JOSEPH MCCARTHY

[Music] we are going through an unusual procedure on the sonate floor right now it's the result it's the result of the fifth I repeat the fifth investigation of mccy there will be a second there will be a seventh and an eighth as long as I continue to try to expose people are traitors this country if I would quit now I we'd end with the fifth investigation but take my word for my good friend regardless and I make you this solemn promise regardless of what this Senate May do about a censure this fight to expose those who have Destroy This Nation will go on and [Applause] on his name is Senator Joseph McCarthy and this is his biography biography brought to you tonight by I'm Mike Wallace this is biography our story Senator Joseph McCarthy even now years after his death the smoke of political battle swirls around the name of Senator Joe McCarthy he is loved and hated praised and Damned the debate still goes on over his significance on the American scene was he a dangerous demagogue or a courageous Patriot these are the events that made Senator McCarthy the most controversial politician of our time and I may say that I am getting very very weary of sitting here and acting as though we're playing some little game from this committee this committee activities May well determine for this nation will live or die we've got to clean out the those who are responsible Mr chairman in conclusion those who responsible either knowingly or because they were simple dues covering up Communists and traitors not dead ones but live ones he held the national Spotlight for only four years but those four years made his career one of the most significant stories in the history of American [Music] politics born in 198 in Grand Cho Wisconsin Joseph McCarthy grow up among hardworking Farm people impatient and ambitious he quits school and by the time he's 19 McCarthy is the hard driving manager of a grocery store and he makes business boom but at the age of 20 realizing that he is virtually uneducated he enrolls as a freshman in high school he graduates in a single year then McCarthy attends Marquette University he is a good student and he also becomes coach and star of the boxing team he studies law is elected president of his class and with this taste of Campus politics he begins to think about a career in real [Music] Politics as a young lawyer he gets his chance in 1939 at the age of 30 he is elected a circuit court J judge in Wisconsin World War II interrupts McCarthy's fast rising political career he enlists in the Marine Corps and serves as an intelligence officer with a bombing Squadron in the South Pacific he also volunteers to go on combat missions as a tail Gunner after the war McCarthy becomes a dark horse candidate in Wisconsin for the United States Senate he is elected and when he goes to Washington he works hard becomes involved in a few minor controversies and demonstrates a flare for attracting publicity but during his first few years in Washington McCarthy like most freshman Senators stays in the background one day in 1950 however he makes a speech and the speech makes history McCarthy publicly charges that the United States state department is infested with Communists these dangerous Communists he warns are helping to shape our foreign policy in the Cold War and he says that he has a list of their names McCarthy suddenly becomes a national figure his accusations Rock the capital this unknown Senator has dared accuse the state department has charged The Truman Administration itself is infiltrated by Communists the senate committee launches a public investigation of McCarthy's charges the most Sensational case is that of Owen Latimore a prominent professor of History who is active in political circles Latimore says McCarthy is the top Russian spy the key man in a Russian Espionage ring I am willing says the senator to stand or fall on the Latimore case Lattimore replies to McCarthy's charges I am not and never have been a member of the Communist party I have never been affiliated with or associated with the Communist party I have never believed in the principles of Communism nor subscribed to nor Advan advocating the communist or Soviet form of government either with in the United States in China in the Far East or anywhere in the world I trust that the Senator's promise that he will retire from the arena if his charges against me fail is not as insincere as his twice repeated promise to resign if he should fail to repeat his lious accusations in a forum which would expose him to suit I hope the senator will in fact lay his machine gun down he is too Reckless careless and irresponsible to have a license to use it it is established that as an historian Latimore favored a conciliatory policy toward the Chinese Communists and his writings have had some influence on American foreign policy but Latimore didn't work for the state department also the charge that he is a spy collapses [Music] McCarthy also fails to prove that there are any Communist party members in the state department but now he accuses many of being security risks and 18 of those he names are for various reasons eventually separated from the state [Music] department the hearings make him one of the most controversial men in America his opponents accus him of wholesale character assassination McCarthy supporters say that he has exposed the danger of Communists and radicals on the national scene McCarthy now takes repeated aim at the highest echelons in the Truman Administration Secretary of State Dean aeson says