Who Was Senator Joe McCarthy?
How McCarthyism Got Its Bad Name
Joseph R. McCarthy, a World War II Marine veteran, was elected a Republican U.S. Senator from Wisconsin in the 1946 landslide that ended Democratic control after 14 years. He remained relatively obscure until a speech in 1950 catapulted him onto the national scene.
The Anti-Communist Crusade Begins
The people of the United States, eager to return to peaceful pursuits in 1945 after a long and costly world war, found themselves quickly in a cold war with their erstwhile ally, the Soviet Union. Wartime agreements were reneged on, China fell to the communists, and spies were detected on American shores.
In January, 1950, Alger Hiss, a former high State Department official accused of assisting Soviet espionage, had been convicted of perjury. A month later, Senator McCarthy, at a political appearance in West Virginia, claimed to have documents establishing that a large number of "card-carrying Communists" were employed in the U.S. State Department, had contributed to the "loss" of China, and were a continuing menace to the security of the nation. While the speech of an almost unheard of senator in an Appalachian venue had neither been recorded nor covered by the media, its sensational accusations were soon being relayed over the airwaves.
McCarthy became an eagerly sought after speaker among groups concerned about Communist infiltration or merely interested in damaging the Administration of President Harry S Truman. Warming to his new celebrity, the Senator repeated and elaborated on his charges, naming names at times on the floor of the Senate, where he enjoyed immunity from legal peril, He never, however, actually produced any of the documentation he claimed to possess.
Although in June, 1950, half a dozen Republican Senators led by Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine issued a statement deploring McCarthy's tactics, he became a hero to a large segment of the American public, made a speech to the 1952 Republican Convention, and won reelection with 54 percent of the vote.
Heading the Anti-Communist Crusade
In the wake of the Eisenhower landslide, the Republicans narrowly regained control of the Senate. McCarthy became Chairman of the Government Operations Committee and of its Permanent Investigations Subcommittee. He used the latter post to conduct investigations of suspected subversion in the Voice of America and other federal agencies. A typical practice of his was to emerge from closed door hearings and summarize for the press what had transpired within. Disputes about the accuracy of his reports aroused opposition to his activities from civil liberties groups and Democratic supporters as well as Communist fronts and sympathizers. A television critique of his methods by respected CBS reporter Edward R. Murrow in March, 1954, documented instances of his unsupported charges and badgering techniques.
McCarthy finally wrecked his own crusade by accusing the Department of the Army, now under Republican management, of obstructing his efforts to root out Communists. He, on the other hand, was accused of pressuring the Army for a commission for one of his aides. At nationally televised hearings running from April to June, 1954, the Wisconsin Senator was widely considered to have confirmed the criticisms of his unfairness, irresponsibility, and demagoguery before a national audience.
When a Senate Committee was directed to examine the charges against McCarthy, he refused to cooperate and now hurled accusations against them. The Senate voted 67-22 in December, 1954, to censure him for his refusal to cooperate and for bringing the Senate into disrepute. With the Democratic victory the previous month, he was no longer a committee chairman. He served two-and-a-half more years in the relative obscurity from which he had emerged in 1950 and died in 1957 of acute hepatitis,
McCarthy gave his name to the practice of making and publicizing unsubstantiated charges for political gain, particularly about loyalty. The term McCarthyism is used to this day by some who know little of the man and his specific deeds.
Reference: Appleton History, Appleton, Wisconsin Library
What do you think about this article?
More in History
Latest Articles