November 12, 2010•Why were Americans

worried about the security of the U.S.?–The Hollywood Ten–Alger Hiss –Ethel and Julius Rosenburg

•Homework: Section 4 Worksheet (NOT NOTES)

Fear of Communist Influence

• Height of WWII marked 100,000 American communists

• Caused:– Loyalty Review Board– House of Un-American Activities Committee

Loyalty Review Board• Anti-communist Republicans

blaming Truman of being soft• Truman issued Federal Employee

Loyalty Program (Loyalty Review Board)

» Investigate government workers and dismiss those disloyal»Membership to “submersive”

organizations were grounds for suspicion» Individuals under investigation

not allowed to see the evidence against them

House Un-American Activities Committee

• (HUAC) – investigated communist influence both in the government and with domestics

• 1947 – began focusing on movie industry ‘sneaking’ communist propaganda into films

Hollywood Ten• Most witnesses were friendly as

they testified that they did or did not see propaganda in the scripts presented to them

• Ten refused: The Hollywood Ten– Believed hearings were

unconstitutional– They were sent to prison– The blacklist was instituted

(condemned certain people for having Communist background)

The McCarran Act

• The Two Spy Cases :–Alger Hiss– The Rosenbergs

Alger Hiss

• Whittaker Chambers accused Hiss of spying for the Soviet Union

• produced microfilm of documents that had been typed on Hiss’s Typewriter

• Hiss charged with purgery and was sent to jail

• Nixon gained fame for pursuing such charges

Leaking Info to the Soviets

• September 1949 – Soviets explode an atomic bomb

• Americans wonder if our secrets of how to create the bomb had been leaked

• 1950 – Klaus Fuchs admitted giving the Soviet Union information about the U.S. bomb which probably inabled the Soviets to develop thier own early

The Rosenbergs

• Ethel and Julius were also implicated by Fuchs• They denied the charges and pled the Fifth

Amendment• Claimed they were being personally

persecuted for being Jewish radicals• Were found guilty of espionage and

sentenced to death in 1953• 1997 proved that Julius was a spy but did not

give bomb info to the Soviets

McCarthy Launches his « Witch Hunt »

• Senator Joseph McCarthy (Rep.)– Ineffective legislator– To win reelection in

1952, he charged that Communists were taking over the government

McCarthyism

• Unsupported attacks on suspected Communists in the early 1950’s

• No evidence• Charged Democratic Party of

20 years treason (allowing communism into our country)

• Why was he careful in only accusing Senate members?

• Republicans did little to stop him. Why?

McCarthy’s Downfall

• 1954 – he made accusation against the U.S. Army

• Televised Senate investigation prompted• His bullying of witnessed alienated the

audiences and cost him public support

Other Anti-Communist Measures

• 39 States passed laws making it illegal to advocate the overthrow the government

• Cities and towns followed suit• Laws were deemed unconstitutional (free

speech)• Crazy new things out of fear:– Loyalty oaths– Investigated everyone– Fear to quote the declaration of independence