Program Information

In February 1950, an obscure U.S. Senator from Wisconsin shocked the nation. His charge: the State Department harbored 205 Communist traitors.

A Moment in Time is a brief, exciting and compelling journey into the past. Created to excite and enlighten the public about the past, its relevance to the present and its impact on the future, A Moment In Time is a captivating historical narrative that is currently broadcast worldwide.

Transcript

Lead: In February 1950, an obscure U.S. Senator from Wisconsin shocked the nation. His charge: the State Department harbored 205 Communist traitors.

Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts.

Content: It was the era of the Cold War: Russia had exploded an atomic bomb, the Chinese masses were then ruled by a Communist regime, Berlin was under siege, and many Americans were concerned that Marxism was on the path to worldwide triumph. Into that atmosphere of panic strode the junior senator from Wisconsin, Joseph Raymond McCarthy. His meteoric rise to prominence and spectacular decline into disgrace is a useful reminder of the power of the demagogue, the effectiveness of unexamined innuendo, and the ability of the media to give power--and then to take it away. McCarthy was born of a devout Roman Catholic farm family near Appleton, Wisconsin. A lawyer by training, he was elected circuit court judge in 1938. Exempted from the draft by reason of his position, he volunteered as a Marine aviator. After distinguished combat service in the South Pacific, McCarthy returned and embarked on a political career. His first effort failed when he lost in a U.S. Senate bid to Alexander Wiley, but two years later--even though his victory margin was less than 6,000 votes--he stunned the political world by defeating popular incumbent Senator Robert M. LaFollette, Jr. in the Republican primary. As a freshman senator in Washington, McCarthy had a lackluster record. He was not a party insider and did little to rise above the pack, save some ethically questionable support for the prefabricated home industry. With the return of the Senate to Democrat control in 1948 and facing a tough reelection bid in 1952, McCarthy began to cast about for an issue. He found one in Communism.

Next time: the treason business.

At the University of Richmond, this is Dan Roberts.

Virginia Standards