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Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy and His Fight Against America's Enemies
Accused of creating a bogus Red Scare and smearing countless innocent victims in a five-year reign of terror, Senator Joseph McCarthy is universally remembered as a demagogue, a bully, and a liar. History has judged him such a loathsome figure that even today, a half century after his death, his name remains synonymous with witch hunts.
But that conventional image is all wrong, as veteran journalist and author M. Stanton Evans reveals in this groundbreaking book. The long-awaited "Blacklisted by History," based on six years of intensive research, dismantles the myths surrounding Joe McCarthy and his campaign to unmask Communists, Soviet agents, and flagrant loyalty risks working within the U.S. government. Evans's revelations completely overturn our understanding of McCarthy, McCarthyism, and the Cold War.
Drawing on primary sources--including never-before-published government records and FBI files, as well as recent research gleaned from Soviet archives and intercepted transmissions between Moscow spymasters and their agents in the United States--Evans presents irrefutable evidence of a relentless Communist drive to penetrate our government, influence its policies, and steal its secrets. Most shocking of all, he shows that U.S. officials supposedly guarding against this danger not only let it happen but actively covered up the penetration. All of this was precisely as Joe McCarthy contended.
"Blacklisted by History" shows, for instance, that the FBI knew as early as 1942 that J. Robert Oppenheimer, the director of the atomic bomb project, had been identified by Communist leaders as a party member; that high-level U.S. officials were warned that Alger Hiss was a Soviet spy almost a decade before the Hiss case became a public scandal; that a cabal of White House, Justice Department, and State Department officials lied about and covered up the Amerasia spy case; and that the State Department had been heavily penetrated by Communists and Soviet agents before McCarthy came on the scene.
Evans also shows that practically everything we've been told about McCarthy is false, including conventional treatment of the famous 1950 speech at Wheeling, West Virginia, that launched the McCarthy era ("I have here in my hand . . ."), the Senate hearings that casually dismissed his charges, the matter of leading McCarthy suspect Owen Lattimore, the Annie Lee Moss case, the Army-McCarthy hearings, and much more.
In the end, Senator McCarthy was censured by his colleagues and condemned by the press and historians. But as Evans writes, "The real Joe McCarthy has vanished into the mists of fable and recycled error, so that it takes the equivalent of a dragnet search to find him." "Blacklisted by History" provides the first accurate account of what McCarthy did and, more broadly, what happened to America during the Cold War. It is a revealing expose of the forces that distorted our national policy in that conflict and our understanding of its history since.
But that conventional image is all wrong, as veteran journalist and author M. Stanton Evans reveals in this groundbreaking book. The long-awaited "Blacklisted by History," based on six years of intensive research, dismantles the myths surrounding Joe McCarthy and his campaign to unmask Communists, Soviet agents, and flagrant loyalty risks working within the U.S. government. Evans's revelations completely overturn our understanding of McCarthy, McCarthyism, and the Cold War.
Drawing on primary sources--including never-before-published government records and FBI files, as well as recent research gleaned from Soviet archives and intercepted transmissions between Moscow spymasters and their agents in the United States--Evans presents irrefutable evidence of a relentless Communist drive to penetrate our government, influence its policies, and steal its secrets. Most shocking of all, he shows that U.S. officials supposedly guarding against this danger not only let it happen but actively covered up the penetration. All of this was precisely as Joe McCarthy contended.
"Blacklisted by History" shows, for instance, that the FBI knew as early as 1942 that J. Robert Oppenheimer, the director of the atomic bomb project, had been identified by Communist leaders as a party member; that high-level U.S. officials were warned that Alger Hiss was a Soviet spy almost a decade before the Hiss case became a public scandal; that a cabal of White House, Justice Department, and State Department officials lied about and covered up the Amerasia spy case; and that the State Department had been heavily penetrated by Communists and Soviet agents before McCarthy came on the scene.
Evans also shows that practically everything we've been told about McCarthy is false, including conventional treatment of the famous 1950 speech at Wheeling, West Virginia, that launched the McCarthy era ("I have here in my hand . . ."), the Senate hearings that casually dismissed his charges, the matter of leading McCarthy suspect Owen Lattimore, the Annie Lee Moss case, the Army-McCarthy hearings, and much more.
In the end, Senator McCarthy was censured by his colleagues and condemned by the press and historians. But as Evans writes, "The real Joe McCarthy has vanished into the mists of fable and recycled error, so that it takes the equivalent of a dragnet search to find him." "Blacklisted by History" provides the first accurate account of what McCarthy did and, more broadly, what happened to America during the Cold War. It is a revealing expose of the forces that distorted our national policy in that conflict and our understanding of its history since.
672 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
193 people are currently reading
1933 people want to read
About the author
M. Stanton Evans
24 books15 followersAmerican journalist, author and educator. As an undergraduate, Evans was an editor for the Yale Daily News. Upon graduation, Evans became assistant editor of The Freeman, where Chodorov was editor. The following year, he joined the staff of William F. Buckley's fledgling National Review (where he served as associate editor from 1960 to 1973)and became managing editor of Human Events, where he is currently a contributing editor. In 1959, Evans became head editorial writer of The Indianapolis News, rising to editor the following year. In 1971, Evans became a commentator for the CBS Television and Radio Networks, and in 1980 became a commentator for National Public Radio, the Voice of America, Radio America and WGMS-FM in Washington, D.C. In 1974, he became a nationally syndicated columnist for the Los Angeles Times syndicate. In 1977, Evans founded the National Journalism Center, where he served as director until 2002. In 1980, he became an adjunct professor of journalism at Troy University in Troy, Alabama, where he currently holds the Buchanan Chair of Journalism. In 1981-2002, he was publisher of Consumers' Research magazine. In 1971-1977, Evans served as chairman of the American Conservative Union (ACU). In 1974, Evans founded the Education and Research Institute, of which he is still chairman. He has also served as president of the Philadelphia Society, a member of the Council for National Policy and Young Americans for Freedom National Advisory Board, and a trustee of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), and is a member of the Board of Advisers of the National Tax Limitation Committee.
Evans became a proponent of National Review co-editor Frank Meyer's "fusionism," a political philosophy reconciling the traditionalist and libertarian tendencies of the conservative movement.
Evans became a proponent of National Review co-editor Frank Meyer's "fusionism," a political philosophy reconciling the traditionalist and libertarian tendencies of the conservative movement.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
January 31, 2008
I will tell you now, if you want to be unsubscribed from everything from evite lists to goodreads lists, just tell someone that a) you're reading this b) you are loving this and c) MORE people should read this to get a better understanding of just what Joe McCarthy was REALLY all about. Nebulous terms about him and his name have been floated about from history classes to pop culture for decades, yet none of them can tell you anything about him, his methods, or his results. IF you really want to stump someone who randomly drops his name disparagingly, simply ask "Was he wrong?" When they inevitably say "yes" in knee-jerk fashion or "that's not the point" (or some such other liberal dodge) hit them with the names, dates, places, and facts listed in this meticulously researched book.
July 27, 2018
This is one of those books that will trigger you to kill anyone who wants to convince you that the earth is round, while you staunchly insist that it is flat. So, if you are one of those people who refuse to walk away from your own truths and discover new possibilities, STAY AWAY! This book will rock your world!
I've been reading this book for many weeks now. It's so packed with facts, well documented research and history, that it takes time to absorb it all.
Based on the new information which was released in the Venona papers of 1995, the story of a vilified politician changed considerably and the author made a conscientious effort to fact-check his information. He had to debunk a witch-hunt against a person who got an era named after him, although Joe McCarthy was not the main peanut in the packet in this sordid saga.
The book, and the facts which was released from the Russian archives in 1992 painted a totally different picture from the one which was so willingly and consciously sold to the public by the opponents or even enemies in politics and the press. So many blatant lies were forced upon an unsuspecting public as facts that it will take a megacity of dedicated and determined researchers to finally turn the tables on the disjointed misinformation campaign which served a political agenda in the 1950s.
The author managed to debunk a multitude of these lies and assumptions, and confirm other attributes of a man who was in actual fact an enigma. Mr. Evans went in search of the real man in this book, and came up with a character that boggles the mind.
