Section 3: The Cold War At Home

1
Chapter 18

• Section 3 The Cold War At Home

2
Senator Joseph McCarthy

• McCarthyism technique of making unsupported
  charges or accusations without regard for the
  basic rights of the accused named after Senator
  McCarthy
• Senator McCarthy claimed to have personal
  knowledge of 57, 81, or 205 Communists working in
  the State Dept.

3
McCarthyism

• Successful at First
• Fed on public fear of foreign influence in the U.
  S.
• Fears raised by several high profile espionage
  cases
• Republicans felt McCarthys attacks would help
  them win 1952 Presidential election
• McCarthy gave impression he was purging the
  nation of danger

4
McCarthyism

• Fell out of Favor
• Televised hearings showed McCarthy bullied
  witnesses
• Claimed Communism was present in U. S. government
  and military
• No proof of his accusations
• Did not call anyone by name
• Public opinion turned against him
• U. S. Senate condemned him for improper conduct
  that tended to bring the Senate into disrepute

5
Other Effects of Fears of Communism Sweeping the
U. S.

• Loyalty Review Board investigate government
  employees and dismiss those found to be disloyal
  to the U. S.
• 3 million people investigated past associations
• 200 fired and thousands resigned in protest
• Most were innocent

6
House Un-American Activities Committee

• HUAC best known for investigating communism in
  the film industry
• 1947 subpoenaed 41 witnesses from the Hollywood
  film industry to give testimony on whether
  Communists influenced the American film industry
• Hollywood 10 10 witnesses who decided not to
  cooperate with the investigation
• Hollywood began to Blacklist people - 500
• Careers ruined

7
Spy Cases

• Alger Hiss 1948
• Whittaker Chambers (editor of Time magazine)
• Chambers messenger for Soviet espionage system
• Chambers named Hiss (State Department employee)
  as a person who had given classified documents to
  Chambers
• Hiss only convicted of perjury
• HUAC investigated Richard Nixon chair

8
Rosenberg Case

• 1950 British physicist Klaus Fuchs said he gave
  the Soviets some data with the help of Julius and
  Ethel Rosenberg

9
Rosenberg

• They pleaded not guilty
• Said they were being persecuted for being Jewish
• Court found them guilty
• 1953 executed 1st civilians executed for
  espionage
• Judge Irving Kaufman declared the crime worse
  than murder because it put into the hands of the
  Soviets the atomic bomb
• Soviets exploded an atomic bomb 9-23-49