Army-McCarthy Hearings

Edited exchange between legal counsel for the army Mr. Welch and Senator Joe McCarthy (R-Wisconsin) during the height of the Second Red Scare.

This is credited by many as the moment where McCarthy began to lose his power and influence, as the hearings were broadcast on TV and people got to see how McCarthy behaved.

• Category

  Education

[warmsandandsea]

How did a book like this “ruin” lives? The case of Joseph Julian, a radio actor, was typical. He was listed in Red Channels because he once appeared to read a poem at Carnegie Hall by a group called Artists Front to Win the War. The poem celebrated artists who died fighting fascism. The reading was Julian’s sole connection with the organization. After he was listed in Red Channels, his earnings dwindled. He later sued Red Channels for $150,000.

[warmsandandsea]

McCarthy was not alone in making reckless charges and ruining lives. Communist witch hunting was big business. Ted Kirkpatrick started American Business Consultants, Inc., which published books and newsletters on communism. It grossed over $100,000 in one year from Counterattack, a newsletter. And in June ’51, it published Red Channels, which contained a list of 151 persons ostensibly linked to communist-front organizations.

[warmsandandsea]

The event was carried live on radio. Greenspun spoke to the radio audience denouncing McCarthy and his “dirty lies.” He said, “Defend your voting record, Senator, and explain how you yourself on every defense bill with the exception of two voted the straight Communist party line." He challenged McCarthy to answer a series of questions: “Were you ever wounded in action in the South Pacific as you claim?” McCarthy was long gone. Greenspun published articles attacking McCarthy as a demagogue.

[warmsandandsea]

McCarthy tried to ruin Hank Greenspun, publisher of the Las Vegas Sun. McCarthy travelled to Nevada to attend a political rally. He didn’t know that Greenspun would be there. McCarthy, after praising his own war record (which is a lie), called Greenspun “an admitted communist, publisher of the Las Vegas Daily Worker.” Before McCarthy could finish speaking, Greenspun, who was in the audience, sprung to his feet and challenged McCarthy. McCarthy ran off the stage.

[warmsandandsea]

The hearing in which Keynon appeared had gone so badly for McCarthy that he actually left (similar to the Annie Lee Moss hearing). In the testimony, Keynon comments on how McCarthy’s slanderous accusations and labels hurt her and her career. Keynon aspired to be appointed to an official office. The accusations and labels McCarthy used against her had done “irreparable damage” to her career. She was correct. Keynon would never attain the office she sought afterwards.

[warmsandandsea]

Dorothy Keynon belonged to over 75 organizations, clubs, etc., many of which were not communist-leaning. Some were political clubs, others were social clubs. McCarthy had embellished/lied about the number of communist-leaning organizations she joined. He never provided irrefutable evidence or documentation to support all of his charges. He misrepresented the truth in her involvement with these organizations. Upon learning of any communist association, Keynon withdrew from all organizations.

[warmsandandsea]

A reoccurring issue or theme on these threads is whether or not McCarthy ruined or attempted to ruin the lives of people he accused of being communists. He lied, embellished and lacked credible evidence, on many occasions, with respect to providing the evidence he claimed he possessed. He also mischaracterized and mislabeled people when he, in fact, did not have the irrefutable evidence to support those labels or claims.

[rollwave16]

Broncos8257 - blind stupidity?

Please be specific. I defend someone from who was a target of the vicious liberal smear machine and you call me stupid for it?

[rollwave16]

McCarthys opponents appealed to anti-Cathoilic bigotry amongst the Protestant majority n this country in order to garner opposition to Senator McCarthy. They lied about Matthews - he was not Catholic. They said he shared the same faith as McCarthy - a well known Irish Catholic. Just another example of the liberal smear machine.