Truman and Stalin begin technological warfare (1950)
Dalton Trumbo is questioned by HUAC (1947)
Truman and Stalin begin technological warfare (1950)
Dalton Trumbo is questioned by HUAC (1947)
The Second Red Scare is considered to be the immense fear of communism in post-World War II America. During the late 1940s and through the 1950s, the Cold War had begun, and tension between the Capitalistic United States and the "Communist" Soviet Union was at an all-time high. (Britannica)
During the late 1940s, a committee of the House of Representatives began its hunt for hidden communists in the public eye. It was called HUAC (House Committee on Un-American Activities) and was first founded in 1938 to combat disloyalty (communists) in the public and private workforce. (Britannica)
New York Times Article reporting on the Chrage agaisnt the Hollywood Ten (NYTimes)
In 1947, HUAC began its investigation into Communist political influence in Hollywood. Many actors and artists were subpoenaed and brought to court to be questioned. A group called the "Hollywood Ten" refused questioning and were ultimately sentenced to a year in prison. These trials were clear violations of Constitutional rights but were just the beginning. (Walz 1)
“You are the un-Americans, and you ought to be ashamed of yourselves”
-Paul Robeson, Artist Questioned by HUAC (1956)
This widespread fear of communism was taken advantage of by a Republican senator named Joseph McCarthy. Using fear as a political tool, he targeted Democratic politicians for being too soft on communism, especially the State Department and the Truman Administration. (History)
"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."
-Joseph McCarthy (1950)
Article on McCarthy's Accusations (NYTimes)
"He was censured by the Senate, he began to drink heavily; by 1957 he was dead; but the fears he left behind would live long after him. He had contributed a word to the language, "McCarthyism"; and he had, by his presence and by the fears that he had found in the country and exploited."
― David Halberstam in The Best and the Brightest
Washington Post Cartoon coining the term "McCarthyism" (Block)
Army vs McCarthy-April 1954 (NYTimes)
Into the 1950s, McCarthy continued his fear-mongering, clashing with the Truman Administration. In 1953, he went as far as accusing the former Army Chief of Staff, George Marshall of assisting the international spread of Communism. His attacks on the Army was what began his decline. (Hudson)