1. The Cold War and American Society
Chapter 26 Section 3

2. The Red Scare
Rumors that Communists had gotten into the US and were trying to take over the world
Why?
September 1945 – Igor Gouzenko walked out of the Soviet Embassy in Canada and defected
Igor had documents that revealed a massive effort by the Soviets to infiltrate organizations and govt. agencies in Canada and the US
Specific Goal  obtain information about the atomic bomb

3. US Fear Igor’s case stunned Americans
Implied spies had reached the US govt.
The search for spies soon escalated into a general fear of Communist subversion
Subversion – effort to secretly weaken a society and over throw its govt.

4. Screening for Enemies Loyalty review program Established by Truman
Job – to screen all federal employees
Goal – to calm public suspicion
Effect – only increases the fear in Americans that communism was sweeping the nation

5. How to Screen? Screening for loyalty was difficult…
No specific regulations or rules
People could be suspect for …
Reading certain books
Belonging to certain groups
Traveling overseas
Seeing certain foreign films, etc.
Approximately 2,200 govt. employees quit their jobs or were fired
No actual evidence against them was ever found

6. Alger Hiss
1948 – Whittaker Chambers, Time magazine editor, testified that there were several govt. officials who were former Communists or spies
Alger Hiss – most prominent govt. official named by Chambers
Alger Hiss was…
Lawyer and diplomat that served in FDR’s administration
Attended Yalta Conference
Took part in organizing the UN
Hiss denied ever meeting Chambers

7. Infiltration Chambers claimed that Hiss had given him…
Secret documents from the State Dept. along w/ microfilm
Chambers hid this in a hollow pumpkin on his farm  “pumpkin papers”
These papers proved that Hiss was lying and a jury convicted Hiss of perjury

8. The Rosenberg's
The concern – American Communists had sold the secrets of the atomic bomb
1950 – hunt led to Klaus Fuchs
British scientist that admitted sending info to the Soviets
Fuchs’s testimony led the FBI to arrest Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
A New York couple who were members of the Communist Party
Charge against them – heading a Soviet spy ring
They denied the charges but were condemned to death for espionage
The couple was executed in 1953

9. Project Venona
The goal of the project was to crack the Soviet spy code
In 1946 American cryptographers cracked it
Messages confirmed extensive Soviet spying
Project Venona’s existence was not made public until 1995
Venona documents provided strong evidence that the Rosenberg's were guilty

10. The McCarran Act
1950 – Congress passed the Internal Security Act (McCarran Act)
Declared that world Communism has as its sole purpose the est. of a totalitarian dictatorship in America
Made it illegal to combine, conspire, or agree w/ any person who may contribute to the est. of a totalitarian govt.
Required all Communist Party members to register w/ the US attorney general and publish their records
Allowed the arrest and detention of Communists and sympathizers in case of a national emergency
Truman vetoed the bill, but Congress easily passed over his veto
Later, Supreme Court cases ensured that the McCarran Act would never be effective

11. McCarthy Joseph R. McCarthy – Wisconsin senator
During a speech McCarthy said he had a list of 205 men in the State Dept. who were members of the Communist party and of the Soviet spy ring
He said these men were known to the Secretary of State and still working in govt.
The list never appeared, but McCarthy continued to make charges and draw attention

12. McCarthy’s Tactics
McCarthy turned the govts. Communist investigation into a witch hunt
Search for disloyalty based on flimsy evidence and irrational fears
McCarthyism – his tactics of damaging reputations w/ vague and unfounded charges
Badger witnesses and then refuse to accept their answers
People were afraid to challenge him in fear of b/c targets themselves

13. McCarthy’s Downfall
1954 McCarthy b/g to look for Soviet spies in the US army
The army conducted its own internal investigation and found no spies
McCarthy was mad at the denial and took his investigation to television
Army-McCarthy hearings – Spring of 1954
Millions of Americans watched McCarthy bully witnesses
His popular support started to fade
The Senate passes a vote of censure against McCarthy
Censure – formal disapproval – one of the most serious criticisms it can level against a member
McCarthy’s influence was gone and he faded from public view

14. Facing the Bomb
Fear of communism and of nuclear war dominated life for ordinary Americans
Soviet weapons increased fear in Americans
1949 – SU successfully tested the atomic bomb
1953 – SU successfully tested the H-bomb (hydrogen bomb)
Less than 1 year after the US tested its H-bomb
Americans prepared for a surprise Soviet attack
Schools set aside special areas as bomb shelters

15. Facing the Bomb School Bomb Drills…
Duck-and-cover – students learned to duck under their desks, turn away from the windows, and cover their heads w/ their hands
The duck-and-cover method was supposed to protect them from a nuclear blast
Fallout – the radiation left over after a nuclear blast
Experts say for every 1 person killed outright by a nuclear blast, 4 more would die later from fallout
Some families built fallout shelters in their yards and stocked them w/ canned food