McCarthy is guilty of Aid to International communism over the past 20 years Secretary of Defense George Marshall is part of a conspiracy says McCarthy so immense and an infamy so black as to dwarf any previous Venture in the history of man President Truman lashes back at McCarthy and McCarthyism the growing practice of character assassination is already curbing free speech and it is threatening all our other freedoms for I know you have no way of telling when some unfounded accusation may be H at you perhaps straight from the halls of Congress it's the job of all of us of every American who loves this country and his freedom to rise up and put a stop to this terrible business this is one of the greatest challenges we face today we've got to make a fight for our real 100% americanism one communist on the faculty of one University is one communist too [Applause] many one communist among the am American advisers at Yalta was one communist to man and even even if there were only one communist in the state department even if there only one communist in the state department that could still be one communist too many by 1952 Senator McCarthy has seriously rattled the Democratic party in his own Republican party however McCarthy's power Soares he is hailed at the 1952 Republican [Applause] convention the election campaign in Wisconsin McCarthy appears with the Republican presidential candidate Dwight Eisenhower Eisenhower had planned here to praise His Old Friend General George Marshall but he doesn't the night before he was persuaded not to by senator Joseph McCarthy and by his own advisor Senator McCarthy is reelected in 1952 he emerges as one of the most prominent political figures in the nation at this moment it would seem almost inconceivable that within only two more years senator Joseph McCarthy's career will reach its Zeno and then it will be suddenly [Music] destroyed 19 1953 through the Senate seniority system Senator Joseph McCarthy draws a key job chairmanship of a senate investigating committee the committee on government operations before this time he had been fighting virtually a one-man battle against what he called 20 years of treason now he has a large staff and Broad powers to investigate the impact of McCarthyism is felt across the United States the f federal government launches New Waves of security investigations the requirement of a loyalty oath becomes increasingly widespread in the government and throughout the nation as McCarthy approaches the peak of his political career the senator [Music] Marys the Senator's bride is Jean care who works on his research staff it is a major social event in Washington this will be one of the last tranquil interludes in McCarthy's life McCarthy has now begun an investigation of reported spying and sabotage in the United States Army during a tour of Fort Monmouth New Jersey is accompanied by Secretary of the army Robert Stevens been very much impressed by the forceful and aggressive action taken by the Commanding General General Lon and by the very able Secretary of the army and cleaning out what appeared to have been a very very bad situation I think theyve moved as rapidly as they possibly could think they're doing a good thorough job and I'd like to shake your hand on a b thank you McCarthy continues his investigation of the army when a general refuses to answer certain questions McCarthy tells him that he is not fit to wear the army uniform McCarthy and the Army seem on the verge of warfare now secretary Stevens attends a meeting with McCarthy and his investigating committee a meeting intended to make peace between McCarthy and the [Music] army Stevens agrees in a memorandum that McCarthy should continue his investigations but within days the conflict flares up again I shall never exceed to the abuse of army Personnel under any circumstances including committee hearings I shall never exceed to them being brow be beaten or humiliated if a stupid arrogant or witless man in a position of power appears before our committee and is found aiding the Communist Party he will be exposed the fact that he might be a general places him in no special class as far as I am concerned finally there is a showdown between McCarthy and the United States Army a senate subcommittee holds public hearings into the army McCarthy controversy each day television brings the battle to 20 million viewers Across the Nation it is one of the most extraordinary spectacles in the history of American politics the Army charges persecution at the hands of Senator McCarthy one of McCarthy's assistants G David shine has been drafted and McCarthy allegedly has tried to get him preferential treatment in the service when we refused says the Army McCarthy Unleashed a personal Vendetta against [Music] us McCarthy countercharges that the army is abusing shine holding him hostage in order to force McCarthy to abandon his investigation the hearings range far a field from the issue of alleged Espionage in the Army McCarthy has a series of clashes with fellow Senators on the subcommittee Democrat Senator John mclen criticizes McCarthy's sources of information McCarthy and Democratic senator Stuart Simington engage in bitter disputes I will not give those names to them when they say that our function in coming back on the committee is not to expose and prosecute Communists Senator would you like to hear this it's about you that that they in effect say our function is not to expose I'm always listening when I want and you refer to me I you asked me and I'd say this that I was