The 1950’s and the Cold War

Tuesday, March 12, 2013
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm (EST) Enter Classroom Enter Forum

Leader

Ellen Schrecker
Professor of History, Yeshiva University
National Humanities Center Fellow

About the Seminar

In the early years of the Cold War, fear of the Soviet Union led some Americans to conclude that Soviet subversion was destroying American society from within. If not actual spies, then certainly enemies--some deliberate apostles of Communism, others unwitting dupes--were everywhere--in the universities, in the entertainment industry, in journalism, even in the federal government. What fueled the anti-Communist frenzy? How did it manifest itself? What impact did it have on American life?

Presentation PDF

Download the presentation PDF.

Online Evaluation

Online evaluation for seminar participants.

Seminar Recording

Technical Help

Visit our technical specifications page for information about the seminar forum and classroom.

View a brief introduction to AIC online seminars.

Assigned Readings

    Most texts are from The Age of McCarthyism: A Brief History with Documents, by Ellen Schrecker
  1. "Atomic Espionage and the Rosenberg Case"
  2. "To Quarantine Communism: J. Edgar Hoover Speaks to the American People"
  3. "Ring Lardner Jr. Testimony before HUAC"
  4. "Outlawing the Communist Party: The Supreme Court Upholds the Smith Act"
  5. "Lillian Hellman Letter to HUAC"
  6. "'I Have in My Hand ...' Senator Joseph McCarthy Charges That There are Communists in the State Department"
  7. "Harry S. Truman, Executive Order 9835. March 21, 1947"
  8. "Memo, Harry S. Truman to Charles Murphy. May 24, 1951" Official File, Truman Papers.
  9. "The Federal Loyalty-Security Program: Case 2"
  10. "The Blacklisters' Bible: Red Channels"
  11. "The Blacklist in Operation: Testimony from the John Henry Faulk Trial"