So yes, in this sense the book is controversial. Some readers are angry with the bias in the book. That's true. Just as true as the bias against a man who did very little of what he was accused of by the politicians and media who loved to hate him and get him blacklisted for life. The pot calling the kettle black and now screams to heaven for being exposed.
Government records, Venona papers and the Russian archives finally confirmed the accuracy of Joe McCarthy's allegations towards government employees who were spying for the Russians. All confirmed now. Done and dusted.
Here is the blurb:
There is an old saying which states: A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. But it's also true that the truth always catches up. If there are any honor and integrity left in this cesspool of dirty politics, we should grab onto it and acknowledge our own mistakes and prejudices. It is a liberating experience. This book will set you free, if you let it.
Congratulations to Mr. Evans or an excellent piece of work.
Five stars. RECOMMENDED!!
Still on the Shadow government bandwagon ;-)
I've been reading this book for many weeks now. It's so packed with facts, well documented research and history, that it takes time to absorb it all.
Based on the new information which was released in the Venona papers of 1995, the story of a vilified politician changed considerably and the author made a conscientious effort to fact-check his information. He had to debunk a witch-hunt against a person who got an era named after him, although Joe McCarthy was not the main peanut in the packet in this sordid saga.
The book, and the facts which was released from the Russian archives in 1992 painted a totally different picture from the one which was so willingly and consciously sold to the public by the opponents or even enemies in politics and the press. So many blatant lies were forced upon an unsuspecting public as facts that it will take a megacity of dedicated and determined researchers to finally turn the tables on the disjointed misinformation campaign which served a political agenda in the 1950s.
The author managed to debunk a multitude of these lies and assumptions, and confirm other attributes of a man who was in actual fact an enigma. Mr. Evans went in search of the real man in this book, and came up with a character that boggles the mind.
So yes, in this sense the book is controversial. Some readers are angry with the bias in the book. That's true. Just as true as the bias against a man who did very little of what he was accused of by the politicians and media who loved to hate him and get him blacklisted for life. The pot calling the kettle black and now screams to heaven for being exposed.
Government records, Venona papers and the Russian archives finally confirmed the accuracy of Joe McCarthy's allegations towards government employees who were spying for the Russians. All confirmed now. Done and dusted.
Here is the blurb:
Accused of creating a bogus Red Scare and smearing countless innocent victims in a five-year reign of terror, Senator Joseph McCarthy is universally remembered as a demagogue, a bully, and a liar. History has judged him such a loathsome figure that even today, a half century after his death, his name remains synonymous with witch hunts.The book spans an amazing era covering several decades. How fortunate to read it now and understand history better. Thank you, Mr. Evans, for providing the evidence of what really happened in America during the Cold War era. The new generations deserve two sides to the pancake.
But that conventional image is all wrong, as veteran journalist and author M. Stanton Evans reveals in this groundbreaking book. The long-awaited "Blacklisted by History," based on six years of intensive research, dismantles the myths surrounding Joe McCarthy and his campaign to unmask Communists, Soviet agents, and flagrant loyalty risks working within the U.S. government. Evans's revelations completely overturn our understanding of McCarthy, McCarthyism, and the Cold War.
Drawing on primary sources--including never-before-published government records and FBI files, as well as recent research gleaned from Soviet archives and intercepted transmissions between Moscow spymasters and their agents in the United States--Evans presents irrefutable evidence of a relentless Communist drive to penetrate our government, influence its policies, and steal its secrets. Most shocking of all, he shows that U.S. officials supposedly guarding against this danger not only let it happen but actively covered up the penetration. All of this was precisely as Joe McCarthy contended.
"Blacklisted by History" shows, for instance, that the FBI knew as early as 1942 that J. Robert Oppenheimer, the director of the atomic bomb project, had been identified by Communist leaders as a party member; that high-level U.S. officials were warned that Alger Hiss was a Soviet spy almost a decade before the Hiss case became a public scandal; that a cabal of White House, Justice Department, and State Department officials lied about and covered up the Amerasia spy case; and that the State Department had been heavily penetrated by Communists and Soviet agents before McCarthy came on the scene.
Evans also shows that practically everything we've been told about McCarthy is false, including conventional treatment of the famous 1950 speech at Wheeling, West Virginia, that launched the McCarthy era ("I have here in my hand . . ."), the Senate hearings that casually dismissed his charges, the matter of leading McCarthy suspect Owen Lattimore, the Annie Lee Moss case, the Army-McCarthy hearings, and much more.
In the end, Senator McCarthy was censured by his colleagues and condemned by the press and historians. But as Evans writes, "The real Joe McCarthy has vanished into the mists of fable and recycled error, so that it takes the equivalent of a dragnet search to find him." "Blacklisted by History" provides the first accurate account of what McCarthy did and, more broadly, what happened to America during the Cold War. It is a revealing expose of the forces that distorted our national policy in that conflict and our understanding of its history since.
There is an old saying which states: A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. But it's also true that the truth always catches up. If there are any honor and integrity left in this cesspool of dirty politics, we should grab onto it and acknowledge our own mistakes and prejudices. It is a liberating experience. This book will set you free, if you let it.
Congratulations to Mr. Evans or an excellent piece of work.
Five stars. RECOMMENDED!!
Still on the Shadow government bandwagon ;-)
May 5, 2008
A biased, well researched book. OK, disclosure first, I didn't finsih the book. I stopped on page 151 out of 600. I just couldn't take it any more.
Evans' view is that Joseph McCarthy is undeserving of the mantle that history has laid out for him. He was simply the leading figure in the few that were properly acknowledging the enormous problem of Communist infiltration of the US Government during the 1940s and 1950s. Evans attempts to prove this by laying out the case against people that McCarthy accused. He has volumes of declassified files from the FBI and the former Soviet Union. He manages to make a case against these particular individuals. He makes no mention of anybody that McCarthy or his fellows accused with no credible evidence. He dismisses McCarthy's tactics and extremism. He has volumes of references and footnotes, but doesn't use them consistantly. Many times he made extreme claims that I wanted to double check, only to find no reference for that particular remark.
Evans is a journalist, not a historian, which comes across in his writing. A historian would have at least tried to appear unbiased. Evans makes no such attempt. His casual use of terms such as Red and Comrade interchangably with Communist and agent just make me question his entire premise and his arguments, and logical decision making.
In short the book (the part that I read) is a long condemnation of a particular circle of people in the State Department and other agencies during the 40s and 50s. Little is actually said about McCarthy.
Ann Coulter would be proud.
Evans' view is that Joseph McCarthy is undeserving of the mantle that history has laid out for him. He was simply the leading figure in the few that were properly acknowledging the enormous problem of Communist infiltration of the US Government during the 1940s and 1950s. Evans attempts to prove this by laying out the case against people that McCarthy accused. He has volumes of declassified files from the FBI and the former Soviet Union. He manages to make a case against these particular individuals. He makes no mention of anybody that McCarthy or his fellows accused with no credible evidence. He dismisses McCarthy's tactics and extremism. He has volumes of references and footnotes, but doesn't use them consistantly. Many times he made extreme claims that I wanted to double check, only to find no reference for that particular remark.
Evans is a journalist, not a historian, which comes across in his writing. A historian would have at least tried to appear unbiased. Evans makes no such attempt. His casual use of terms such as Red and Comrade interchangably with Communist and agent just make me question his entire premise and his arguments, and logical decision making.
In short the book (the part that I read) is a long condemnation of a particular circle of people in the State Department and other agencies during the 40s and 50s. Little is actually said about McCarthy.
Ann Coulter would be proud.
September 10, 2022
Alas broadway musical and all I'm just not in the right frame of mind to listen to total ignorance. Why does it always seem like there is some radical who wants to persecute others to feel so tall?
The book (and I don't remember the entire sentence) just said "springtime with Stalin" and I think I am now inspired to write a broadway musical
The book (and I don't remember the entire sentence) just said "springtime with Stalin" and I think I am now inspired to write a broadway musical
March 28, 2008
More "stuff you don't learn in school" - not only was the Communist threat to the country real and the infiltration unbelievably thorough, but thanks to documents that have been released in the last few years, we actually have (long-suppressed) evidence that McCarthy had something right. Not perfect, but he was on to something (which, incidentally, had been pursued by another congressman a few years earlier, as well).
