what attorney general fought communist subversion

Which US President opened the door to communist subversion?

Roosevelt opened the door to communist subversion, and it has remained open ever since. President Harry S. Truman decried Congress’s investigation into this subversion, calling it “a red herring.” President Dwight Eisenhower didn’t want an investigation of the U.S. Army.

What happened to the Communist subversion cells under Roosevelt?

Under Roosevelt’s leadership, communist subversion was bound to thrive. By 1939, the communists had established at least four important “cells” inside the U.S. government.

Was the Justice Department more inclined to protect communists than prosecute them?

The Justice Department (DOJ), then as now, was more inclined to protect communist subversives than prosecute them. There is no better example of DOJ malfeasance than the Amerasia scandal, which began in 1945.

What is the history of peacetime subversion?

The first significant congressional legislation targeting peacetime subversion since 1798 was the Alien Registration Act of 1940, also known as the Smith Act, which made it a crime to advocate or teach the overthrow of the government by force or violence.

What was the Communist Party v. Subversive Activities Control Board?

115 (1956) and 367 U.S. 1 (1961), was a Cold War -era federal court case in the United States involving the compelled registration of the Communist Party of the United States , under a statute requiring that all organizations determined to be directed ...

When did the Communist Party of the United States register as a Communist-action organization?

On November 22, 1950 , the Attorney General petitioned the Subversive Activities Control Board for an order to require that the Communist Party of the United States register as a Communist-action organization. The Party filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and though a three-judge panel denied a preliminary injunction, it issued a stay of Board proceedings pending appeal. After the Supreme Court denied a petition for extension of the stay, the Party abandoned its lawsuit.

What was the Second Red Scare?

In 1950, during the part of the Cold War that is now labeled the Second Red Scare, the United States Congress passed the Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950. Its findings read, in part:

What was denied in the remand hearing?

On remand, the Board denied several motions filed by the Party seeking to introduce additional evidence. The Court of Appeals also denied a motion by the party for leave to adduce additional evidence, but granted the Board permission to consider a motion by the Party regarding another of the Attorney General's witnesses who had also allegedly committed perjury. The Board granted the Party's motion, reopened the hearings, and the witness was recalled and crossexamined.

Where did the party file suit?

The Party filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and though a three-judge panel denied a preliminary injunction, it issued a stay of Board proceedings pending appeal. After the Supreme Court denied a petition for extension of the stay, the Party abandoned its lawsuit.

What was the first Supreme Court decision?

The Supreme Court's first decision. Communist Party of the United States v. Subversive Activities Control Board, 351 U.S. 115, (1956) Though the Party challenged the constitutionality of the Act, the Supreme Court did not address these issues in its opinion, delivered by Justice Felix Frankfurter.

Who were the four communist agents who came forward as witnesses?

These were, in order of importance, Whittaker Chambers, Elizabeth Bentley, Louis Budenz, and Hede Massing. Not surprisingly, when some of this testimony became public in 1948, the U.S. government attempted a coverup.

Who was the communist president in 1933?

President Herbert Hoover (among others). The communists greatly benefited from the election of President Franklin Roosevelt in 1933. It was Roosevelt who opened diplomatic relations with Moscow, ...

What is the Amerasia scandal?

To tell the story briefly, it came to the FBI’s attention that a pro-communist magazine, Amerasia, had quoted material from classified government documents —specifically, from a secret OSS memo.

What would happen if someone tried to blow the whistle on communism?

Communists have infiltrated newspapers and the major television networks, and if someone were to try to blow the whistle on communist subversion today, they would be denounced as a “McCarthyist.”. The media, to some extent, has twisted the public mind.

When was Bentley's testimony made public?

Not surprisingly, when some of this testimony became public in 1948, the U.S. government attempted a coverup. Rather than expelling communist agents from sensitive government jobs, the Truman administration wanted to prosecute Chambers for perjury. Meanwhile, Bentley’s testimony, which was given to a grand jury over a period of several months, ...

When did the communist infiltration begin?

The communist infiltration that began in the 1930s accelerated after the United States allied itself with Stalin in World War II. FBI and congressional investigations show that many hundreds of Soviet agents and Communist Party members worked for the U.S. government during the war.

Who ignored Hoover's warnings?

Hoover’s warnings were ignored by Roosevelt, who saw nothing wrong with communism. Evans and Romerstein have pointed out that Roosevelt ’s recognition of the Soviet Union gave an aura of legitimacy to the communists, helping them to “create formidable networks of apparatchiks on American soil.”.

What is the term for the alleged recklessness of the communists?

The term " McCarthyism ", coined in 1950 in reference to McCarthy's practices, was soon applied to similar anti-communist activities. Today, the term is used more broadly to mean demagogic, reckless, and unsubstantiated accusations, as well as public attacks on the character or patriotism of political opponents.

When was McCarthy admitted to the bar?

McCarthy was admitted to the bar in 1935. While working at a law firm in Shawano, Wisconsin, he launched an unsuccessful campaign for district attorney as a Democrat in 1936. During his years as an attorney, McCarthy made money on the side by gambling.

What did McCarthy say about Truman?

Truman, in turn, once referred to McCarthy as "the best asset the Kremlin has", calling McCarthy's actions an attempt to "sabotage the foreign policy of the United States" in a cold war and comparing it to shooting American soldiers in the back in a hot war. It was the Truman Administration's State Department that McCarthy accused of harboring 205 (or 57 or 81) "known Communists". Truman's Secretary of Defense, George Marshall, was the target of some of McCarthy's most vitriolic rhetoric. Marshall had been Army Chief of Staff during World War II and was also Truman's former Secretary of State. Marshall was a highly respected general and statesman, remembered today as the architect of victory and peace, the latter based on the Marshall Plan for post-war reconstruction of Europe, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. McCarthy made a lengthy speech on Marshall, later published in 1951 as a book titled America's Retreat From Victory: The Story of George Catlett Marshall. Marshall had been involved in American foreign policy with China, and McCarthy charged that Marshall was directly responsible for the loss of China to Communism. In the speech McCarthy also implied that Marshall was guilty of treason; declared that "if Marshall were merely stupid, the laws of probability would dictate that part of his decisions would serve this country's interest"; and most famously, accused him of being part of "a conspiracy so immense and an infamy so black as to dwarf any previous venture in the history of man".

Why was McCarthy called "Tail Gunner Joe"?

Because of McCarthy's various lies about his military heroism, his "Tail-Gunner Joe" nickname was sarcastically used as a term of mockery by his critics. McCarthy campaigned for the Republican Senate nomination in Wisconsin while still on active duty in 1944 but was defeated by Alexander Wiley, the incumbent.

What committee was McCarthy on?

McCarthy's hearings are often incorrectly conflated with the hearings of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC). HUAC is best known for its investigations of Alger Hiss and the Hollywood film industry, which led to the blacklisting of hundreds of actors, writers, and directors. HUAC was a House committee, and as such it had no formal connection to McCarthy, who served in the Senate, although the existence of the House Un-American Activities Committee thrived in part as a result of McCarthy's activities. HUAC was active for 37 years (1938–1975).

Who was Joseph McCarthy?

e. Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician and attorney who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957 .

Who was McCarthy's friend?

According to Morgan, writing in Reds, McCarthy's friend and campaign manager, attorney and judge Urban P. Van Susteren , had applied for active duty in the U.S. Army Air Forces in early 1942, and advised McCarthy: "Be a hero—join the Marines.".