1. The Cold War at Home Chapter 18 Section 3

2. Today’s Understanding: Fear of communism led to an array of controversies in the United States. Essential Understanding for Unit: Fear can be used as a political tool.

3. Fear of Communism Loyalty Review Board- Government organization tasked with finding Communist conspirators in the government Revealed the rising fear of communism Driven by criticism of Truman for being “soft” 3.2 million employees investigated Over 200 removed as “risks” 2,900 more resigned

4. Fear of communism House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)- investigated “threats” inside and outside of the government Hollywood Ten- witnesses called to testify on possibility of Communist Propaganda in Hollywood Refused to testify- called it a violation of their rights Sent to prison

5. Fear of Communism in Hollywood Hollywood instituted blacklisting- refusal to hire certain “un-American” workers

6. Fear of Communism McCarran Act- stricter measure than Loyalty Review board-sought out those with “plans” Vetoed by Truman “In a free country, we punish men for the crimes they commit, but never for the opinions they have” Overridden by Congress

7. Fear of Communism Confirmed Alger Hiss- accused of espionage and imprisoned. Claimed he was set up-but proven guilty definitively in the 1990s when evidence was released Made Richard Nixon, Senator at the time- famous Confirmed fears of “threats” in the U.S.

8. Spy Cases Stun the Nation Klaus Fuchs- imprisoned for trading information to Soviets on the atomic bomb Confirmed the suspicion of “threats” Enabled Soviets to develop bomb quicker than expected Led to investigation of the Rosenbergs Ethel and Julius Rosenberg- accused of espionage and 1 st Americans executed for espionage Further confirmation of suspicion Plead the 5 th and denied their involvement

9. The “Witch Hunt” Senator Joseph McCarthy- famously accused Americans of communism conspiracies Claimed he had indisputable evidence that threats existed in the government- never revealed any such evidence McCarthyism- term used to describe act of making claims without producing evidence

10. The “Witch Hunt” McCarthy claimed to have the names of 205 threats in the State Department- never produced them That the Democratic Party was guilty of “20 years of treason” Republicans used this to fuel support for 1952 election Spawned by the confirmed fears of espionage

11. The “Witch Hunt” Ends Margaret Chase Smith- one of the whistle blowers who challenged McCarthy “I am not proud of the way that the Senate has been made a publicity platform for irresponsible sensationalism” 1954- McCarthy’s accusations against the army are televised and he loses public support Senate condemned him- 3 years later, an alcoholic, he died

12. The End Result By 1953, 39 states passed laws making it illegal to advocate violent overthrow of the govt. Violation of free speech News did a study, interviewing pedestrians, when given excerpts from the Declaration of Independence and asked to sign a petition, most refused saying it was Communistic. Fear of communism clouded the judgement and principles of American government.