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The Cold War at Home

The Cold War at Home. Leader of the witch-hunt, Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. Section 16.2. Objectives At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:. Describe the HUAC Describe the state of the communist party in the late 1940s & why people joined

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The Cold War at Home

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  1. The Cold War at Home Leader of the witch-hunt, Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin Section 16.2

  2. ObjectivesAt the end of this lesson, you should be able to: • Describe the HUAC • Describe the state of the communist party in the late 1940s & why people joined • Identify Alger Hiss, Whittaker Chambers, Richard Nixon, and the Pumpkin Papers • Describe Truman’s domestic policy towards communism • Identify Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism • Identify the Hollywood Ten

  3. Atomic Age Yet another hydrogen bomb test

  4. What was the HUAC? • House of Un-American Activities Committee • Congressional committee formed during New Deal as way of discrediting FDR for allowing communists • Resurrected during the Cold War • Members were mostly conservative &/or reactionary • some were demagogues, political opportunists Above: HUAC in session; below: one of the first well-known victims gets wrongly accused

  5. Capture from a video portraying one of the hearings: SO reminiscent of The Crucible!

  6. Describe the American Communist Party in the 1950s: • Small • Had its heyday during Great Depression • Included liberals, workers, intellectuals, artists, students • Against laissez-faire economic system of US • Not associated with evil, oppressive governments yet • Lost popularity after WWII and news of Stalin’s brutality Above: bread line during Depression; below: the Rosenbergs in jail

  7. Who was Alger Hiss? • High ranking government official • Clerk to Oliver W. Holmes, member of FDR staff at Yalta • President of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace • Peace organizations were suspected of trying to weaken the US • Labeled as a Soviet operative by Whittaker Chambers (editor of Time magazine) Above: Alger Hiss; below: Whittaker Chambers

  8. Alger Hiss Useless blank capture from clip on Hiss and Chambers

  9. What were the Pumpkin Papers? • Hiss was questioned by Richard Nixon at HUAC • caught Hiss lying about whether he had ever known Chambers but lacked evidence for conviction • Chambers showed investigators a pumpkin with microfilm of secret documents • Apparently typed on Alger Hiss’ typewriter • Convicted of perjury • Nixon became famous as an anti-communist crusader Above: Alger Hiss at hearing; below: Richard Nixon with prosecutor Roy Cohn

  10. Describe Truman’s Anti-Communist policy at home. • Said there was an “enemy within” • Instituted Federal Employee Loyalty Program • Government employees fired for openly criticizing US foreign policy, supporting equal rights for women, reading socialist books, attending foreign films • Loyalty Board investigated 3 million employees • 3, 000 forced to resign or fired • No proof of espionage ever found • Truman vetoed McCarran Act • Made it extremely difficult to be in communist party • Congress overrode his veto Above: President Truman; below: another sham hearing

  11. Julius Rosenberg led to court; clip also deals with pop culture reflecting fear of spies

  12. Who was Joseph McCarthy? • Senator, opportunist, demagogue • Claimed (in a speech) to have a list of 205 names, all of communists working in the State Department • Headed the Senate subcommittee of Investigations • Ruined the reputations of dozens of officials without a shred of evidence • Viewed as a patriot (at first) • McCarthyism= the use of intimidation and unfounded accusations in the name of fighting communism • Accused the army of communism! • Was discredited and censured (condemned) by the Senate, finally, and died not long thereafter Above: another photo of McCarthy; below: cartoon implying McCarthy was a fraud

  13. Capture shows LA; clip is about Hollywood and the witch hunt there

  14. Hollywood Ten Presentation Some of the Hollywood Ten shown approaching the courthouse

  15. Who were the Hollywood Ten? • Prominent writers, directors who had been members of the communist party • Included Dalton Trumbo • HUAC used their prominence and fear of communism to gain publicity • H. T. pleaded the 5th, were accused of contempt of Congress, and sentenced to 1 year in jail • Blacklisted by Hollywood (unable to find work in film industry) Above and below: members of the Hollywood Ten

  16. Long, powerful clip depicts examination of one of the H.T. by HUAC

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