[steve-b]

Even PBS's series "NOVA" has an episode that says McCarthy was right about the Communist infiltration of the US government (just wrong about who the perps were).

He was not "right" in any meaningful sense of the word, any more than a quack who feeds people snake oil is "right" when one of his patients happens to recover. Basically, his accusations were the equivalent of tabloid psychic predictions that occasionally score lucky hits -- and did great damage to the cause of legitimate and rational investigation into real Communist infiltration.

[VOA]

Basically, his accusations were the equivalent of tabloid psychic predictions that occasionally
score lucky hits...

Which is why PBS said that McCarthy was dead wrong when he pointed the finger at
individual targets. He totally blew that assignment.


...and did great damage to the cause of legitimate and rational investigation
into real Communist infiltration.

The PBS NOVA episode also discussed this, in light of the inherent conflict between
the "need to know" for an oversight body such as the Congress and a "need to keep secret"
investigative agency such as the FBI or CIA.

IIRC, the tone the NOVA special took in this area was that maybe the FBI/CIA should have
let McCarthy in on a bit of what they actually knew...I suppose with the thought
McCarthy might quiet down, knowing the infiltators were being watched.
How much good that would have done? I suspect that sharing secrets with an alcoholic
guy searching for the spotlight...probably would have led to worse consequences.

McCarthy did lots of damage, not only in ruining the lives of many innocents
and also making anti-Communists a target of ridicule.


But, all said and done, it did freak me out to hear PBS, often an outlet for apologists
for Communists, conclude that McCarthy's ranting about Communist infilitrators
in the US government did reflect what has been learned from many sources, such
as the Venona intercepts.

In McCarthy's case, it was a real-life case of what Woody Allen once said:
"Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean they aren't out to get you."

[johnqueuepublic]

I think you are wrong, McCarthy said there tremendous commie influences in the fed gov and that is exactly what was the case.