Summary
Highlights
For five years, Senator Joseph McCarthy was a highly influential politician, based on his claims of a vast communist conspiracy undermining American life. He alleged that spies had infiltrated the highest levels of government and only he could stop them. This reputation was built on lies, with his investigations producing little evidence, instead accusing people based on associations or private lives. This led to thousands losing their jobs or reputations. McCarthyism became synonymous with character assassination, accusations without evidence, and reliance on gossip. He skillfully used media to create headlines and quickly move from one fabrication to the next, making refutation difficult. Many in his own party eventually worked to bring him down, but his legacy continues to affect the country.
Joseph Raymond McCarthy, born in 1908 in Wisconsin, dropped out of school at 14 but later earned a law degree. He became a circuit court judge in 1939, proving to be a masterful campaigner with a knack for remembering people and oozing charisma. He used muckraking even then, attacking his opponents' age. During WWII, he joined the Marine Corps for political aspirations, embellishing his military service, including a non-combat-related broken ankle as a 'war wound' and exaggerating combat missions to earn medals. Returning to Wisconsin in 1945, he won the Republican Senate nomination through personal attacks and 'retail campaigning', becoming the youngest senator in Washington at 38.
McCarthy sought an issue to gain attention, eventually settling on communism by accident in 1950. Fear of communism was widespread due to the Soviet Union's rise, China's civil war, and the Korean War. Domestically, the U.S. was poised for a second 'Red Scare'. In February 1950, McCarthy claimed the State Department was infested with Communists, waving a list of 205 alleged members. This news confirmed public fears of government infiltration. McCarthy, despite admitting ignorance of communism, expanded his allegations, never publicly showing his list and changing the numbers repeatedly. Historians believe his list was from an earlier compilation, with many flagged for 'weaknesses of character' rather than actual communist ties. McCarthy, however, insisted they were disloyal agents.
McCarthy's accusations led to a Senate investigatory panel, the Tidings Committee, where he publicly named nine alleged Soviet agents. The committee found his charges poorly prepared, but McCarthy was more interested in public opinion, where he found success. He used a 'shotgun' approach, hoping to hit a major case, not caring if innocent people were caught. He lied about information sources, altered documents, and manipulated newspapers by scheduling press conferences to coincide with publication deadlines, preventing fact-checking. Refutations often came too late. The public believed 'where there's smoke, there's fire,' and in a pre-Watergate era, found it hard to believe a politician would deliberately deceive them. Most of his victims couldn't sue him for defamation due to constitutional protections for congressional speeches.
Many Senate colleagues disliked McCarthy for his brashness and disrespect for the institution, but feared his influence in elections. He campaigned for favored candidates and gave keynote speeches at the Republican National Convention, creating a perception of vast grassroots support, though modern analysis suggests his impact was minimal. McCarthy used threats of electoral ruin. He also waged war against critics, using insulting nicknames and attempting to silence them via the FCC. The culture of fear he created led to the 'Security State,' with thousands investigated and careers tarnished. The purge extended to homosexual men in government, called the 'lavender scare,' under the pretext they were vulnerable to blackmail. McCarthy, facing his own accusations of homosexuality, seemed to take vindictive pleasure in rooting out 'nests of sex perverts'.
With a Republican Senate majority in 1952, McCarthy chaired the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) and hired Roy Cohn as Chief Counsel. He targeted the Voice of America, claiming sabotaged broadcast towers, and then the overseas libraries program, where Cohn led a search for 'pro-communist' authors, leading to some book burnings. McCarthy's biggest target became the U.S. Army, holding a grudge since his Marine Corps days and criticizing President Eisenhower. He investigated communism at Fort Monmouth and then targeted Irving Paris, a dentist drafted into the army, and his commanding officer, General Ralph Zwicker. McCarthy’s abusive treatment of Zwicker, a decorated war hero, was the last straw for Army Secretary Robert T. Stevens. Stevens, backed by the White House, accused McCarthy and Cohn of trying to get special treatment for Cohn's friend G. David Schine, who had been drafted into the Army.
The Army-McCarthy hearings (April-June 1954) captivated America, televised for the first time. McCarthy's bullying and name-calling were on full display, leading to a hostile relationship with Army counsel Joseph Welch. The turning point was when McCarthy tried to discredit Welch by linking one of his associates to a 'Communist front' organization. Welch's powerful rebuke and the gallery's applause marked McCarthy's downfall. Though the committee blamed Cohn alone for improper influence, McCarthy's public image was severely damaged, compounded by journalist Edward R. Murrow's investigative pieces. More scandal emerged with the suicide of Senator Lester Hunt, blackmailed by McCarthy over his son's arrest. His Senate colleagues finally had enough, voting 67-22 in December 1954 to censure him. His influence evaporated, abandoned by media, colleagues, and the White House. He became despondent, his alcohol and morphine dependency worsening. He died on May 2, 1957, at 48, from hepatitis, widely believed to be alcohol-related. His refusal to apologize or moderate his behavior contributed to his downfall.
After McCarthy's fall, the U.S. re-evaluated its 'Security State.' Thousands lost jobs due to suspected ties to 'subversive elements,' and many more were persecuted. The 'Lavender Scare' continued, with the State Department apologizing in 2017 for investigating employees' sexual orientations as late as the 1990s. McCarthyism today refers to public figures using character assassination and unsubstantiated accusations. Works like 'Fahrenheit 451' and 'The Crucible' reflect its excesses. While the 1950s are often remembered for prosperity, McCarthy's legacy extends, notably influencing Roy Cohn, who mentored Donald Trump. McCarthyism wasn't an isolated incident, with similar waves of hysteria throughout American history, from the Salem Witch Trials to the 'satanic daycare Panic' and comparisons to the post-9/11 'War on Terror.' McCarthy's unique, unfortunate place in history is his mass appeal by suggesting internal government elements were plotting to destroy the nation.