Edward R. Murrow and Joe McCarthy

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing”-Edmund Burke.

Edward R. Murrow

Joe McCarthy’s witch-hunt against Communists was yet another dark period for American civil liberties. Americans were enamored by the demagoguery of McCarthy and his assertions that Communists were infiltrating the American government. The American people had great reason to fear that Communists were spying on America and infiltrating its society. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were two American Communists that helped the Soviet Union gain the technology to make nuclear weapons. They were executed in 1953, but not before giving some legitimacy in the eyes of the public to McCarthy’s fear mongering. Many Americans did nothing to stop the rise of McCarthy and the lies he told in order to gain and maintain power. One of the central conflicts in the McCarthy hearings and the hunt for Communists was the age-old question (and one frequently seen in this blog) of freedom vs. security.

Red Scare Propaganda 

McCarthy ruined many lives in his quest for power. Hollywood actors, government employees, and many others had their careers destroyed when it was found out that they had brief flirtations with socialism and communism. Even President Eisenhower, a man of great character and courage, did nothing against McCarthy because of the fear it would hurt him politically. 

Joseph McCarthy

In this atmosphere of political oppression one-man rose up to challenge McCarthy. Edward R. Murrow and his CBS television program ran episodes that exposed McCarthy for the blustering, cruel, agitator that he was. Although McCarthy’s attacks on the army were one of the reasons he fell from power, the criticism by Murrow helped to alert many to just how reprehensible he was.

This will be the final post for my blog. I would like to close by showing a short video of Edward R. Murrow’s famous rebuttal against the demagoguery of McCarthy. I feel that it has applications not only to the Red Scare, but also to any time in American history where free speech and thought are under attack.