By 1954, Stalin was dead, the severity of the cold war had lessened, and the Korean war was over. The period of fear that once captivated the public was coming to an end, and Eisenhower finally decided that this was the right time to put McCarthy’s career to bed.
Edward R. Murrow, the highly regarded spokesperson from CBS program “See it Now” had always been against McCarthy’s tactics.
“‘The question now is, when do I go against these guys?’ [Murrow] was in a quiet rage and he would stay that way for the next four months. At that moment, at the water fountain on the 17th floor of CBS, I felt an involuntary sense of pity for Joe McCarthy.”
- Joseph Wershba, March 4, 1979, “Murrow vs. McCarthy: See it Now”, New York Times
"1939 photograph of Murrow at CBS headquarters in London", Corbis/Bettmann
On March 9, 1954, Murrow released a broadcast in which he gave a tasteful critique on the Senator. The broadcast was very well-received.
"See it Now", Edward R. Murrow, March 9, 1954