COLD WAR CHAPTER 18 SECTION 3

Communist Domination  Soviet control in Eastern Europe  Communist take over in China 100,000 Americans claimed membership in the Communist Party  American Communist were loyal to the Soviet Union over the U.S Anti-Communist republicans were accusing Truman of being to soft

TRUMAN BEING SOFT? March 1947 Truman issued an executive order setting up the Federal Employee Loyalty program  Included Loyalty Review Board  Its purpose was to investigate government employees and to dismiss those who were found to be disloyal to the U.S government   3.2 million employees  212 dismissed as a security risk

INVESTIGATIONS House Un-American Activities Committee  HUAC  Investigating Communist influence in the movie industries  Said that Communist were sneaking propaganda into films Hollywood Ten  “Un-Friendly” Witnesses called to testify but refused  Decided not to cooperate because they believed that the hearings were unconstitutional  Sent to prison

Blacklist  A response to the hearings  A list of people whom they had condemned for having a Communist background  Their careers were ruined

MCCARRAN INTERNAL SECURITY ACT Passed in 1950 It made it unlawful to plan any actions that might lead to the establishment of a totalitarian dictatorship Truman vetoed it Congress will enact the law over Truman’s veto

SPIES Alger Hiss  Accused of spying for the Soviet Union  State Department Official  When accused, too many years had passed to charge him for government espionage  Convicted him of perjury  Sent to jail  Richard Nixon gained fame for pursuing charges against him  1990’s Soviet’s proved his guilt

ETHEL AND JULIUS ROSENBERG Soviet’s atomic Bomb Minor activist in the American Communist Party  Asked if they were members of the communist party and they denied it  Plead the 5th They felt as though they were being persecuted for being both Jewish and holding racial beliefs They were found guilt  Espionage  Sentenced to death  Electric Chair

JOSEPH MCCARTHY Anti-Communist Republican from Wisconsin Said that Communist were trying to take over the government McCarthyism  The unfair tactic of accusing people of communist loyalty without providing evidence Only did name calling in the Senate Republicans did little to stop him

MCCARTHY CONTINUED Made accusations against the U.S army  Caused a nation wide investigation of the Senate  3 years later McCarthy will die of Alcoholism  39 states will pass a law  Making it illegal to advocate the violent overthrow of the government