Even more remarkable is that so many of the actual records of his hearings and related archives are missing. That tantalizing bit alone is worth the read - and it's in the beginning of the book.
At any rate, again, Evans is pretty wordy and academic - although he does insert some surprising wry humor - and I think this book is definitely worth checking into and reading what you can.
Don't let the term "McCarthyism" work its way into your conversations without reading this first.
Even more remarkable is that so many of the actual records of his hearings and related archives are missing. That tantalizing bit alone is worth the read - and it's in the beginning of the book.
At any rate, again, Evans is pretty wordy and academic - although he does insert some surprising wry humor - and I think this book is definitely worth checking into and reading what you can.
Don't let the term "McCarthyism" work its way into your conversations without reading this first.
September 15, 2009
I bought the book in the Sacramento airport and started reading it on the plane home in September 2008. Stanton Evans, a true student and researcher into the Cold War, has vindicated all those who have defended Senator Joseph McCarthy for his long and lonely effort to expose some of the communists and traitors who were inhabiting federal positions of trust.
The careful documentation of Stanton's long-researched book speaks for itself. When coupled with the excellent book "The Venona Secrets," the truth is there to see and backed up by plenty of documentation.
In the 1950, 1960s, 1970s, etc. the Left-dominated press in America have intentionally and wrongly smeared Senator McCarthy and their allies, those Lefists in the Hollywood crowd who worship the likes of the murderous Communist thug Che Guevera, still denigrate the great American, Joseph McCarthy. But, at last the undeniable truth about Senator McCarthy has been documented for all the willing world to see. He was an American hero trying to expose internal enemies of America to the light of day.
The careful documentation of Stanton's long-researched book speaks for itself. When coupled with the excellent book "The Venona Secrets," the truth is there to see and backed up by plenty of documentation.
In the 1950, 1960s, 1970s, etc. the Left-dominated press in America have intentionally and wrongly smeared Senator McCarthy and their allies, those Lefists in the Hollywood crowd who worship the likes of the murderous Communist thug Che Guevera, still denigrate the great American, Joseph McCarthy. But, at last the undeniable truth about Senator McCarthy has been documented for all the willing world to see. He was an American hero trying to expose internal enemies of America to the light of day.
October 8, 2011
This book changed me. I swallowed rage. The evil that was perpetrated by communist spies destroyed my illusions.
You will think that I listened only to one side of the story. But that is untrue. I read McCarthy and the Fear of Communism in American Historybefore, and I read Shooting Star: The Brief Arc of Joe McCarthy after.
If the truth isn't too strong for you. Read this book. You will change.
You will think that I listened only to one side of the story. But that is untrue. I read McCarthy and the Fear of Communism in American Historybefore, and I read Shooting Star: The Brief Arc of Joe McCarthy after.
If the truth isn't too strong for you. Read this book. You will change.
January 23, 2020
Wow! ... wow! This has got to be one of the most shocking and eye-opening books I have ever read!! This story of McCarthy is utterly astounding!
Well told and incredibly researched (as there’s so many facts it often reads like a textbook!!), it emotes strong feelings of anger and frustration for the many acts of injustice and wrong-doing done and which were hidden by the very government sworn to protect its people. All because one man questioned the security risks he saw within that very government.
Wow! It really does leave you shocked, angered and somewhat speechless.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
Well told and incredibly researched (as there’s so many facts it often reads like a textbook!!), it emotes strong feelings of anger and frustration for the many acts of injustice and wrong-doing done and which were hidden by the very government sworn to protect its people. All because one man questioned the security risks he saw within that very government.
Wow! It really does leave you shocked, angered and somewhat speechless.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
June 17, 2009
Exhaustive research. One can only imagine what else he would have been able to expose had no so many vial documents "disappeared".
Another subtitle could be, "The Pilfering of Truth".
THIS BOOK OFFERS JAW DROPPING REVELATIONS ON EVERY PAGE.
I went into this with the attitude that McCarthy wasn't as bad as everyone says. This book correctly frames the issues and what was at stake.
The McCarthy era wasn't about him destroying innocent people's lives or anything like that. McCarthy was the victim OF THE WITCH HUNT, not it's conductor.
Anyone who dares use the phrase, McCarthyism, must read this book.
Another subtitle could be, "The Pilfering of Truth".
THIS BOOK OFFERS JAW DROPPING REVELATIONS ON EVERY PAGE.
I went into this with the attitude that McCarthy wasn't as bad as everyone says. This book correctly frames the issues and what was at stake.
The McCarthy era wasn't about him destroying innocent people's lives or anything like that. McCarthy was the victim OF THE WITCH HUNT, not it's conductor.
Anyone who dares use the phrase, McCarthyism, must read this book.
February 20, 2011
Had to push myself to read halfway, then gave up. I think the author's point is that the Senate "investigation" was nothing but a partisan battle in which the Democrats succeeded in making McCarthy look bad. However, the author is so transparently partisan in trying to make McCarthy look good that you still have to wonder where the truth lies. Another annoying aspect, unless you are a serious McCarthy scholar, is the author's attempt to answer the details of every charge chapter and verse. I was interested in this subject...but not THAT interested.
September 28, 2012
Ronald Reagan famously said, "Well, the trouble with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant, but that they know so much that isn't so." Of course, that's often true for all of us, and as far as Cold War topics go, I think Joe McCarthy must be near the top of the list of things about which what we know isn't so.
The author went back to look at primary materials to investigate many claims made by historians, such as "McCarthy didn't name names." In fact, one of the reasons I couldn't rate this as 5 stars was that there were so many lists of names. Absolutely essential for the point, but long lists of dead American Communists does not good reading make. Then there is the red herring that McCarthy's actions didn't lead to prosecutions. Actually, there were a couple, but prosecution wasn't his goal in the first place. He just wanted these people, many of whom were obvious security risks or simply didn't have the US's interests at heart, removed from sensitive positions in the government.
There is also a common perception that McCarthy was throwing around baseless charges. His sources were generally FBI investigations and other security information that came directly from Federal agencies like the State Department or the Army. The problem wasn't that his information was bad, but that it was generally good and very troubling.
The infamous "Have you no shame!" line was tragically ironic. It was in reference to McCarthy (having been baited) making a statement about a lawyer with past ties to known Communist front groups. The irony was that a few months previously, the man accusing McCarthy of having no shame had removed the same lawyer from his team (to oppose McCarthy) for the exact reason brought up by McCarthy. And there was a New York Times article, with a large printed picture of the lawyer, documenting all of this.
He documents many outright falsehoods made by contemporary enemies of McCarthy: Sen Tydings eventually admitted under oath that he had lied about possessing a recording of McCarthy's Wheeling speech. Tydings also made up claims about Republican Congressional committees having reviewed McCarthy's lists previously and determined the claims to be baseless.
I think this book goes a long way to vindicate McCarthy, and points out that even though the Truman and Eisenhower administrations would never admit it, security did tighten up a bit once McCarthy started shining lights on the ridiculous security practices of the Federal Government.
One of the big questions, which I think the author rightly mostly avoided, was the motives of many of McCarthy's enemies. Truman, after all, began a shooting war with communists, so why wouldn't he be interested in getting them out of the government? Eisenhower should have been able to blame a previous administration. Whatever they were, it's a tragedy, and a demonstration of the fact that today's polarized, highly charged political atmosphere is nothing new.
The author went back to look at primary materials to investigate many claims made by historians, such as "McCarthy didn't name names." In fact, one of the reasons I couldn't rate this as 5 stars was that there were so many lists of names. Absolutely essential for the point, but long lists of dead American Communists does not good reading make. Then there is the red herring that McCarthy's actions didn't lead to prosecutions. Actually, there were a couple, but prosecution wasn't his goal in the first place. He just wanted these people, many of whom were obvious security risks or simply didn't have the US's interests at heart, removed from sensitive positions in the government.
There is also a common perception that McCarthy was throwing around baseless charges. His sources were generally FBI investigations and other security information that came directly from Federal agencies like the State Department or the Army. The problem wasn't that his information was bad, but that it was generally good and very troubling.
The infamous "Have you no shame!" line was tragically ironic. It was in reference to McCarthy (having been baited) making a statement about a lawyer with past ties to known Communist front groups. The irony was that a few months previously, the man accusing McCarthy of having no shame had removed the same lawyer from his team (to oppose McCarthy) for the exact reason brought up by McCarthy. And there was a New York Times article, with a large printed picture of the lawyer, documenting all of this.
