McCarthyism

Author: Mike O’Connor
Copyright 2008

Mike O’Connor's new book, Crisis, Pursued by Disaster, Followed Closely by Catastrophe explores McCarthyism and The Red Scare and other riveting subjects that all have relevancy today.

Actually, the term McCarthyism is a mistake. It makes people think that the hysteria that hit America was only associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy. But, he was a small player, prominent for a very short time. The troubles that took his name go back decades before he took office. Illegal activities by authorities against Americans in the name of fighting Communism went on for many years after he died in 1957.

Instead of calling the period McCarthyism, it would be better called Hooverism. J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI’s dogmatic ruler was in charge during the whole embarrassing time.

It was not until 1976, four years Hoover died, that anyone in government had the power and interest to examine what the country had done. It was a Senate committee headed by Senator Frank Church.

The Church committee found that under the banner of national security FBI investigations were massive and grew steadily wider from the 1930s to the 1970s. By 1972, for instance, there were more than half a million domestic intelligence files. The committee reported that some people were investigated simply because they opposed government policy.

The committee found that the U.S. Army had monitored “virtually every group seeking peaceful change in the United States.” And that at least 26,000 people were on an FBI list of those to be swept up and detained in the event of a “national emergency”.

William Sullivan, who ran the FBI’s Intelligence Division for ten years, told the committee, “... never once did I hear anybody, including myself, raise the question: ‘Is this course of action which we have agreed upon lawful, is it legal, is it ethical or moral’”.

These are very disturbing facts. They tell us that we should not be surprised if today, with public fears again high, officials once again go against the way we think things should be done in America. Especially with the suspicion that the fear is being manipulated. After all, the president scared the country into going to war.

About the Author
Veteran journalist Mike O'Connor has spent most of a lifetime reporting for television, NPR and The New York Times. He's covered - and uncovered - the malfeasance of domestic politicians and public servants. Read his riveting new book here