AMERICAN SOCIETY AND THE COLD WAR
RED SCARE

Fear spread throughout the nation that
Communists had infiltrated the American
government and were giving secrets to the
Soviet Union.
LOYALTY REVIEW PROGRAM
Truman responded to these fears by forcing all
federal employees to go through an intense
screening process.
 This program increased Americans fear and
suspicions that the United States government
had been infiltrated with Soviet spies.

LOYALTY REVIEW PROGRAM CONT’D
Over 6 million people were tested for loyalty
 Examples of what set off the radar

 Books
they read
 Who they were related to or friends with
 Watching foreign films
 Traveling outside of the country

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) played a
major role
HOUSE UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE
(HUAC)
Founded to investigate Fascist and Communist
activity within the United States
 J. Edgar Hoover Head of the FBI (Federal
Bureau of Investigation) took control
 Targeted Communists and Communist
sympathizers

 Infiltrated
of lines
many groups and wire tapped thousands
TRUMAN ON HUAC

“I've said many a time that I think the UnAmerican Activities Committee in the House of
Representatives was the most un-American
thing in America!”
THE ROSENBERGS – CONVICTED SPIES
HUAC & THE ROSENBERGS
The Soviet Union had the atomic bomb by 1946
 Many Americans believed the Soviets could not
have developed the weapon without
information from the United States leaking out.
 Julius & Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of
being top spies for the Soviet Union and were
executed.

THE RED SCARE GROWS ON AMERICANS
The fear of Communism swept the nation in the
late 1940’s and early 1950’s
 Americans were convinced Communists were
everywhere, and responded by forcing
companies, colleges, churches, unions and
other outlets to prove their loyalty to America.
 Hysteria was at an all time high

SENATOR JOSEPH MCCARTHY

Wisconsin Senator capitalized on American
hysteria.
 1949
USSR successfully tested the Hydrogen Bomb
 1950 Alger Hiss (Top aide to FDR) was convicted of
being a Communist
 HUAC was at an all time high

Gave a speech that impacted the nation
greatly, and gave him large amounts of power
MCCARTHY CONTINUED

“While I cannot take the time to name all the
men in the State Department who have been
named as members of the Communist Party
and members of a spy ring, I have here in my
hand a list of 205 that were known to the
Secretary of State as being members of the
Communist Party and who nevertheless are still
working and shaping the policy of the State
Department.”