He documents many outright falsehoods made by contemporary enemies of McCarthy: Sen Tydings eventually admitted under oath that he had lied about possessing a recording of McCarthy's Wheeling speech. Tydings also made up claims about Republican Congressional committees having reviewed McCarthy's lists previously and determined the claims to be baseless.
I think this book goes a long way to vindicate McCarthy, and points out that even though the Truman and Eisenhower administrations would never admit it, security did tighten up a bit once McCarthy started shining lights on the ridiculous security practices of the Federal Government.
One of the big questions, which I think the author rightly mostly avoided, was the motives of many of McCarthy's enemies. Truman, after all, began a shooting war with communists, so why wouldn't he be interested in getting them out of the government? Eisenhower should have been able to blame a previous administration. Whatever they were, it's a tragedy, and a demonstration of the fact that today's polarized, highly charged political atmosphere is nothing new.
February 17, 2017
If you can read this book with an open mind you will gather valuable information. You must discard all the false “facts” thrown at you in school. And, please, forget the idea that McCarthy started HUAC: he was a Senator, for crying out loud! The mists of lies and fabrications spread for so many years will vanish and the truth will enlighten you.
Among the things you will learn is that the precursor of the investigations imputed to Senator McCarthy, was actually a committee headed by a Democrat in 1918—not even Wikipedia dare to deny this fact. You will also learn the links between McCarthy and another communist fighter: Robert Kennedy--yes, the very Bobby Kennedy! During the early 1950s Bobby was a staff lawyer to Senator Joseph McCarthy, made him the godfather of his first child, and when McCarthy died in 1957 attended his funeral. At a speech by Murrow (CBS) attacking McCarthy, Bobby walked out in protest.
A must read for anyone, with an open mind, that is!
Among the things you will learn is that the precursor of the investigations imputed to Senator McCarthy, was actually a committee headed by a Democrat in 1918—not even Wikipedia dare to deny this fact. You will also learn the links between McCarthy and another communist fighter: Robert Kennedy--yes, the very Bobby Kennedy! During the early 1950s Bobby was a staff lawyer to Senator Joseph McCarthy, made him the godfather of his first child, and when McCarthy died in 1957 attended his funeral. At a speech by Murrow (CBS) attacking McCarthy, Bobby walked out in protest.
A must read for anyone, with an open mind, that is!
October 10, 2013
Redeem Joe McCarthy? Only McCarthy can respond to this revisionist drivel: “This,” muttered the flummoxed McCarthy as the Senate moved to condemn his behavior, “is the most unheard-of thing I ever heard of.”
May 7, 2020
M. Stanton Evans set out with "Blacklisted by History" to prove a supposed myth wrong. That myth is the myth of Joseph McCarthy. Evans would have us believe that McCarthy was a noble warrior, a crusader, who fought against supposed Communist incursions into the United States. However, he misses the point that made McCarthyism and the era it defined so terrifying. It denied the American People freedom of thought and speech, and McCarthy himself used this fear to further his own agenda.
The majority of Evans' evidence his claim of Jo McCarthy's supposed heroism, is proof that Soviet spies were attempting to, or already had, infiltrated the United States. This, of course, is an absolute fact. But, that is not what Joseph McCarthy went after in his hearings. McCarthyism was not about exposing spies. It was about exposing "Communists" in our society. Countless people had their lives and careers ruined by McCarthy's infamous blacklist. To hold political thought left of center was practically suicidal. McCarthyism did nothing but suppress free thought.
McCarthy also used the fear he created to further his political career. He claimed that democrats who opposed his hearings were communists themselves, which would nearly lead to their careers being destroyed. This did nothing but give McCarthy more power. After all, people believed that he had caught a communist in the highest echelons on our government. This gave McCarthy more influence, which would make him hold more hearings. In the end, McCarthyism only ended because McCarthy went too far.
The final problem with this mockery of history, is M. Stanton Evans personnel agenda in writing it. M. Stanton Evans is considered to be the founder of modern conservatism. He was the principal author of "The Sharon Statement", which is considered by many to have been the guideline for modern conservatism. He was a frequent critic of liberal administrations, including Kennedy, and once quipped that he didn't support Nixon until Watergate. So, almost to preserve the goodness of his ideology, Evans went after possibly the most controversial conservative in history, and decided to paint him in a positive light.
In conclusion, "Blacklisted by History" makes a mockery of historical writing. It ignores the evils of Joseph McCarthy and the red scare, in favor of pointing out the fact that the Soviets were trying to soy on us. the book also served to do nothing but promote a conservative agenda, by trying to sanctify one of the most controversial conservatives in history.
The majority of Evans' evidence his claim of Jo McCarthy's supposed heroism, is proof that Soviet spies were attempting to, or already had, infiltrated the United States. This, of course, is an absolute fact. But, that is not what Joseph McCarthy went after in his hearings. McCarthyism was not about exposing spies. It was about exposing "Communists" in our society. Countless people had their lives and careers ruined by McCarthy's infamous blacklist. To hold political thought left of center was practically suicidal. McCarthyism did nothing but suppress free thought.
McCarthy also used the fear he created to further his political career. He claimed that democrats who opposed his hearings were communists themselves, which would nearly lead to their careers being destroyed. This did nothing but give McCarthy more power. After all, people believed that he had caught a communist in the highest echelons on our government. This gave McCarthy more influence, which would make him hold more hearings. In the end, McCarthyism only ended because McCarthy went too far.
The final problem with this mockery of history, is M. Stanton Evans personnel agenda in writing it. M. Stanton Evans is considered to be the founder of modern conservatism. He was the principal author of "The Sharon Statement", which is considered by many to have been the guideline for modern conservatism. He was a frequent critic of liberal administrations, including Kennedy, and once quipped that he didn't support Nixon until Watergate. So, almost to preserve the goodness of his ideology, Evans went after possibly the most controversial conservative in history, and decided to paint him in a positive light.
In conclusion, "Blacklisted by History" makes a mockery of historical writing. It ignores the evils of Joseph McCarthy and the red scare, in favor of pointing out the fact that the Soviets were trying to soy on us. the book also served to do nothing but promote a conservative agenda, by trying to sanctify one of the most controversial conservatives in history.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2019
An astonishing book. Joe McCarthy is vilified to the extreme in popular discourse, and by conservatives as well. His name gave rise to a popular ism used against totalitarian people. But is it another round of fake history? The winner writes the history books, after all. More so than just the winner, left-wingers write the history books because they dominate academia to absurd degrees (17 to 1 democrats per republican in this study https://www.nas.org/articles/homogeno...), and McCarthy spent years targeting communists. So is it any wonder that the real history of McCarthy is not quite what one might expect? In hindsight, no, but the degree was disturbing.
This is a long (660 pages) and at times somewhat boring book, but what a book.
This is a long (660 pages) and at times somewhat boring book, but what a book.
July 1, 2021
"Such reluctance to tackle the McCarthy question in the light of the new information may seem odd, but is understandable in context. “McCarthyism” is the third rail of Cold War historiography—and of our political discourse in general—and any contact with it could prove fatal to writers trying to get their work accepted in academic or mainstream media circles. It’s hard enough trying to rewrite the larger history of the East-West struggle and of pro-Communist infiltration on the home front, without the extra burden, God forbid, of reassessing the untouchable likes of Joe McCarthy..."
Despite being excited to start this one, I did not enjoy the writing here. I eventually DNF it, and put it down around halfway through...
Author Medford Stanton Evans, better known as M. Stanton Evans, was an American journalist, author and educator. He was the author of eight books, including Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy and His Fight Against America's Enemies.
Medford Stanton Evans:
I am interested in books covering the Cold War period, so I put this on my list when I came across it. Unfortunately, I found the writing to be seriously lacking here...
The book virtually epitomizes everything I don't like about historical accounts; there is a virtual torrent of names, dates, places, and reports that are machine-gunned at the reader, without providing too much (if any) historical context or background... Name, date, place, report. Name, date, place, report. Rinse and repeat. UGHH...
The narrative structure of this one will likely find many readers' attention wandering, and leave them lost in the woods at times here.
