Ch 18 Section 3 The Cold War at Home

Genuine Fears about American Security:-Soviet domination of Eastern Europe-Communist takeover of China-Communist Party had 80,000 members in the U.S.-Pro-Communist spies stole atomic bomb info and gave it to the Soviets

President Truman “Soft on Communism”• Truman’s critics accused him of being “soft on Communism” Truman’s Reaction:• March 1947• Set up the Federal Employees Loyalty and Security Program which set up the Loyalty Review Board.

Loyalty Review Board. Its Purpose: to investigate government employees and to dismiss those who were found to be disloyal to the U.S. government The problem: -What is “disloyalty”? It was never clearly defined. -The U.S Attorney-General drew up a list of 91 “subversive” organizations – membership in any of these groups were grounds for suspicion. - Individuals under investigation were not allowed to see the evidence against them OR even to know who accused them in the first place!

Election of 1948

HUAC House Un-American Activities Committee

• September 1947 – investigation into the movie industry • 48 witnesses subpoenaed• “The Hollywood Ten” - did not cooperate with HUAC

because they believed the hearings were unconstitutional,

and they went to jail.

Communist Witch Hunt(a 2nd “Red Scare”)

• Blacklist - a list of people condemned for having a Communist

background • 500 actors, writers, producers, and directors had their careers

ruined b/c they could no longer work in films• McCarren Act (1950) McCarren Internal Security Bill –

unlawful to plan any action that might lead to the establishment

of a totalitarian dictatorship in the U.S.

Note: Truman vetoed it. (“You can’t punish someone for his

opinion!”) BUT Congress overrode his veto and passed it!!

In Sept 1953, HUAC called actress Lucille Ball to answer questions about HER affiliation with communism in 1936

The Alger Hiss Case

• Alger Hiss was a Harvard-educated

government lawyer• Worked with FDR on New Deal

programs• He attended the Yalta Conference!• Accused by Whittaker Chambers

as a Communist spy Aug 3, 1948

at a HUAC hearing

Whittaker Chambers - Former Communist and senior editor of TIME magazine

Richard Nixon pursued the case.

• HUAC formed a

subcommittee to investigate Alger Hiss• Richard Nixon - a young, conservative Republican

congressman was the chairman of the committee• Alger Hiss proclaimed his innocence …said that Chambers

forged the documents• Convicted at a 2nd trial of perjury (not for espionage –

spying - but for lying about passing the documents)• In 1990s, the Soviet Union released papers

that proved he WAS a spy!!

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

• American Communists who were accused and tried for giving away atomic bomb secrets to the Russians!!

• Denied it - pleaded 5th amendment

• Said it was because they were

Jews and it was about their

radical beliefs

“Worse than murder!”

• Judge Irving Kaufman said this when he sentenced them to death in the electric chair.• Executed June 1953• 1st U.S. civilians executed for espionage• Later, the same info that came out about Alger Hiss in the 1990s also implicated them!

Klaus Fuchs• Also implicated in the Rosenberg case• British physicist admitted giving the Russians info about America’s atomic bomb• Tried and found guilty BEFORE THE ROSENBERGS May 1950 in Britain• Probably gave the Russians an 18 month edge

Senator Joseph McCarthysaid Communists were taking over the government

• Republican Senator from Wisconsin Feb. 9, 1950 - speech to Republican Women’s Club in Wheeling, West Virginia:• “I have here in my hand a list of 205 . . . a list of names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping policy in the State Department. . . .”

With this famous statement, the doo-doo hit the fan.

McCarthyism

The unfair tactic of accusing people of

disloyalty without providing evidence

1952 Presidential Election IssueMost Republicans did little to stop McCarthy becauseit could be a good campaign issue.Republicans: were purging the country of Communism Democrats: were “soft” on Communism because they

allowed Communist infiltration into the government

Herblock Political Cartoon

The term McCarthyism

was first coined by

Washington Post political

cartoonist Herb Block.

End of McCarthyism• In 1954, McCarthy accused the Army of being infiltrated by

Communists.• Network TV covered the hearings live• His bullying of witnesses alienated the public and he lost public

support• The American public basically saw him as “crazy” on TV.• He died 3 years later.

• By 1953, 39 states passed laws making it illegal

to advocate the violent overthrow of the

government - even though this violates

constitutional right of free speech.