HIST 111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 21: Whittaker Chambers, Alger Hiss, Silver Spoons
McCarthy (communism)
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McCarthy barges in on a Women's meeting and brings a list of names (number
varies) that he claims are "confirmed" affiliates of the communist party (wild
accusation that the state department is infiltrated by communists and by
throwing in statistics and numbers to validate his claim)
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Where does McCarthy (and his accusations) come from?
After Soviets exploding their first atomic weapon and the "loss of China" (to
communism)
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These two events shook the confidence of Americans
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McCarthy had also closely followed the revelation in 1948 of a TIME magazine
senior editor (Whittaker Chambers)
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Chambers is a former member of the communist party in the United States
The party struggled in the 30s to gain membership but there were still
certainly members joining
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1948 Chambers shows up at the House Un-American Activities Committee and
claims that the state department has spies, and a man named Alger Hiss has
been a member of the communist member all along (worked with Truman,
setting up the UN, etc.) he was president of Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace, has been with Roosevelt at Yalta, and had the means to
communicate/work with the communist party
HUAC begins investigation on him; Brought up on charges on perjury
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Whittaker Chambers has "outed" this man as a potential affiliate with the
communist party
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The "Pumpkin Papers" from Whittaker Chambers' pumpkin patch in Maryland
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Primary Document- McCarthy's Speech
McCarthy was an expert in conspiracy theories and spreading them
Claiming that there is an enemy from within
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McCarthy is appealing to the poor and their problems with the rich (more poor
than elite)
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Populist party (conspiracy run rampant there as well)
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McCarthy is claiming that those with the "silver spoons in their mouths",
otherwise known as the elite, are the ones who are compromising the unity and
secrets of the country
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Many are mad because prices are increasing now after the Great Depression,
and now McCarthy is pointing out that a lot of the elite and foreign aid are
benefitting with "little to show for it" which would piss off the poor/the masses
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Americans were looking for a sense of communism and unity against
something?
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McCarthy was a rebel; He was an outsider and was viewed as exposing the elite
for what they were/are; Often photographed half-naked or out of most people's
element of politicians
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He brought out an impression that he "didn't care what we thought, and he
would tell the truth because he didn’t care"
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Politicians did not want to question McCarthy for fear of him then calling them
out for being communists (reason some had lost an election)
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Republican party is trying to re-obtain national leadership at this time, and
McCarthy becomes a "tool" that can help them do that (targeting the democrats
with his claims)
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Are they "too soft" with/on communism?
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The Cold War
Friday, March 9, 2018
1:34 PM
