VCHS
Mrs. Ray
American Studies
Snowpay #6
"McCarthy Hearings"
Objective:
Explain how fear of domestic communism affectAmerican society during the Cold War.
o
Directions:
1.
2.
3.
Read the background and the two articles attached (37-38).
Answer the questions that follow (39-40).
Be prepared to discuss both sides of the issue in class.
Background
In 1938, the U.S. House of Representatives established the House Un-American Activities Committee
(HUAC) to investigate fascist and communist subversion. It conducted many high profile
investigations of labor unions, the entertainment industry and the U.S. State Department- In 1950,
Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed that there were more than 200 communists still working
in the State Department. 'fhe Democrat-controlled Senate then established a committee similar to the
HUAC. When the Republicans won a majority of seats in the Senate during the elections of 1952
McCarthy was in line to chair the Investigations Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on
Governmental Operations.
Let McCarthy Chair the Investigations Subcommittee
By "Roy Kane"
Many people do not like Senator Joe McCarthy
personally. It is true that he can be abrasive and
bombastic. But, any decision about his ability to
chair this subcommittee should rest on logic and
facts, not emotion.
The first important fact is that communism is a
real threat. Josef Stalin and Mao Tse-Tung each
killed more people than Adolf Hitler did. And, it
is clear that the Soviet Union and China are
committed to spreading communism. They have
supported communist rebels in South Korea,
French Indochina, Turkey, Greece, Malaysia, the
Philippines, and numerous other democratic
nations. Each year, the Soviet Union hosts the
Comintern, which is a meeting of communists
from around the world. At these meetings, plans
are made to,stir up and support rebellions in noncommunist countries.
The second important fact is that
Other investigations revealed spies in the highest
levels of our government. For example, Alger
Hiss passed secrets to the Soviet Union when he
was a high-ranking official in the State
Department. Judith Coplon, who worked for the
Justice Department, gave the Soviet Union copies
of FBI files that had details of American
investigations of potential communist spies.
Julius Rosenberg ran a spy ring that collected
information on the development of the atomic
bomb and passed it on to the Soviet Union. All
ofthese people were convicted. No one believes
they were the only ones.
McCarthy's opponents say his motives are
political. They claim he just wants to attack and
smear Democrats. But Truman, the first
president to require federal workers to take a
loyalty oath, was a Democrat. And, a Democrat
chairs the HUAC, which has investigated
hundreds of suspected communists. plus,
McCarthy is willing to investigate the executive
branch even though a Republican, D,,vight
some
Americans are communists and are willing to
commit treason to make this country communist.
Past investigations by the FIUAC revealed that
members of the American Communist Parfy
successfully took over the Industrial Workers of
the World (lWW) and several members of the
Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).
They also revealed that numerous Hollywood
screenwriters were communists.
Eisenhower, was just elected president.
The fact is, rve share a dangerous world with an
enemy committed to our destruction who now
possesses weapons that can destroy entire cities.
For the sake of our national security, we must
allow McCarthy to chair this subcommittee.
37
Get Rid of the Investigations Subcommittee
By "Jane Walsh,'
The witch-hunt for communists has gone too far.
There is now widespread censorship in books,
movies, and art. In many places you must take a
loyalty oath to be a teacher, lawyer, or actor. If
you refuse on principle, you are blacklisted. For
a time, the Cincinnati Reds even had to rename
themselves the Redlegs.
People who are hauled before the HUAC are
asked whether they ever attended a communist
p1.ty meeting. If they say y€s, they get
bl ackl i sted from whatever j ob they perform. But,
if they refuse to answer, the Committee holds
them in contempt and imprisons them.
By denying free speech and due process of law,
the House Un-American Activities Committee
itself is un-American. The last thing we need is
another committee dedicated to denying
Americans their fundamental rights.
Just because someone attended a communist
party meeting in the 1930s does not mean they
want to overthrow the U.S. government. These
are people who recognized that not all of our
citizens experience the American Dream. They
were simply looking for ways to reduce the hugl
gap between the rich and poor. Such people
should be praised for their compassion, not
attacked and humiliated.
it. He has demonstrated throughout his life that
he is not interested in the truth. He is only
interested in manipulating the press and the
public to prornote hirnself.
In Wisconsin, he switched parties to run for U.S.
Senator. He then lied about his military record
and his taxes. Once in office, he decided to
promote himself by accusing Democrats of being
soft on communism. But it was Dernocrai
President Truman who saved West Berlin,
Greece, and Turkey from communism and was
the father of the loyalty oath for federal workers.
So McCarthy had to exaggerate and even lie to
support his position.
After claiming in 1950 that there were more than
200 communists in the U.S. State Department, he
refused to reveal his list. He then claimed former
China policy advisor Owen Lattiniore was the
spymaster and dragged him before the Senate
Committee.
During the hearings, McCarthy and his allies
used such tactics as claiming guilt by association
and quoting Lattimore out context. But, neither
Lattimore nor any of the other ,.200', were ever
exposed as communists. The whole episode was
a farce.
Joe McCarthy and the
Investigations
Subcommittee do notprotect democracy; th.y u..
democracy's biggest threat.
If
we must have an Investigations Committee.
Joe McCarthy is the last person who should chair
38
Name
McCarthy Hearings
Worksheet
l)
According to Kane, what are three countries communists tried to take over?
2)
According to Kane, who are two people accused of spying for the Soviet Union and what did
they do?
3)
According to Walsh, what will happen if someone refuses to answer
a
question when appearing
before the HUAC?
4)
According to Walsh, what State Department advisor did McCarthy eventually claim was a spy?
5)
Compare and contrast their views on whether McCarthy's motives are political.
(Over pleose)
39
6)
7)
'
8)
Compare and contrast their views on whether America is threatened by people
who were once
communists or had attended communist party meetings.
If the U.S. is truly at war, do you think the government should be able to make it illegal
for
someone to publicly encourage others (through newspapers, speeches,
or movies) to support our
enemy?
Explain
Who do you agree with and what is their most persuasive argument, statistic
or example?
40