The book could have also done with a much more rigorous editing; for the sake of both brevity and clarity. The versions I have clocked in at a bulky ~23 hours (audiobook), and ~700 pages (PDF). Evan's dry and downright dry and arduous writing style made making progress through its pages a tiresome affair...
***********************
I rarely put a book down midway through, but I was not prepared to spend any more time trudging through Evan's long-winded prose.
1 star, and off to the "return bin..." with this one.
Despite being excited to start this one, I did not enjoy the writing here. I eventually DNF it, and put it down around halfway through...
Author Medford Stanton Evans, better known as M. Stanton Evans, was an American journalist, author and educator. He was the author of eight books, including Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy and His Fight Against America's Enemies.
Medford Stanton Evans:
I am interested in books covering the Cold War period, so I put this on my list when I came across it. Unfortunately, I found the writing to be seriously lacking here...
The book virtually epitomizes everything I don't like about historical accounts; there is a virtual torrent of names, dates, places, and reports that are machine-gunned at the reader, without providing too much (if any) historical context or background... Name, date, place, report. Name, date, place, report. Rinse and repeat. UGHH...
The narrative structure of this one will likely find many readers' attention wandering, and leave them lost in the woods at times here.
The book could have also done with a much more rigorous editing; for the sake of both brevity and clarity. The versions I have clocked in at a bulky ~23 hours (audiobook), and ~700 pages (PDF). Evan's dry and downright dry and arduous writing style made making progress through its pages a tiresome affair...
***********************
I rarely put a book down midway through, but I was not prepared to spend any more time trudging through Evan's long-winded prose.
1 star, and off to the "return bin..." with this one.
February 21, 2018
"Fake news" has been around a long time. Joe McCarthy was right that the State Department, among other federal agencies, had known Communists in its employ. It is a tragedy that not only was this truth deliberately obscured, but the life of a decent man was destroyed as a result.
Evans painstakingly details the evidence for McCarthy's claims that particular people were working within the federal government to pursue an agenda that benefited Russia, not the United States. There are too many to mention, but two in particular stood out for me. Evans explains how those working in China persuaded the US to support Mao Zedong over Chiang Kai Shek . . . and look how that turned out. Evans also describes how they were able to increase antagonism between the United States and Japan -- for the purpose of bringing the US into World War II.
It's remarkable the level of abuse that McCarthy suffered -- most inexcusably, from other senators, who must have known the truth of his allegations, but also from the media, who portrayed him as a contemptible figure. How relevant to today's news to see how easily a man's reputation can be destroyed, and how the public can be led to write off someone who in reality is doing important work.
McCarthy died -- still in his 40s -- just a couple of years after his public abuse and humiliation. He always saw his battle as one against evil. Reading this book made me see the extent of that evil. It's hard not to see McCarthy as a martyr. May his soul rest in peace.
Evans painstakingly details the evidence for McCarthy's claims that particular people were working within the federal government to pursue an agenda that benefited Russia, not the United States. There are too many to mention, but two in particular stood out for me. Evans explains how those working in China persuaded the US to support Mao Zedong over Chiang Kai Shek . . . and look how that turned out. Evans also describes how they were able to increase antagonism between the United States and Japan -- for the purpose of bringing the US into World War II.
It's remarkable the level of abuse that McCarthy suffered -- most inexcusably, from other senators, who must have known the truth of his allegations, but also from the media, who portrayed him as a contemptible figure. How relevant to today's news to see how easily a man's reputation can be destroyed, and how the public can be led to write off someone who in reality is doing important work.
McCarthy died -- still in his 40s -- just a couple of years after his public abuse and humiliation. He always saw his battle as one against evil. Reading this book made me see the extent of that evil. It's hard not to see McCarthy as a martyr. May his soul rest in peace.
January 12, 2018
I feel like I owe this book a more in-depth, detailed review than the one I'm going to give it. There is a mountain of things I've been thinking of saying when I finally got to the end of the book and was ready to review, but at this point....I am overwhelmed by all of them, so I will do a short version now. Perhaps later I will come back and edit this into the dissertation that it deserves, but that night is not this night.
Let's start with the obvious. This is not the book to read if you don't want your worldview challenged. The author presents a very different picture of the Cold War than you're going to read in just about any history book. You don't have to agree with everything in or concur with all of the author's conclusions to benefit getting outside your own head a bit.
Second, although this is a well-written book, it is so dense, which is why it took me a month to read it. Everything is carefully cross-checked, cited, sourced, and noted. I understand why, because when you're going up against a standard version of history that's this entrenched, you'd better have all of your research ducks in a row. So the meticulous documentation is necessary to prove that he's not just a crack pot. All of the information will make this useful as a reference book in the future, but it made those 600 pages very slow going at times. Worth a read once for the interest factor, and then on to the bookshelf to reserve when winning arguments.
Let's start with the obvious. This is not the book to read if you don't want your worldview challenged. The author presents a very different picture of the Cold War than you're going to read in just about any history book. You don't have to agree with everything in or concur with all of the author's conclusions to benefit getting outside your own head a bit.
Second, although this is a well-written book, it is so dense, which is why it took me a month to read it. Everything is carefully cross-checked, cited, sourced, and noted. I understand why, because when you're going up against a standard version of history that's this entrenched, you'd better have all of your research ducks in a row. So the meticulous documentation is necessary to prove that he's not just a crack pot. All of the information will make this useful as a reference book in the future, but it made those 600 pages very slow going at times. Worth a read once for the interest factor, and then on to the bookshelf to reserve when winning arguments.
September 17, 2019
This type of book is why people and high schoolers hate history. I don’t know if the theory this guy is peddling is true or not about Joe maccarthy being a swell guy. It reads like the worst high school textbook you’ve ever read.
Another point I would make is when you get someone who wants to prove that a historical figure is the opposite of what the majority says you get a bloated and biased book to make them look good. This book is mainly bloated with so many names that don’t seem to have any reason for being there other than to show off the author’s command of some little fact.
All of these people involved were wrong and all of these history books are wrong.
I couldn’t finish this. Not because I did t want to see what else would be said about joe, but because it so needs an editor. The author didn’t do joe any favors. He’s still blacklisted.
Steer clear unless you like your eyes glazed over in boredom.
Another point I would make is when you get someone who wants to prove that a historical figure is the opposite of what the majority says you get a bloated and biased book to make them look good. This book is mainly bloated with so many names that don’t seem to have any reason for being there other than to show off the author’s command of some little fact.
All of these people involved were wrong and all of these history books are wrong.
I couldn’t finish this. Not because I did t want to see what else would be said about joe, but because it so needs an editor. The author didn’t do joe any favors. He’s still blacklisted.
Steer clear unless you like your eyes glazed over in boredom.
December 6, 2007
what is the point of re examining a fifty year old cold war incident?
every day i read of some washington scandal with no real resolution. why isn't sandy berger in leavenworth for example? guess it will take fifty years to get any answers. and stanton evans is right on time. a few people have made careers out of distorting the truth surrounding the mccarthy era. thousands more stood by and let them.
i as never really able to focus on the case before. every book and movie, there are hundreds, always seemed to repeat the same few details. became clear that most "experts" were merely repeating stuff they saw in the manchurian candidate, with no real research in original sources.
this book corrects a lifetime of misinformation.
every day i read of some washington scandal with no real resolution. why isn't sandy berger in leavenworth for example? guess it will take fifty years to get any answers. and stanton evans is right on time. a few people have made careers out of distorting the truth surrounding the mccarthy era. thousands more stood by and let them.
i as never really able to focus on the case before. every book and movie, there are hundreds, always seemed to repeat the same few details. became clear that most "experts" were merely repeating stuff they saw in the manchurian candidate, with no real research in original sources.
this book corrects a lifetime of misinformation.
February 19, 2009
I'm reading this in small doses because I'm interested in the history of this era, but it's not pleasure-reading. Evans presents a very accessible, well-researched, and thoroughly documented look at how the communist organization in America succeeded in demonizing Senator Joseph McCarthy. Debunks many myths about his personal as well as his political life. Turns out that the real "McCarthyism" was the campaign that McCarthy's enemies employed against him.
