The Cold War at Home1947-1955

Essential Questions Ch 18 Sec 3What did the US Government do to

investigate the loyalty of US citizens? What areas of society were targeted?

What happened during the Spy Cases and how did they reflect the paranoia of the Red Scare?

What was McCarthyism and why was it controversial? What led to McCarthy’s downfall?

What other anti- Communist measures were enacted during the early 1950’s?

Fears of Communist InfluenceThe Soviet domination of Eastern

Europe, the fall of Red China led many Americans to believe that Communism was spreading around the world in the late 1940’s early 1950’s

FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover estimated that there were 100,000 Americans in the Communist Party

Some feared that Communist had infiltrated the highest levels of US Government

The US Government ActsThe National Security Act of 1947- Established the

Department of Defense, the National Security Administration (NSA) and the CIA

Accused of being soft on Communist President Truman set up the Federal Employee Loyalty Program

It was to investigate government employeesFrom 1947-1951 3.2 million were investigated, 212

were fired and 2,900 resignedState and municipal programs were enacted as

well (6.6 million investigated)US Attorney General drew up a list of 91

“subversive groups”

The House Un-American Activities Committee

The HUAC was a Congressional Committee that was to investigate Communist activity

In 1947 it targeted the movie industry43 “friendly” witnesses from Hollywood

were subpoenaed ( Ronald Reagan, Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck)

Some “unfriendly” witnesses were Orsen Wells, and Charlie Chaplin

Even Humphrey Bogart and Lucile

Ball received bad publicity

The Hollywood TenTen “Unfriendly witnesses” refused to

testify, they thought the hearings were unconstitutional, they were sentenced to prison by the committee (Hollywood Ten)

Hollywood executives instituted a “blacklist”

500 actors, writers,

producers and directors

had their careers ruined

The blacklist remained in

effect until 1960

The McCarran ActTo be even tougher on Communist

Congress passed the McCarran ActCommunist organizations must register

with the US Gov.Illegal to plan a totalitarian dictatorship in

the USCommunists could be interned during

national emergenciesNo Communists in Defense IndustriesBarred Communist Immigrants to the USCommunists could be deported

Spy Cases Stun the NationIn 1948 a former Communist spy Whittaker

Chambers (Time Magazine Editor) named former State Department Official Alger Hiss of Spying for the USSR

The Hiss CaseChambers produced micro-film and

documents allegedly passed to him from Hiss “The Pumpkin Papers” Hiss denied the charges

Congressman Nixon pursued the charges which increased his popularity

The statue of limitations had ran out on the espionage charge so Hiss was convicted of perjury and sentenced to 5 years in prison, he served 2 years still claiming his innocence

The RosenbergsIn 1950 Physicist Klaus Fuchs admitted to

giving the USSR atomic bomb informationTwo minor activist in the American

Communist party were implicated in the spy ring, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Ethel’s brother David Greenglass worked at Los Alamos

The Rosenbergs claimed they were being Jewish and holding radical beliefs

They were found guilty of espionage and sentenced to death

They were electrocuted on June 19th , 1953

McCarthy’s WitchhuntSenator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin first

gained prominence by giving a speech in WV in which he claimed he had a list of 200 “Card-carrying communist “ in the State Department

McCarthyismWith the help of his staff assistant and

lawyer Roy Cohn McCarthy accused many people of disloyality (Sec of State Dean Acheson and General George C. Marshall)

He accused people without providing evidence, his lists and sources were never revealed

He targeted not only his “egg-sucking phony liberals” but Blacks (Paul Robeson), Jews, Foreign Born and Homosexuals

McCarthy and J. Edgar Hoover attacked “perverted” or “abnormal” orientations

McCarthy’s DownfallIn 1954 McCarthy made accusations against

the US ArmyDuring April-June 1954 the Army –McCarthy

Hearings allowed 20 million American to witness his bullying and recklessness

Army Attorney Joseph B. Welch shot backIn December 1954 McCarthy was censured

for “conduct unbecoming a member of the US Senate” His support was gone

In 1957 McCarthy died from alcoholism a broken man

Damage and other Anti- Communist Measures

Because of McCarthy many repressive federal and state laws remained in effect

Basic freedoms such as freedom of speech and assembly were eroded

Dissent had become dangerousThe US Government investigated

union leaders, librarians, teachers, reporters, entertainers, and scientists