File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1998/marxism-international.9803, message 97


Subject: Re: M-I: Query on McCarthysim
Date: Sat, 7 Mar 1998 23:14:59 -0500 (EST)
From: "hoov" <hoov-AT-freenet.tlh.fl.us>


> A focus on "McCarthyism" distorts the whole history of that period, the
> correct name of it was Trumanism. "McCarthy" conveniently made the real
> enemies look like friends, but the Red Hunt of the 40s and 50s was
> primarily launched by the Truman Administration. Joe from Wisconsin was a
> sideshow. And the focus of such liberals as Murrow on McCarthy was part of
> the side show. Perhaps I say this with a bit of venom, because the
> sideshow took me in at the time.
> Carrol

no disagreement...Truman ordered the Department of Justice to
prosecute communists and alleged sympathizers under the Smith
Act of 1940 and the Internal Security Act of 1948...Truman's
administration required tens of thousands of federal employees
to appear before loyalty boards, where they were required to
answers about which newspapers they read, their views on female
chastity, and their position on the UN...David Caute, in his
book _The Great Fear_, reports that about 12,000 federal 
employees were resigned under pressure and about 2700 were fired
during these investigations which served to whip up political
hysteria...

following Truman's  example, state & local govt's, private employers,
schools & universities launched crusades to ferret out those believed
to have "suspect ideas"...the job losses and permanently ruined careers
are well-known...often, the main "sin" that people had committed was to 
be Jewish, black, then current/previous membership in civil rights 
groups, liberal associations...meanwhile, once-liberal Dems, who broke 
decisively with the "progressive" wing of the party, managed to achieve
a tenuous rapprochment with Dixiecrats for a time...

so how much of this "demonization" of the left was really about
coopting/intimidating/de-legitimizing liberals?...Michael Hoover



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