McCarthy Communist Hearings

Philip Jessup became a primary target of Senator Joseph McCarthy, who charged in the 1950 Tydings Committee hearings that Jessup was a security risk who had "an unusual affinity... for Communist causes." Although Jessup was cleared of all charges by the Loyalty Board of the State Department and the Tydings Committee, and McCarthy was rebuked by many fellow senators and other statesmen, McCarthy's allegations severely damaged Jessup's reputation and career.

Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 -- May 2, 1957) served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the most visible public face of a period of extreme anti-communist suspicion inspired by the tensions of the Cold War. He was noted for making claims that there were large numbers of Communists and Soviet spies and sympathizers inside the federal government and elsewhere. Ultimately, McCarthy's tactics and his inability to substantiate his claims led to his being discredited and censured by the United States Senate. The term "McCarthyism," coined in 1950 in reference to McCarthy's practices, was soon applied to similar anti-communist pursuits. Today the term is used more generally to describe demagogic, reckless, and unsubstantiated accusations, as well as public attacks on the character or patriotism of political opponents.

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[ccrunner141414]

"You are being accused of witchcraft, unless you name others in your witch circle, you will be condemned to death." -1690s

"You are being accused of communism sympathies, unless you name others in your underground communist group, you will be black listed, and might be put to death." -1940s

"You are being accused of terrorism sympathies, unless you name other in your terrorist group, you will be thrown in jail and black listed." -2000s

good thing we learn.

[SinnFein4ever]

The Communist Manifesto must have had some good ideas in it, if it made the rich and powerful of America quake in their boots so badly, that they felt that they needed to terrorize & brainwash the public into a state of paranoid mass-hysteria, crush anyone who wasn't fooled by their propaganda, and stomp out every spark of it everywhere on Earth.

Fortunatly, you can't kill an idea.

[marilynr46]

Can you believe there are still people out there like McCarthy. They are full of nothing but propaganda. The Cold War ended 20 years ago. There is no Soviet Union anymore. We do alot of business with the biggest Communist country still left in the world. We use cheap Communist labor and import cheap Communist products into Capitalist America, so that Big Capitalist Coporations make nice Capitalist profits, and citizens of Capitalist America have no Capitalist jobs.

[dman1311974]

TRUE HERO R.I.P. SENATOR MCCARTHY

[qwertasdcfghjklmo24z]

Sure McCarthy may seem extreme today but he was correct, the Communists did have ambitions to destroy Western Civilization; they did not succeed, but they would have liked to.

[chickenwretch]

Of course a communist is going to brand McCarthy a fascist. Most of us, including me, weren't alive at this time. Unfortunately our public schools don't teach the real threat that Soviet communism was back then. Many foreign communists that fought on the Republican side were either whacked by NKVD hit squads in Spain, or lured to the USSR and caged or killed. A lone communist back then, was frequently approached by Soviet agents, if you were in power/influence circles. McCarthy was correct.

[dave19941000]

A Fascist in charge of a Communist witch hunt, I feel sorry that the US has this in it's history books.

[RightWingHunter666]

@ccrunner141414 Great freaking comment

[COMMUNISTPHILOSOPHY]

lol look at this anti-democratic crap. Wheres your First Amendment. 1950s cold war paranoia at it's finest

Dennis v US (SC)

Yates v US

[13pangea]

communism is not evil or ill-intentioned, just the people who manage to grab hold of the power. nothing wrong with the system, it's the greedy, corrupt leaders who try to use it for their own advantage.

[MrGuitarfreak102]

@ccrunner141414 history is repeated by those who dont study it

[feelingsupersonic19]

@ccrunner141414 Well said. One of my favourite ever quotes is "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."