July 25, 2017
Absolutely stunning defense of McCarthy. He was right all along the line. He was brought down by the progressives because he was too effective at rooting out their ilk from government service. Evans' backup material is flawless. His research is impeccable. This should be required reading at American colleges rather than BHO's tracts in favor of socialism.
July 10, 2010
I recently came across M. Stanton Evans' relatively recent book (2007) entitled Blacklisted By History (The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy--And His Fight Against America's Enemies). Having grown up during the events in this book, I was generally familiar with what came to be known as the Red Scare of McCarthyism. Suffice it to say, my impressions and recollections of McCarthy weren't very positive. After hearing about this book, I thought I would give another view of the McCarthy story a fair reading.
Initial impression of Evans' book is the sheer size of the volume (663 pages, 45 Chapters). It quickly becomes apparent that this is no incidental survey or overview of the subject of Senator Joe McCarthy. The 11-page Prologue wets the reader's appetite by revealing what the author's goals were, what his (and his staff's) investigative method and source locations were and their commitment to leaving no stone unturned in seeking to uncover all available first-hand documentation, reexamining sources cited by previous authors, and a careful examination of the pertinent information contained in the former Soviet Union's "Venona" files. In short, this was a very serious undertaking with a view toward discovering and telling "The Untold Story Of Senator Joe McCarthy And His Fight Against America's Enemies."
In a number of Book Reviews and comments on Amazon.com, Evans has been accused of having a pro-McCarthy bias throughout this book. However, after reading the book myself, I found Evans was very evenhanded and willing to point out McCarthy's errors and personal faults. The book clearly indicates Evans was more interested in digging out the facts, analyzing the facts and drawing his conclusions based on the facts. I think the following quote reflects his approach:
"What the disclosures do mean is that the whole question of his [McCarthy's:] cases needs to be reexamined in the light of the new information, and can't be dismissed out of hand with sweeping statements about the absurdity of the larger thesis."
In Blacklisted By History, Evans does not simply focus on Joe McCarthy and the events surrounding his assault on Communism in the American government during the 1950s. He divides his book into six parts. In Part 1, Evans includes the previously mentioned Prologue and then provides background information about Joe McCarthy, the events surrounding his committee's investigation and accusations and what Evans thinks is an inaccurate "caricature" of Senator Joe McCarthy (Prologue - Chapters 1-5).
Evans spends a significant amount of time (Chapters 6-13) establishing the relevance of other investigations into Communist activity during the several decades prior to Senator McCarthy's entrance into the national spotlight. Although this section is at times tedious and time consuming, I think it provided Evans with an invaluable and solid support for the material he later collected on the McCarthy years. Evans indicates that few Americans are even aware of this information, let alone have spent the time and effort to collect and piece together this kind of groundwork material before launching an attack on Senator McCarthy.
Moving into Part III, Evans enters the era of Senator Joe McCarthy (1950). The first thing he addresses is all of the accusations hurled at McCarthy shortly after his now infamous speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, where he allegedly stated that there were at that time 205 Communists still employed in the State Department. McCarthy insisted he referred to only 57, referring to the 205 figure from a letter written by the Secretary of State James Byrnes in 1946. Soon, a perjury investigation ensued which led to calls for McCarthy's formal censure and removal from his Senate seat. Evans meets this head-on and lays out the results of his interviews and document searches which correct the record and actually exonerate McCarty.
According to Evan's research, even John Howe (aid to Senator William Benton), one of McCarthy's severest critics, later admitted after reviewing this new evidence that the news stories about McCarthy were fallacious and he was innocent of perjury. Evans states that with the exception of one book on McCarthy (bottom of page 193) John Howe's memo chronicling the errors made about Senator McCarthy's statements would "...all but vanish from chronicles of the era--ignored in most studies of McCarthy, referred to obliquely and not too accurately in a couple, and otherwise consigned to the oblivion of the archives (and hard to locate there). Likewise, the misgivings expressed by Howe were kept discreetly private, and may be found today only by rummaging through ancient papers. By such devices do facts of record, for purposes of political history, become officially nonexistent."
In Chapters 18-23, Evans really shows off his skill for getting behind the scenes regarding what and why McCarthy's critics were so hell-bent on removing him from political service. He does this as an example to others who may also desire to mount a similar crusade by digging into the less than desirable internal affairs of the U.S. government. He reveals the Tydings hearings for the sham they really were by uncovering memo correspondence (some even involving President Truman) that clearly demonstrated the hypocrisy of the hearings. Tydings and his committee were tasked to conduct (according to the terms of Senate Rule 231) a "full and complete investigation as to whether personnel disloyal to the United States are or have been employed by the Department of State." However, rather than the committee doing this, they left the investigating up to McCarthy with a view toward eventually bringing charges against him, his public disgrace and eventual removal from the U.S. Senate. For me, this part of the book was the most interesting, revealing, and at the same time, the most embarrassing to me as a U.S. citizen.
Evans provides this surprising summary of Part III: "Throughout, the White House, Department of Justice, and other agencies of the Truman government showed far more interest in tracking down McCarthy's sources than in uncovering alleged Soviet agents or Communist Part members, or in addressing the lax security standards deployed by the LRB [Loyalty Review Board:]. In view of the Truman administration, the problem with Joe McCarthy was not that he didn't have inside sources of loyalty data but that he all too obviously did. Which was from a national security standpoint beneficial, as information on such cases was sorely needed."
In Part IV, Evans pulls the kid gloves off and begins naming names. He opens the section by saying, "It is impossible to understand the McCarthy ear and its security wars without fist understanding something of Harry Truman--which, however, is no easy task. One this subject, and certain others, Truman is a hard man to figure." Without coming right out and stating that the entire Red security debacle was President Truman's fault, he does debunk the historical assertion that Truman had, through his aggressive loyalty program, actually cleaned up all of the Communist security risks before 1950 when McCarthy allegedly came barging in with his outrageous charges. Evans begins to pick this viewpoint apart by a systematic, person-by-person accounting Chapters 24-32) of case file evidence pertaining to key Communist employees still in the U.S. government. Evans summarizes Truman's claim as follows: "Sad to say, this portrayal of Truman's policy on the home front is almost entirely fiction." One key point that Evans makes is noting that the loyalty/security problems weren't entirely Truman's failure as the Communist infiltration into the U.S. government grew mostly out of the FDR years.
Evans begins to wrap up his impressive research by covering some of McCarthy's successes (reelection to his Senate seat in 1952 and appointment as chairman to important committee and subcommittee positions, and his failures, personal and public. He summarizes his conclusions about McCarthy as follows:
"Measured by the total record of his cases and political battles, McCarthy, whatever his faults, was a good man and true--better and truer by far than the tag teams of cover-up artists and backstage plotters who connived unceasingly to destroy him. In the end he perished, politically and otherwise, in the rubble he pulled down around him. Yet when the final chapter in the conflict with Moscow was written, amid you another pile of rubble, he was not without his triumph."
Finally, I appreciated very much the way Evans cited his source documentation in this book, especially when he added additional explanatory or clarification notes at the bottom of the applicable page, allowing the reader an opportunity to quickly review the information right then or return to it at a later time. For the fact checkers out there, Evans provides an impressive 24-page Note section of cited information, quotes, documents and much more. Amazingly, he also provides the reader with a Prologue or Preface of sorts explaining important points about his Notes section and follows this with a short Appendix of actual printed copies of "The McCarthy Lists" which McCarthy had, in fact, provided to Senator Millard Tydings identifying more than 100 suspects (critics still claim to this day that this list never existed). An interesting section of Acknowledgments follows, as well as a 20-page Subject Index.
Whether you agree with Evans' conclusions or simply dismiss his attempt to set the record straight on Joe McCarthy, one thing is very evident, any serious reexamination of the McCarthy era crusade against Communists in our federal government must include this impressive book by M. Stanton Evans.
Initial impression of Evans' book is the sheer size of the volume (663 pages, 45 Chapters). It quickly becomes apparent that this is no incidental survey or overview of the subject of Senator Joe McCarthy. The 11-page Prologue wets the reader's appetite by revealing what the author's goals were, what his (and his staff's) investigative method and source locations were and their commitment to leaving no stone unturned in seeking to uncover all available first-hand documentation, reexamining sources cited by previous authors, and a careful examination of the pertinent information contained in the former Soviet Union's "Venona" files. In short, this was a very serious undertaking with a view toward discovering and telling "The Untold Story Of Senator Joe McCarthy And His Fight Against America's Enemies."
