8.3 - The Red Scare

Rooting Out Communists

• Loyalty Review Board (1947-1951): Under pressure, Truman's administration created the Loyalty Review Board to investigate the loyalty of more than 3 million federal employees, leading to thousands of resignations or dismissals.

Prosecutions and Legislation

• Smith Act Prosecutions: Leaders of the American Communist Party were jailed under the Smith Act, which made it illegal to advocate the overthrow of the U.S. government. The Supreme Court upheld this in Dennis v. United States (1951).

• McCarran Internal Security Act (1950): Over Truman’s veto, Congress passed this act, making it illegal to support totalitarian governments, restricting the activities of Communist organizations, and authorizing detention camps for subversives.

Espionage Cases

• Rosenberg Case: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of treason for allegedly passing atomic secrets to the Soviets. Despite controversy and claims of anti-Communist hysteria, they were executed in 1953.

The Rise and Fall of Joseph McCarthy

• McCarthy’s Accusations: Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed to have a list of Communists in the government, using these unproven accusations to gain political power and media attention.

• McCarthy’s Tactics: His aggressive, unsupported claims discredited many and kept the media focus on him. While controversial, McCarthy became extremely powerful and feared in the early 1950s.

• Army-McCarthy Hearings (1954): Televised Senate hearings exposed McCarthy's tactics as bullying, leading to his censure by the Senate. This marked the decline of McCarthyism.

The fear of a Communist takeover in the U.S. diminished as it became clear that the threat was exaggerated. The economic boom of the 1950s and the armistice in Korea helped shift public focus away from communism.