The Red Scare in America The Red Scare

The Red Scare in America

The Red Scare (1950 s) • Rumors and accusations that Communists were infiltrating US government • Began in 1945 • Clerk named Igor Gouzenko found with documents revealing a massive effort by the Soviet Union to steal information on the atomic bomb. • This case stunned Americans and implied that spies had infiltrated the U. S. government.

The Loyalty Review Program • Established by Harry S. Truman • Helped increase fear that communism sweeping the nation. • 6 million federal employees screened for their loyalty. • Might be suspect for reading certain books, watching foreign films, traveling overseas, or belonging to certain organizations. • Some government employees quit job or were fired for “questionable loyalty” although no actual evidence against them was uncovered.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) • Investigated Communist and Fascist activities in the U. S. • Exposed Communists and the Communist sympathizers • Hollywood put on trial because fear that the film industry was using its power to spread Communist ideas. • Infamous Question: “Are you now, or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party? ” • “Hollywood Ten” refused to testify pleading the 5 th amendment. • Led to blacklisting: anyone who was believed to be a Communist or who refused to cooperate with HUAC could no longer work in Hollywood

Spies in America? ? ? • Alger Hiss accused of giving secret documents from the State Department to Soviet Union by Walter Chambers • Hiss Denied being a spy or a member of the Communist Party • HUAC held hearings to determine Hiss’s guilt or innocence. • The “pumpkin papers” – microfilm that was hidden in a pumpkin on Walter Chamber’s farm containing copies of the documents proving Hiss’s was lying. • Hiss was convicted of perjury. • He served 44 months in prison.

The Rosenbergs • It was believed the Soviets could not build the Atomic Bomb without help. • Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were arrested and charged with heading a Soviet spy ring. • Convicted and executed in 1953 for sending secrets to the Soviet Union. • In 1946, British and American cryptographers working on “Venona” cracked Soviet spy code. • Messages collected in Project Venona confirmed extensive Soviet spying and ongoing effort to steal nuclear secrets. • Although not made public until 1995 by the U. S. government, the Venona documents provided strong evidence that the Rosenbergs were guilty.

Mc. Carthyism • Senator Joseph Mc. Carthy claimed to have a list of 205 employees who had infiltrated the U. S. Government. • Began a witch-hunt for Communists in the U. S known as Mc. Carthyism. • Led to the passage of the Internal Security Act (aka Mc. Carran Act) which was trying to fight “treachery, infiltration, sabotage, and terrorism”. • Mc. Carthy looked for Soviet spies in the U. S. Army. • Army Attorney forced Mc. Carthy to back down • Lesson: public fear of traitors can lead to intolerance and discrimination.

Life during the Cold War https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=IKq. Xu 5 jw 60 • Americans were shocked when the Soviets had tested the Hydrogen Bomb (H-Bomb) in 1953. • Schools practiced “duck-andcover” drills to protect themselves from a nuclear bomb blast. • Although these drills made Americans feel safe, they would not have protected them from fallout, the radiation left over after a blast. • To protect from fallout, some families built backyard fallout shelters and stocked them with canned food.

Images of Fallout Shelters