Senate unseals McCarthy transcripts

Sac Bee ^ | 5/5/03 | Frederic J. Frommer - AP

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Pushing an anti-communist crusade that riveted America a half century ago, Joseph McCarthy manipulated his Senate hearings by calling witnesses he could intimidate and ignoring those likely to oppose him, newly released transcripts show.

Among the roughly 400 witnesses covered in transcripts of closed door meetings, made public Monday by the Senate, are composer Aaron Copland, New York Times journalist James Reston and Eslanda Goode Robeson, the wife of blacklisted singer-actor Paul Robeson. Some 4,000 pages of newly released documents also show that McCarthy was convinced that many writers, government officials and secretaries had access to classified information.

[TheUglyAmerican]

"Chambers went on to help Nixon convict Alger Hiss."
Perhaps you can help me, in light of the Venona files a few years back I'm looking to get the BIG NY Times issue on the vindication of the anti-communists... hmmm perhaps I'm not looking hard enough [/sarcasm]
btw the poor victimized commie woman (who pretended not to know of Stalinism) was Annie Lee Moss

[NormsRevenge]

If you and I didn't know better, you'd almost have to believe that many in our high elected and appointed positions entrusted with our nation's welfare and security are not above suspicion as being nothing more than either unwitting dupes or out and out dyed in the wool agents for the destruction of our nation. The color of the wool is Red, and if it is dyed with red ink or the blood of patriots or citizens makes no difference to them.

The re-opening of this piece of our history as detailed in the National Archives can be a catalyst for change and a call for Patriots to Never Forget that the Enemies Within are both cunning and treacherous.. and active today..

Thanks for your comments and all your digging.

[TheUglyAmerican]

Both - right message, wrong messenger.
Hey... he was one of the few guys to step up to the plate and just about the only Senator. I think a lot of the "meanness" attributed to Tailguner Joe should actually be laid at the feet of Roy Cohn - who based on everything I read was a vicious, power-hungry, spiteful opportunist who didnt care so much for the cause as for the opportunity.
Keep in mind also, that there had to be a good amount of resentment in the Senate (at the time, an even more elitist gentleman's club) for this guy who pulled himself up from a chicken-farmer to judge - to marine - to senator (skipping the house of reps and unseating their beloved Laviolette) - so the wrong messenger? perhaps - but I didnt see any other senators giving the message [well, even if I was alive then I doubt I would have :)]

[TheUglyAmerican]

ooops - I meant to say "La Follette"... Laviolette is the head coach of the Islanders! Sorry, Stanley Cup playoffs - got a bit of hockey on the brain!

[FreedomCalls]

It is illegal for the communist party to be on a ballot for public office.

Not any more. The "Smith Act" was repealed.

[MissAmericanPie]

Joe McCarthy is an unsung hero as far as I am concerned. With 50 members of congress also members of the communist party time has proven the man right.

[cookcounty]

Oh, great, we're going to be inundated with another boatload of Hollywood whining about how their careers were damaged by Joe McCarthy. There must be 500 movies about this already.

How many movies have they made about the 50 million people shot, gassed, starved and hanged by Joe Stalin?

Then again, what's 50 million lives compared to a few Hollywood careers? ---Nothing. Nothing at all.

[Lancey Howard]

McCarthy, a Wisconsin Republican,

I understand that McCarthy was a lifelong Democrat until he switched parties to run for the Republican nomination for Senate. Can anybody verify this? I don't think it would be the kind of thing that the scumbag liberals or the writer of this piece would feel inclined to mention. Thanks.

[TheUglyAmerican]

besides giving the press the chance to rehash their own editorializing in introducing this story... can anyone tell me where the big "AH-HAH!" is???

[cookcounty]

"Though never an open member of the Communist Party, she was a well-wisher to Socialist countries like the Soviet Union and China after its 1949 revolution.

These terror regimes had already murdered more than 50 million people. The bloodiest thugs in history. Then the left wonders why the "anti-communists" of the fifties had their blood pressure up when these "stars" gave answers like these. "Hollywood Stupid" didn't start yesterday.

[stands2reason]

Are you quoting someone? If so, please post the source with the quote.

[rwfromkansas]

Copland sounds like Clinton.

Wow.

Maybe I will have to destroy my copy of Appalachian Spring if that is who he really was.

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

It is illegal for the communist party to be on a ballot for public office.

The Communist Party has been on the Ohio ballot ever since I've been voting. A guy named Gus Hall was the candidate many times.

[rwfromkansas]

Interesting.

While I understand some people's reason for saying McCarthy intimidated folks with the 5th Amendment, that is very interesting testimony and makes me believe that some of the folks that used the 5th were indeed guilty, even if McCarthy was a bully.

[wardaddy]

convenient amnesia

[DPB101]

Slogged through maybe four dozen testimonies and Copland is the most sympathetic. Wouldn't even call him a useful idiot. He wanted to perform and communist front groups around the world invited him. Maybe he was just a good actor but his comments seem sincere. None of the others do.

Scroll down a ways in volume two to read his testimony.

Don't miss Auerbach and Mandel. They were true believers. Mandel thought the Doctor's Plot was imperialist propaganda.

Interesting account near the bottom about the "Austrian Incident". Frank Coe, working at the International Monetary Fund, overvalued the Austrian currency in 1949 to destablize the country and favor Russian occupation forces.

[rwfromkansas]

Where did you hear about all of this stuff (you seem to know a lot of these stories prior to even reading the docs?)

This sounds like an interesting subject for a paper.

[kcvl]

Aren't you being a little bossy?

BALLAD FOR AMERICANS The Lives of Paul and Eslanda Robeson

[stands2reason]

Aren't you being a little bossy?

??? To quote something is useless unless you reveal the source. I don't understand your problem.

[kcvl]

I didn't realize that you were the posting police. Asking nicely would have been a better way to handle a simple request. I usually include links to most all things that I post. But I don't follow people around telling them to provide links to their post. So what's your problem?