

Communists At Home? Spy Cases Fuel American Fear In 1948 Alger Hiss was accused and convicted of passing secret documents to the Soviets. Hiss was turned in by former Soviet spy Whittaker Chambers. HUAC investigator Richard Nixon found evidence condemning Hiss in a hallowed out pumpkin on a Maryland farm. Forensic evidence linked the microfilm found to Hiss’s type-writer. Significance: Hiss proved to be the first government official found guilty of spying for the Soviets.

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Communists At Home? Spy Cases Fuel American Fear A year later an even more famous spy case rocked the nation when the Soviets stunned America with their first nuclear weapon. Surprised that the Soviets could duplicate nuclear technology so quickly, some feared that Communist sympathizers leaked the secrets of the Atom bomb to Stalin. Klaus Fuchs, a worker on the Manhattan Project later admitted giving secrets to the Soviets. In his testimony, he also implicated the Rosenbergs.

Communists At Home? Spy Cases Fuel American Fear Julius & Ethel Rosenberg, minor activists in the American Communist Party denied the charges of spying brought against them. Despite weak evidence linking them to espionage, the Rosenbergs were found guilty and sentenced to death. Their death was controversial because of the weak evidence brought against them. In a New York Times editorial on the 50th anniversary of the execution (June 19, 2003) wrote, "The Rosenberg case still haunts American history, reminding us of the injustice that can be done when a nation gets caught up in hysteria."

Joseph McCarthy Taking advantage of American fear of Communism for his own political gain, Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy began to claim that the Communists were taking over the American Government. Armed with the McCarran Act which virtually made it illegal to be communist, McCarthy became famous for making unsupported attacks against people that they were communist. His ruthless tactics became known as McCarthyism.

“Blacklists” & The Hollywood Ten The film industry was viewed as most dangerous by the government since it could reach so many Americans with its products. As a result, Hollywood was watched very closely by the FBI. Fear of the government crack-down spread so quickly that any actor/actress suspected of having ANY ties to Communism was “Blacklisted” – or refused to be hired in the film industry.

“Blacklists” & The Hollywood Ten Believing that HUAC’s hearings were unconstitutional, a group of ten actors refused to cooperate with authorities. Although they were sent to prison, the “Hollywood Ten” confronted HUAC and publicly questioned their tactics.

Fall of McCarthy Eventually Joseph McCarthy took his tactics too far. By accusing leaders within the U.S. Army of being communist, McCarthy went too far. In televised hearings, McCarthy was eventually shown to be guilty of false accusations. His political career and the “Red Scare” was over.

Good Night & Good Luck The 2005 film Good Night and Good Luck depicted the tactics of McCarthy and the events of the Red Scare. The movie was filmed in black and white so that Joseph McCarthy could play his own character. Real footage of McCarthy was spliced in around modern actors to let viewers get a sense of his ruthlessness.