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. 

The Internment of Japanese Americans

The internment of Japanese-American citizens during World War II was a dark time in American history. This episode in American history saw the wholesale internment of most Japanese-American citizens living on the West Coast. Women, children, the elderly; no one was exempt from being put into camps. Worse yet was the fact that there was no judicial process to determine the loyalty of the Japanese-Americans being put into camps. Here was the American government restricting naturalized and American born citizens for the simple reason of having Japanese ancestry.

Map of Japanese-American Internment Camps

It is curious that practically none of the people on Hawaii who had Japanese ancestry were interned. It is also interesting that Americans of German ancestry were not interned since America was at war with both Germany and Japan. This is probably due to the fact that it was easier to racially differentiate Japanese-Americans. Another reason why Japanese-Americans were probably targeted for internship was because of the long history of anti-Asian sentiment on the West Coast of America.

In Koremastu v. United States the Supreme Court sided with the Roosevelt administration in their internment of Japanese-American citizens, stating that the internment was a matter of national security. Although the Japanese-Americans who were interned were eventually freed in 1945 and 1946 there was tremendous damage they suffered because of the actions of the American government. Thousands of Japanese-Americans lost their businesses, homes, and possessions due to their lengthy internment. It is my belief that in times of war it is the American government’s duty to work even harder to protect civil liberties. The Roosevelt administration’s actions in the displacement of thousands of Japanese-American citizens was a horrific crime that infringed on some of the most sacred principles America was founded upon: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

The Case of William Dudley Pelley

William Pelley

William Dudley Pelley was a fascinating figure in American history. After learning of the horrible crimes of the Russian Civil War Pelley started to blame Communists and Jews for much of the problems in the world. He thought there were Communist and Jewish conspiracies to control America.

Pelley with his Silver Legion

With the rise of Hitler Pelley began to make even more fascist statements and even wrote on his support of Hitler and the Empire of Japan. Pelley formed a fascist organization called the Silver Legion with the goal of starting a Nazi like movement. Although he eventually disbanded the organization at the start of World War II, Pelley maintained his virulent criticisms of the American government and Franklin Roosevelt. Pelley claimed that Roosevelt and the American government were lying about the extent of the damage caused by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which turned out to be true. Roosevelt wanting to put an end to the dangerous criticisms of Pelley enlisted the help of his Attorney General, Francis Biddle. The American government tried Pelley in court under the Espionage Act of 1917. Pelley eventually went to prison in 1942 and was only pardoned in 1952.

Francis Biddle

The case of Pelley is indeed a strange one. Pelley was vile man who held reprehensible views, but I do not believe he should have gone to prison. The statements that Pelley made were mostly opinion, so as such could not be interpreted as “true” or “false.” In fact some of the criticisms, such as his writings on Pearl Harbor, actually turned out to be true. It is my belief that since Pelley was not encouraging violence against the United States and was merely criticizing the country for it’s entry into WWII, that he should not have been convicted. The prosecution of Pelley was a serious lapse in judgment on the part of FDR, though it would be far from his worst civil liberty violation during World War II. 

Lincoln and Wilson

Although Abraham Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson were two different Presidents in differing times of American history they were connected in one important way. Both Presidents violated civil liberties during wartime. However, there was a great deal of difference between the way President Lincoln violated civil liberties and the way President Wilson violated liberties. President Lincoln is rightfully renowned for his leadership and political skills. Lincoln was a warm man who often sought advice from those he did not like, as seen in Doris Kearns Goodwin’s excellent book Team of Rivals. He also showed a willingness to learn from his mistakes and not get stuck on petty political squabbles. Although Lincoln did jail some dissidents during the Civil War he often immediately released them. Taken into account how the very future of America was at stake during the Civil War the violations of civil liberties could have been much worse. But Lincoln only restricted liberties when it was absolutely necessary.

In contrast to Lincoln, Wilson was a cold leader who did not like being told he was wrong. He did not tolerate criticism of the American government or his presidency during World War I and used the Espionage Act of 1917 to jail dissidents. Although America during World War I was less of a risk at being attacked, Wilson committed graver crimes against liberty than Lincoln did. He had a tendency to hold grudges and to be petty at times. When Wilson was asked to pardon Eugene Debs, the Socialist candidate for President he refused to give in, even though Debs’ health was in danger.

There is a reason why Lincoln is such a renowned President and Wilson is usually only mentioned in regards to World War I. Lincoln led America through its most trying time, while the petty, small Wilson used his powers to silence any opposition to the American government.