listening I'm going to finish this and you don't have to have everybody looking at you all the time you're [Applause] talking point as well while our friend sanctimonious do was ad I resent that refence to my first name advising you're you better go to a psychiatrist I no psychological bribes from you the truth you talk about Senator so if you want to if you want to do that you can take the stand I'll set down right now I will not sign the letter with false very simple the record all you have to do is sign it pull don't pull that pony thing on a letter at time there it is Senator got my signature on it you have a document with false statements in it I will not sign and agree that's true I don't you're not fooling anyone you're not fooling anyone Mr Simington you're not fooling anyone I have offered to go before any committee do anything you ask if I can just get you to come down here and take the oath so we can get the answers to some questions you're not you're not fooling anyone at all I'm sure of that Senator let me tell you something the chair believes that the American people have had a look at you for 6 weeks you're not fooling anyone either po have 10 minutes the Army's attorney is Joseph well a softspoken Bostonian who is a dramatic contrast to McCarthy but he too is a shrewd showman Welsh tries for most of the hearing to hide his antagonism for McCarthy but one day the senator accuses Welsh of having an assistant who belonged to an organization reportedly sympathetic to Communism this is perhaps the most dramatic duel in the entire hearing until this moment Senator I I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness if it were in my power to forgive you for your Reckless cruelty I would do so I like to think I'm a gentle man but [Music] your forgiveness will have to come from someone other than me Mr chairman Mr chairman uh may I say that uh Mr Wells talks about this being cruel and Reckless he was just baiting he has been baiting senator may we not drop this let us not assassinate this lad further Senator you've done enough have you no sense of decency sir at long last have you left no sense of decency this I know this hurts you Mr Welch I'll say it may I say Mr chairman as a point of personal privilege I'd like to finish this Senator I think it hurts you too sir I'd like to finish this uh M Mr Welsh here has been filibustering this hearing he's been talking day after day about the way he wants to get anyone tainted with Communism out before Sundown Mr McCarthy I will not discuss it further I will not ask Mr Cohen any more witnesses you Mr chairman May if you will call the next [Music] witness are there any questions to come from the members of the chair at the end of the hearing McCarthy is mildly rebuked for his conduct in the investigation of the army but the there are more ominous consequences political forces in both parties are now marshalling against McCarthy they feel that he has gone too far that he must be stopped an extraordinary measure rarely taken in the history of the United State Senate is taken against Senator McCarthy November 1954 the United States Senate holds a debate on on a motion to censure Joseph McCarthy the charges against him contempt of the Senate and its committees abuse of fellow Senators abuse of an army General at the end of the debate the Senate rules that McCarthy be censured McCarthy who has injured his arm in a recent accident is still defiant Senator do you think this will ruin your political career no uh I don't think the American people are at all fool they know that I'm being censured because I dared to expose communism treason in government Senator do you feel that you have not been censored in this action I wouldn't say that uh today was a vote of confidence officially denounced by his fellow Senators much of his Prestige and power are suddenly gone he continues to hammer away at the Communist issue but he no longer commands headlines McCarthy loses the spotlight even faster than he had captured it President Eisenhower who has been a behind the scenes Force against McCarthy now delivers the final blow the senator and Mrs McCarthy are banned from all social events held by the president the Senator's Health begins to fail and his enemies circulate stories in Washington that he is ruining himself with drink his critics claim that he is just a demagogue who lost his nerve after his first major defeat but his friends say that McCarthy is disillusioned and hurt that he has lost his will to live that he feels betrayed by men he thought were his friends early in 1957 the McCarthy adopt a baby girl and name her Tierney Elizabeth and McCarthy talks about leaving politics to take up ranching in Arizona but it is too [Music] late Joseph McCarthy dies on May 2nd [Music] 1957 the cause of death is hepatitis he was 49 years old a funeral service is held in Washington the scene of his most bitter [Music] controversies then Joe McCarthy is taken back home to Appleton Wisconsin only 7 years before as an unknown freshman Senator McCarthy began a political battle that shook the entire nation now Joseph McCarthy's battles are [Music] [Applause] [Music] over the end came quickly to the power and Prestige of Senator Joseph McCarthy and perhaps during his stormy career he himself felt that this would be his fate in his office Joe McCarthy had a prayer framed on the wall it read God don't let me weaken help me to continue on and when I go down let me go down like an oak tree felled by a woodsman's axe Mike Wallace for biography [Music] a [Music] the