Mc Carthisism - Other Examples of McCarthyism

Other Examples of McCarthyism

Anti-communists weren’t the only ones who practiced what is now called McCarthyism. For example, government investigations of Hollywood politics long precede HUAC's. During the Wilson Administration, a producer received a 10-year sentence for depicting British atrocities during the American Revolution. In 1941, a House committee investigated Hollywood for alleged pro-British bias.

McCarthy’s enemies used McCarthyite tactics against McCarthy himself. Paul Hughes was a confidence man. He represented himself as an unhappy McCarthy staffer to Joseph Rauh, a civil rights lawyer; Clayton Fritchey, editor of the Democratic Party’s official journal; and Alfred Friendly of the Washington Post. These people paid Hughes $11,000 to inform on McCarthy. Among the information that Hughes provided was a description of how McCarthy was stockpiling pistols, lugers, and machine-guns in the Senate Office Building.

In December 1953, Hughes sent a memo to Fritchey as requested by Rauh. It said: “Phone taps can be utilized … Don’t discount the tremendous values in just bargaining power of recorded phone discussions … A program of this type, although not nice, can result in harm to no one except …As mentioned earlier, being nice, too ethical, or squeamish will accomplish less than nothing … I don’t see the necessity for us to send a boy to do a man’s work.” Hughes’ employers did not notify the authorities.

After nine months, when about to report Hughes’ information, the Washington Post discovered that it was all false. A jury acquitted Hughes of perjury because it did not believe his employers’ testimony.