With onset of Cold War in late 1940s began 2nd Red Scare. This included:
- House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was est. in WW2 to investigate ‘unpatriotic behavior’- late 1940s devoted to catching Communists
-Highest profile investigation into Hollywood motion picture industry- produced a list called ‘The Red Channels’ identifying suspected Commies in Hollywood
- High profile spy cases:
–Alger Hiss Case– Aide to FDR, Secretary-General of UN, accused of spying for USSR- jailed for 5 yrs
–Rosenberg Case– Married couple accused of supplying nuclear secrets to USSR- convicted and killed via death penalty
- McCarthyism- term describing the hunt for Communists inside U.S.
-Primary targets were gov’t officials, educators, union leaders, entertainment figures
-many people suffered loss of employment, destruction of reputation, imprisonment based on suspect evidence, or tactics deemed unconstitutional
–Joseph McCarthy– senator from Wisconsin who became most famous anti-Communist when he claimed to have a list of Commies in state department in 1950
–President Eisenhower often criticized for not doing enough to restrain McCarthy
-McCarthy eventually condemned by Senate when he accused members of the armed forces, and showed himself to be an unscrupulous bully during televised hearings
