MCCARTHY HEARINGS

What is it?
A series of hearings held by the US senates Subcommittee on Investigations between April 1954 and June 1954

HOW IT STARTED

• World war two ended and brought the start of communism vs democracy
• The second red scare began in 1947
• The surge of anticommunist feelings led to the arrests of Julius and Ethel Rosenburg
• They were convicted for espionage and after a brief trial were sentenced to death
• They were executed on June 19,1953

Joseph R. McCarthy

• Born November 14, 1908
• Dropped out of high school to help on the family farm
• Began studying law at the age of 21
• Served in marines from 1942-1944 as an intelligence briefing officer
• In 1946 he ran and won a seat in the senate by 60% as a republican

CONTINUED

• Made his first bold move by accusing 205 state department workers as communists
• Seen as the personification of the witch hunt for suspected communists in the US
• Became known as the communist hunter

McCarthyism-
The practice of making accusations of disloyalty,subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence.

McCarthy targeted a lot of musicians and artists because of their beliefs and put them on trial. He also held a huge investigation on the United States Army.

COMMUNIST SYMPATHIZERS

• McCarthy was extremely anti-democratic
• Claimed that all democrats were communist sympathizers
• Began to attack all opponents as communist sympathizers
• 1952-reelected by just 54%
• 1953-accused army of housing communist and being communist sympathizers

MCCARTHY ACCUSES ARMY

• Fall of 1953- McCarthy begins investigating the army
• Receives a warrant to search and finds nothing
• No more warrants were allowed
• Begins to investigate individuals

Irving Peress was the first to be targeted by McCarthy individually. Peress was drafted by the army and first became targeted because of a random promotion. Then, he refused to fill out certain army papers pleading the fifth. This was when McCarthy first accused him as a communist and started the hearings.

Soon after, one of McCarthy's ex investigators, David Schrine, is drafted into the army. He then demands special treatment for him and was furious after being denied. Shortly after, on March 11, 1954, McCarthy accuses the army of holding Schrine hostage. About a month later, the hearings begin.

THE HEARINGS

• Began April 22,1954
• Lasted 36 days
• After going against an agreement to not mention a certain man, Fred Fisher
• Fisher was an up and coming lawyer, whom Joseph Welch was hoping to-
• Keep from being accused as a communist

Joseph Welch was a special counsel for the army at the hearings and was an associate of Fisher's. After McCarthy went against the agreement to keep Fisher out of it, Welch retorted ''Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness. Fred Fisher is starting what looks to be a brilliant career with us. I fear he shall always bear a scar, needlessly inflicted by you. Have you no decency sir?"

That was the climax and the turning point of the hearings. The people began clapping after Welch's short speech and McCarthy immediately lost the support of many citizens.

Venona Intercepts identified many communists:
Two atomic spies, a captain in the US navy, 10 senior level government officials, and full time agents KGB (the worlds largest spy&state-security machine)

AFTER THE HEARINGS

• The end of the hearings brought the end of McCarthy's reign
• After a year, he completely lost his title
• Three years later, Joseph McCarthy passed due to his-
• Excessive increase in alcohol consumption

TELEVISED

• They were the first televised hearings in US history
• They dominated national television from April to June
• This then revealed McCarthy's method and manner.
• 188 hours of broadcast time

LEGACY

• Resulted in the dismissal of 518 federal employees
• Less than 10,000 overall lost jobs
• 2 suffered the death penalty
• Sparked a national fear of communism
• Became a factor in the United States participation in the next 2 wars

Citations:
1."Army-McCarthy Hearings." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 9 Jan. 2015. .
2. "The Red Scare During The 1920s." The Red Scare During The 1920s. Web. 9 Jan. 2015. .
3. "Army-McCarthy Hearings." Army-McCarthy Hearings. Web. 9 Jan. 2015. .