In a number of Book Reviews and comments on Amazon.com, Evans has been accused of having a pro-McCarthy bias throughout this book. However, after reading the book myself, I found Evans was very evenhanded and willing to point out McCarthy's errors and personal faults. The book clearly indicates Evans was more interested in digging out the facts, analyzing the facts and drawing his conclusions based on the facts. I think the following quote reflects his approach:
"What the disclosures do mean is that the whole question of his [McCarthy's:] cases needs to be reexamined in the light of the new information, and can't be dismissed out of hand with sweeping statements about the absurdity of the larger thesis."
In Blacklisted By History, Evans does not simply focus on Joe McCarthy and the events surrounding his assault on Communism in the American government during the 1950s. He divides his book into six parts. In Part 1, Evans includes the previously mentioned Prologue and then provides background information about Joe McCarthy, the events surrounding his committee's investigation and accusations and what Evans thinks is an inaccurate "caricature" of Senator Joe McCarthy (Prologue - Chapters 1-5).
Evans spends a significant amount of time (Chapters 6-13) establishing the relevance of other investigations into Communist activity during the several decades prior to Senator McCarthy's entrance into the national spotlight. Although this section is at times tedious and time consuming, I think it provided Evans with an invaluable and solid support for the material he later collected on the McCarthy years. Evans indicates that few Americans are even aware of this information, let alone have spent the time and effort to collect and piece together this kind of groundwork material before launching an attack on Senator McCarthy.
Moving into Part III, Evans enters the era of Senator Joe McCarthy (1950). The first thing he addresses is all of the accusations hurled at McCarthy shortly after his now infamous speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, where he allegedly stated that there were at that time 205 Communists still employed in the State Department. McCarthy insisted he referred to only 57, referring to the 205 figure from a letter written by the Secretary of State James Byrnes in 1946. Soon, a perjury investigation ensued which led to calls for McCarthy's formal censure and removal from his Senate seat. Evans meets this head-on and lays out the results of his interviews and document searches which correct the record and actually exonerate McCarty.
According to Evan's research, even John Howe (aid to Senator William Benton), one of McCarthy's severest critics, later admitted after reviewing this new evidence that the news stories about McCarthy were fallacious and he was innocent of perjury. Evans states that with the exception of one book on McCarthy (bottom of page 193) John Howe's memo chronicling the errors made about Senator McCarthy's statements would "...all but vanish from chronicles of the era--ignored in most studies of McCarthy, referred to obliquely and not too accurately in a couple, and otherwise consigned to the oblivion of the archives (and hard to locate there). Likewise, the misgivings expressed by Howe were kept discreetly private, and may be found today only by rummaging through ancient papers. By such devices do facts of record, for purposes of political history, become officially nonexistent."
In Chapters 18-23, Evans really shows off his skill for getting behind the scenes regarding what and why McCarthy's critics were so hell-bent on removing him from political service. He does this as an example to others who may also desire to mount a similar crusade by digging into the less than desirable internal affairs of the U.S. government. He reveals the Tydings hearings for the sham they really were by uncovering memo correspondence (some even involving President Truman) that clearly demonstrated the hypocrisy of the hearings. Tydings and his committee were tasked to conduct (according to the terms of Senate Rule 231) a "full and complete investigation as to whether personnel disloyal to the United States are or have been employed by the Department of State." However, rather than the committee doing this, they left the investigating up to McCarthy with a view toward eventually bringing charges against him, his public disgrace and eventual removal from the U.S. Senate. For me, this part of the book was the most interesting, revealing, and at the same time, the most embarrassing to me as a U.S. citizen.
Evans provides this surprising summary of Part III: "Throughout, the White House, Department of Justice, and other agencies of the Truman government showed far more interest in tracking down McCarthy's sources than in uncovering alleged Soviet agents or Communist Part members, or in addressing the lax security standards deployed by the LRB [Loyalty Review Board:]. In view of the Truman administration, the problem with Joe McCarthy was not that he didn't have inside sources of loyalty data but that he all too obviously did. Which was from a national security standpoint beneficial, as information on such cases was sorely needed."
In Part IV, Evans pulls the kid gloves off and begins naming names. He opens the section by saying, "It is impossible to understand the McCarthy ear and its security wars without fist understanding something of Harry Truman--which, however, is no easy task. One this subject, and certain others, Truman is a hard man to figure." Without coming right out and stating that the entire Red security debacle was President Truman's fault, he does debunk the historical assertion that Truman had, through his aggressive loyalty program, actually cleaned up all of the Communist security risks before 1950 when McCarthy allegedly came barging in with his outrageous charges. Evans begins to pick this viewpoint apart by a systematic, person-by-person accounting Chapters 24-32) of case file evidence pertaining to key Communist employees still in the U.S. government. Evans summarizes Truman's claim as follows: "Sad to say, this portrayal of Truman's policy on the home front is almost entirely fiction." One key point that Evans makes is noting that the loyalty/security problems weren't entirely Truman's failure as the Communist infiltration into the U.S. government grew mostly out of the FDR years.
Evans begins to wrap up his impressive research by covering some of McCarthy's successes (reelection to his Senate seat in 1952 and appointment as chairman to important committee and subcommittee positions, and his failures, personal and public. He summarizes his conclusions about McCarthy as follows:
"Measured by the total record of his cases and political battles, McCarthy, whatever his faults, was a good man and true--better and truer by far than the tag teams of cover-up artists and backstage plotters who connived unceasingly to destroy him. In the end he perished, politically and otherwise, in the rubble he pulled down around him. Yet when the final chapter in the conflict with Moscow was written, amid you another pile of rubble, he was not without his triumph."
Finally, I appreciated very much the way Evans cited his source documentation in this book, especially when he added additional explanatory or clarification notes at the bottom of the applicable page, allowing the reader an opportunity to quickly review the information right then or return to it at a later time. For the fact checkers out there, Evans provides an impressive 24-page Note section of cited information, quotes, documents and much more. Amazingly, he also provides the reader with a Prologue or Preface of sorts explaining important points about his Notes section and follows this with a short Appendix of actual printed copies of "The McCarthy Lists" which McCarthy had, in fact, provided to Senator Millard Tydings identifying more than 100 suspects (critics still claim to this day that this list never existed). An interesting section of Acknowledgments follows, as well as a 20-page Subject Index.
Whether you agree with Evans' conclusions or simply dismiss his attempt to set the record straight on Joe McCarthy, one thing is very evident, any serious reexamination of the McCarthy era crusade against Communists in our federal government must include this impressive book by M. Stanton Evans.
July 19, 2025
Wow !
Some of the more important take aways for me:
1. The disclosure of the Venona files by Moscow after the fall of the USSR in 1991 prove that many of the suspects McCarthy snared in his web were in fact named in these files, confirming that McCarthy was right in many of these cases.
2. It seems to me that from the testimony included, that McCarthy conducted himself in an honorable manner, respecting others and the process. Though I do know that the narrative carried forward by the historical press is otherwise.
3. Fast forward to 1/6/2021 and the insurrection. My hope is that in 40 years the files for these events (if not already destroyed) will be released so we can know the truth. Though I do understand that many believe that the files were in fact deleted or destroyed. But this is instructive of the McCarthy era. The mainstream media narrative can carry a lot of disguise and cover for the real story. The free press was given the first amendment to protect we the people, not the politicians in office. That needs to be fixed ASAP.
4. One of the complaints (narrative) I’ve heard about McCarthy were his tactics. This book presented the tactics that two Presidents (Truman & Eisenhower) used against him when McCarty investigated subversion / disloyalty in the State Department (under Truman) and in the Army (under Eisenhower). Stated simply, both Presidents stonewalled his investigations and refused to cooperate, in a few instances citing Executive Privilege. As a result, McCarthy was unable to root out Russian Spies that were working in the US Government.
5. Somehow, McCarthy’s name should be cleared of this smear.
Some of the more important take aways for me:
1. The disclosure of the Venona files by Moscow after the fall of the USSR in 1991 prove that many of the suspects McCarthy snared in his web were in fact named in these files, confirming that McCarthy was right in many of these cases.
