The Truman Administration

Russians Develop Atomic Bombs August 29, 1949: Soviets tested their first atomic bomb (technology they had largely stolen from the US through espionage) By 1961, Soviets were capable of detonating 100 megaton bombs (equal to about 20 times all of the explosives used in WWII combined!) Soviets had become a much more serious threat in the eyes of the US

Morgan v Virginia 1946 Irene Morgan was convicted for refusing to surrender her seat on a bus going from Virginia to Maryland Supreme Court ruled that the bus was engaged in interstate commerce and the Virginia law was therefore unconstitutional

Sweatt v Painter 1950 Herman Sweatt sued after being refused admission to the University of Texas law school Texas created a new black law school, but the Supreme Court ruled that the new school was inferior in quality and decided in favor of Sweatt

Democrats Split in 1948 In the Democratic primary leading into the 1948 presidential elections, Southern Democrats became angered by Harry Truman’s support of civil rights and stated intentions of desegregating the military Rather than support Truman, they created their own party

Dixiecrats The States’ Rights Democratic Party Supported the right of Southern states to continue the practice of racial segregation without interference by the federal government Although dissolved by 1950, the Dixiecrats permanently weakened the Democratic Party in the South, opening the door for Southern Republicans

Strom Thurmond 1902 – 2003 Gov. of SC (1947–51) Dixiecrat nominee for President in 1948 Later served as Senator from SC from 1956 – 2003, despite his vocal support for segregation Switched from Democratic to Republican Party in 1964

US Military Desegregates July 1948 President Truman issued Executive Order 9981, ordering equal treatment and opportunities for all members of the US armed forces, regardless of race Last all-black units were dissolved in 1954

National Security Act of 1947 Merged the Department of War and the Department of the Navy into the newly created Department of Defense Turned the US Army Air Force into a separate military branch (the US Air Force) Created the National Security Council, a centralized advisory body to the president on national security issues Created the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to gather intelligence on foreign governments

The US and Israel US backed the United Nations plan to establish a Jewish homeland in Israel in 1948, turning many Arab nations against the US, because the Israelis forcibly displaced the Palestinians already living in the area As a result, many Arab states turned to the Soviets for military and financial support

Organization of American States (OAS) Founded in 1948 Agreement between Western Hemisphere nations to work together to combat communism in the Americas and to protect human rights Today, all nations in the Americas are members

US and Chinese Communism China had been involved in a civil war between Nationalists and Communists since before WWII began Communists gained control of mainland China in 1949, driving the Nationalists to flee to the island of Taiwan The US refused to acknowledge the Communists as the legitimate Chinese government, instead insisting on recognizing the Nationalists on Taiwan as the “true” China, while the Soviets took just the opposite stance

Selective Service Act of 1951 After WWII, the government decided to not end the military draft, due to the potential threat presented by the Soviets In 1951, the draft’s parameters were adjusted to include only men between the ages of 18 – 26 and change the time of enlistment to 21 months

The Korean War June 1950 – July 1953 After WWII, Korea had been divided much as Germany had into a Communist-held north and a US-backed south North Korea, backed by China & the Soviets attacked South Korea, backed by the UN (using mostly US soldiers) Dispute was eventually settled by returning to essentially pre-war boundaries, but no formal peace was ever declared

Gen. Douglas MacArthur During the Korean War, MacArthur began to be heavily critical of how Truman wanted the war conducted and began to advocate for use of atomic weapons against China as a sure way to win absolute victory Truman was forced to fire the popular MacArthur because Truman wanted to limit the war as much as possible while still containing communism

Loyalty Review Program 1947 – 1951 Created by President Truman to screen all federal employees and remove those who showed signs of communist sympathies 6 million employees were screened, with about 14,000 investigated more thoroughly by the FBI Only 212 were actually identified as having “questionable loyalty” and fired

HUAC House Un-American Activities Committee 1938 – 1975 Became a permanent committee in 1945 Tasked with investigating “any suspected threats of subversion or propaganda that attack the form of government guaranteed by our Constitution.” In 1947, at the urging of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, HUAC began holding public hearings aimed at rooting out high-profile communists

Communism in Hollywood HUAC first began to investigate suspected communists within the entertainment industry, issuing hundreds of subpoenas to testify One group refused, and came to be known as the “Hollywood Ten.” They were convicted of contempt and imprisoned, after which they were unable to find work in Hollywood Hundreds of artists, including icons such as Charlie Chaplin, were “blacklisted” or deliberately denied employment as suspected communists

Alger Hiss 1904 – 1996 High-ranking State Department official who was accused of being a Soviet spy Could not be convicted of espionage, but was convicted of perjury (lying under oath) for his supposedly false testimony before HUAC in 1950 Spent nearly 4 years in prison, even though his case was extremely controversial and the evidence was suspect

Joe McCarthy 1908 – 1957 Senator from Wisconsin Claimed in 1950 to have a secret list of members of the Communist Party and members of a spy ring within the US State Department Went on to make other claims about communists in the Army, even going so far as to accuse former Sec. of State George Marshall of communist sympathies

McCarthyism McCarthy’s claims led to widespread hysteria over the supposed level of communist infiltration into the US government Eventually, however, when McCarthy could not produce any valid evidence, he was censured by the Senate and died just 3 years later from complications from alcoholism

McCarran Internal Security Act of 1950 Legislation which required all Communist Party members and organizations to register with the US Attorney General’s office Banned communists from getting passports and traveling abroad In cases of national emergency, it provided for the arrest and detention of communists Vetoed by Truman, but Congress overrode his veto Much of the Act has since been declared unconstitutional or repealed

Julius & Ethel Rosenberg American couple accused of helping the Soviets acquire information on the American atomic bomb program Convicted of treason in a highly controversial trial, both were sentenced to death and were executed simultaneously via electric chair Evidence later surfaced showing that while Julius was most likely guilty, many historians still doubt Ethel’s involvement

The H-Bomb Nov. 1952: The US tested its newest weapon the Hydrogen Bomb, a weapon 1000 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima Within a year, however, the Soviets also had H-bombs