American Odyssey

1. American Odyssey Chapter 19 – Cold War Politics Section 2 – The Cold War at Home

2. The Hunt for Communists (p.641-644) • The fear of communism grew, explosively, in the climate produced by the development of the Soviet atomic bomb. • The spread of communism also caused some Americans to use anti-communism as a means of grabbing power.

3. The Hunt for Communists • The House Un-American Committee (HUAC) was created in 1934. • Attempted to link FDR to communism • They had little success against FDR • During the Great Depression, HUAC questioned The American Communist Party. • The committee began their hearings again during the Cold War with new people to harass.

4. The Hunt for Communists • Some committee members of HUAC resorted to demagoguery. • Stirring people up by appealing to their emotions • Character assassination

5. The Case of Alger Hiss (p.642) • Many American politicians and voters wanted to see a strong case against the spies they thought infiltrated the American government. • Richard Nixon, at this time, was the voice of reason of HUAC. • He was often surrounded by emotional, vindictive, and racist men. • In the case of Alger Hiss, Nixon used his approach to place himself into the public eye.

6. The Case of Alger Hiss • Hiss was implicated by Whittaker Chambers, a staunch anti-communist, who was formerly involved in Communist espionage activities. • Chambers had been looking for years to prosecute Hiss, but failed. • Nixon and HUAC decided to hear the case against Hiss. • Hiss graduated from Harvard, worked with the Supreme Court, and served on FDR’s staff at the Yalta Conference.

7. The Case of Alger Hiss • Hiss was president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. • Peace organizations in general were highly suspect as instruments for “softening” the United States, so the Soviets could take over the nation by surprise. • Hiss was a perfect target for the HUAC.

8. The Case of Alger Hiss • In 1948 Chambers handed Nixon the evidence he needed – a roll of microfilm found hidden in a pumpkin patch. • The microfilm showed secret State Department documents – known the Pumpkin Papers. • Some documents had been copied on a typewriter traced to Hiss. • The evidence led to Hiss’ conviction, and the case paved the way for Nixon to move to the Senate. • Hiss was sentenced to five years for two counts of perjury.

9. The Hunt for Communists • Truman, who had a strong dislike for Communists, joined the Red Hunt in 1947 by instituting the Federal Employee Loyalty Program. • The program was used and abused to evaluate the loyalty of government employees. • Truman did this out of fear of being labeled “soft” on communism.

10. The Hunt for Communists • To many in Congress, Truman’s anti-Communist measures were not enough. • In 1950, Congress passed it own tough law – the McCarran Act. • The law did not outlaw the Communist party, it made it illegal to engage in activities that would create a Communist government. • Truman overrode the act, but Congress overrode the veto.

11. The Hunt for Communists • On the heels of the Hiss Case, a young British scientist, Klaus Fuchs, implicated Julius and Ethel Rosenberg in transmitting top-secret atomic secrets to the Soviets. • Fuchs had actually given the designs to the Soviets. • The Rosenbergs were tried and convicted of espionage. • They were executed after their conviction because espionage is a form of treason. • Debate of their innocence continues, but documents released by the Soviets indicate their guilt.

12. The McCarthy Era (p. 645-646) • Senator Joseph McCarthy • Republican Senator from Wisconsin • He grabbed the spotlight in 1950 while speaking at a Republican women conventions in Wheeling, WV. • He held up a list of names that “proved” there were Communists working in the Truman administration. • He never produced a shred of credible evidence; but his wild accusations ruined the reputation of many officials.

13. McCarthyism • McCarthy’s untested accusations against governmental officials became known as McCarthyism. • McCarthyism is the use of intimidation and often unfounded accusations in the name of fighting communism. Senator Joseph McCarthy

14. The McCarthy Era • McCarthy took over the chair of a Senate subcommittee on investigations into Communist activities. • For nearly four years, McCarthy continued his public attacks. Then he went too far – he implicated the United States Army. • In televised hearings, army attorney Joseph Welch overcame McCarthy’s charges. • He even went on to attack Secretary of State George Marshall – he blamed Marshall for the loss of communism to China and MacArthur’s dismissal. • In 1954 the Senate voted to condemn McCarthy, but the red hunt continued.