End of Career
In 1951 Vincent was attacked by Senator Joseph McCarthy and accused of having been a member of the Communist Party by former Party activist Louis F. Budenz. Budenz testified in the summer of 1951 that Vincent had been a member of the Communist Party. Budenz, however, indicated he had no personal knowledge of this, basing his opinion on what he had overheard other party leaders say about Vincent, in the context of expressing their hostility to the anti-communism of Ambassador Patrick Hurley, whom they thought Vincent could replace.
Similar accusations were made against all the China Hands, based on their allegations of ineptitude and corruption of Chiang Kai Shek's regime. After having been cleared by numerous administrative security panels of any disloyalty, in December 1952 the Civil Service Loyalty Review Board by a one vote margin found reasonable doubt regarding Vincent's loyalty and in 1953 Secretary Dulles requested Vincent's resignation. Dean Acheson, Truman's Secretary of State, as he had with Alger Hiss, steadfastly defended Vincent. Acheson felt that Vincent, like the China Hands generally, was being unfairly and demagogically maligned for honestly conveying inconvenient facts and tried to intervene with Dulles to save Vincent's career.
He died on December 3, 1972.
Read more about this topic: John Carter Vincent
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