4.  The Red Scare  General fear of Communist subversion into government agencies through infiltration  Subversion: Effort to secretly weaken a society and overthrow its government  Infiltration: Gradually move into, usually with hostile intent  We became very afraid of Soviet spies  We looked for subversives everywhere!

6.  The Loyalty Review Program  Program established to screen all federal employees for their loyalty  It was supposed to calm American’s fears  Instead, it led to the fear that Communists really WERE infiltrating the government  Loyalty is hard to define. You could be suspect for…….

7. Reading certain books Belonging to certain groups Traveling overseas Seeing certain foreign films Talking to certain people

10.  House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)  Formed to investigate Communist and Fascist activities in the United States  Under Hoover’s leadership, the FBI sent agents to investigate suspected groups and to wiretap thousands of telephones.  The accused could be fired if they had once belonged to a group or signed a petition, if the board determined it “subversive”  1,200 were fired for being “disloyal” or a “security risk  Another 5,000 resigned under pressure Edgar J. Hoover urged the HUAC to hold public hearings on Communist subversion

13.  The Rosenbergs  Charged with heading a Soviet spy ring  They denied the charges but were condemned for espionage  They were executed in June 1953

14. First Soviet test called Joe 1

15.  After the Soviets tested their first atomic bomb the search for spies intensified…  the Russians couldn’t have developed atomic weapons that fast unless…  Klaus Fuchs, a British scientist, (employee of the Manhattan Project) admitted giving information to the Soviet Union.  He gave secrets on how to build an atomic bomb

16.  Project Venona- In 1946 American cryptographers cracked the Soviet spy code, allowing them to read messages between Moscow and the United States.  This confirmed extensive Soviet spying.  This information was deemed top secret until 1995 when the government revealed Project Venona’s existence.  It provided strong evidence against the Rosenberg's!

17. Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, in a political speech, stated that he had a list of 205 Communists in the state department.

18.  Gaining power through fear:  He never produced the list, but did keep making accusations – it helped him win elections!  McCarthy won the Senate race after accusing his opponent of being a Communist.  He accused Democratic Party leaders of corruption and of protecting Communists.

19.  Congress passed the Internal Security Act or McCarran Act in 1950.  The act made it illegal to “combine, conspire, or agree with any other person to perform any act which would substantially contribute to... the establishment of a totalitarian government.”  Truman tried to veto it, believing people are entitled to their opinions, but he was overridden.  It was later taken apart by the Supreme Court.

24.  Senator McCarthy became the chairman of the Senate subcommittee on investigations.  His investigation turned into a “witch hunt” as he searched for disloyalty based on poor evidence and fear.  He ruined reputations without proper evidence. This bullying tactic became known as McCarthyism.  People feared McCarthyism and being targeted, so they often didn’t demand real evidence.  However, in 1954 McCarthy began looking for spies in the US Army:  Americans watched televised Army-McCarthy hearings and saw McCarthy’s ugly, bullying attacks on witnesses, and his popularity faded.

25.  Finally, an army lawyer named Joseph Welch stood up to McCarthy the way many had wanted to.  Later that year, the Senate passed a vote of censure, or formal disapproval, against McCarthy.

27.  The Red Scare and fear of nuclear attack had a profound effect on life in the 1950s  People were preparing for communist takeovers and atomic attacks.  “Duck and Cover” wouldn’t protect you from fallout.  For every person killed instantly by a nuclear blast, four more would later die from the radiation left over after the blast.  Some families built fallout shelters in their backyards.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60