2. It seems to me that from the testimony included, that McCarthy conducted himself in an honorable manner, respecting others and the process. Though I do know that the narrative carried forward by the historical press is otherwise.
3. Fast forward to 1/6/2021 and the insurrection. My hope is that in 40 years the files for these events (if not already destroyed) will be released so we can know the truth. Though I do understand that many believe that the files were in fact deleted or destroyed. But this is instructive of the McCarthy era. The mainstream media narrative can carry a lot of disguise and cover for the real story. The free press was given the first amendment to protect we the people, not the politicians in office. That needs to be fixed ASAP.
4. One of the complaints (narrative) I’ve heard about McCarthy were his tactics. This book presented the tactics that two Presidents (Truman & Eisenhower) used against him when McCarty investigated subversion / disloyalty in the State Department (under Truman) and in the Army (under Eisenhower). Stated simply, both Presidents stonewalled his investigations and refused to cooperate, in a few instances citing Executive Privilege. As a result, McCarthy was unable to root out Russian Spies that were working in the US Government.
5. Somehow, McCarthy’s name should be cleared of this smear.
May 30, 2017
Even though this book is long I could not put it down. It is filled with so much documented information of the period in questions where we had lots of security problems in our government and cover up schemes which worked at the time. Some of the obstruction to getting at the truth done then is a constant reminder that nothing has changed today as similar tactics are used.
Fortunately, this book lists names and supporting documents to prove Senator McCarthy was right all along that our government had been infiltrated by Soviet Communist moles. There were people in the Senate who perjured themselves and slandered Senator McCarthy with impunity. Newscasters such as Edward R. Murrow did a "number" in his news reporting on Sen. McCarthy as well but has later been revealed that a close personal friend of his was listed as a Communist by Whittaker Chambers and Hede Massing both ex Communists which was later proved true by data from the Soviet archives - Verona Report. (See page 610 in Notes of this book)
Amazing how so many of those who trashed Senator McCarthy held high government positions were blinded by educated and well respected persons who were actually Communists. It seems that not many in the Senate cared about getting to the truth - Was there Communist in the government? Sen McCarthy has been accused of going on a witch hunt but testimony of former Communists and the Verona papers from the Russian archives revealed many of the Communist moles that were in our government also revealed by Whittaker Chambers and Elizabeth Bentley, former Soviet espionage agents who broke from the Communist Party and went to the FBI which led to Senator McCarthy's investigations. Many Communists and fellow travelers were in high positions promoting policies against the U.S. (Algier Hiss, Owen Lattimore, Philip Jaffe, Sol Adler, people in Voice of America to name a few). The State Department covered for many of these individuals and the accused personal files were "rifled through" removing document that were probably very revealing about the employee and would prove embarrassing to the State Department. One such individual given frequent access to the file was high ranking employee later revealed as a Communist. Page 287. Did he or did he not expunge these files?
Subsequent investigations at the Army at Ft. Monmouth, NJ. when Senator McCarthy and Attorney Roy Cohn started investigations after receiving information that there was a big security problem there. The Army higher ups circled the wagons, sequestered one concerned General who wanted to have the investigation and was never able to testify. The Army's lawyer, Joseph Welch, who actually outed his own lawyer who was a communist before the hearings then accused Sen. McCarthy with "Have you no decency" tirade when it was again revealed and we saw the results with the censure of Senator McCarthy. See Page 568 New York Times story April 16, 1954 re the attorney in question. The book reveals a terrifying time of lies, coverups, slander, and perjury that took place in our government
At the time, the Truman administration did not want to use the term Communists as the administration was trying to placate the Soviets. Does this sound familiar today with the current administration using work place violence for Nidal Hassan, a radical Islamist, who murder of our soldiers at Ft. Hood. It seems history is repeating itself.
Fortunately, this book lists names and supporting documents to prove Senator McCarthy was right all along that our government had been infiltrated by Soviet Communist moles. There were people in the Senate who perjured themselves and slandered Senator McCarthy with impunity. Newscasters such as Edward R. Murrow did a "number" in his news reporting on Sen. McCarthy as well but has later been revealed that a close personal friend of his was listed as a Communist by Whittaker Chambers and Hede Massing both ex Communists which was later proved true by data from the Soviet archives - Verona Report. (See page 610 in Notes of this book)
Amazing how so many of those who trashed Senator McCarthy held high government positions were blinded by educated and well respected persons who were actually Communists. It seems that not many in the Senate cared about getting to the truth - Was there Communist in the government? Sen McCarthy has been accused of going on a witch hunt but testimony of former Communists and the Verona papers from the Russian archives revealed many of the Communist moles that were in our government also revealed by Whittaker Chambers and Elizabeth Bentley, former Soviet espionage agents who broke from the Communist Party and went to the FBI which led to Senator McCarthy's investigations. Many Communists and fellow travelers were in high positions promoting policies against the U.S. (Algier Hiss, Owen Lattimore, Philip Jaffe, Sol Adler, people in Voice of America to name a few). The State Department covered for many of these individuals and the accused personal files were "rifled through" removing document that were probably very revealing about the employee and would prove embarrassing to the State Department. One such individual given frequent access to the file was high ranking employee later revealed as a Communist. Page 287. Did he or did he not expunge these files?
Subsequent investigations at the Army at Ft. Monmouth, NJ. when Senator McCarthy and Attorney Roy Cohn started investigations after receiving information that there was a big security problem there. The Army higher ups circled the wagons, sequestered one concerned General who wanted to have the investigation and was never able to testify. The Army's lawyer, Joseph Welch, who actually outed his own lawyer who was a communist before the hearings then accused Sen. McCarthy with "Have you no decency" tirade when it was again revealed and we saw the results with the censure of Senator McCarthy. See Page 568 New York Times story April 16, 1954 re the attorney in question. The book reveals a terrifying time of lies, coverups, slander, and perjury that took place in our government
At the time, the Truman administration did not want to use the term Communists as the administration was trying to placate the Soviets. Does this sound familiar today with the current administration using work place violence for Nidal Hassan, a radical Islamist, who murder of our soldiers at Ft. Hood. It seems history is repeating itself.
August 6, 2022
Blacklisted by History does a great deal to dispel many of the myths surrounding Joe McCarthy, so-called "McCarthyism," and the allegedly contrived "Red scare" of the 1950s. In so doing, M. Stanton Evans doesn't attempt to paint McCarthy as a saint. His mistakes were real and, in some ways, significant. But among those mistakes was not making false claims about communist penetration of the American government. Yes, there were communist infiltrators in America, and yes they did enjoy broad leeway and influence over policy during the Roosevelt and Truman administrations. Whatever else may be said of McCarthy, what cannot be said is that the problem he sought to address, by bringing it out into the open, was fake. Many of the figures McCarthy accused of being closet communists turned out, as Evans shows, to be exactly that.
Depending on how much else the reader has read of this era of American history, Evans' revelations - for instance, about the depth of communist penetration of the State and Treasury departments, during and after World War II - may be shocking. There's a good deal else that is shocking, too, not the least of which is the lengths that both the Truman and the Eisenhower administrations went to shut McCarthy up, and by extension to offer protection to subversive agents within their own governments. Evans does not suggest that these two presidents did so out of sympathy for the communist cause - though, both being liberals, it must be allowed that there was a demonstrable level of affinity between American liberalism and communism at the time, an affinity that has by no means completely dissipated in ours. But Evans shows in detail just how far politicians were willing to go to avoid acknowledging error and confronting problems, including ignoring subpoenas, hiding evidence, and using executive privilege to issue gag orders. These events, and the liberal media and historical establishment's fawning support for them, comes across as more than a little strange in 2022, given recent events.
Evans has thus offered a necessary reconsideration not only of McCarthy, but of the entire era. How does our understanding of the post-World War II era change if we see McCarthy not as a monster, but as a flawed man grappling with a real problem? If McCarthy was right, even to a degree, what of our understanding of the period is wrong? As the problem of leftist radicalism in American government has never quite gone away, and indeed has been born anew in recent years, remembering yesterday's battles for the country's soul is an illuminating endeavor.
Depending on how much else the reader has read of this era of American history, Evans' revelations - for instance, about the depth of communist penetration of the State and Treasury departments, during and after World War II - may be shocking. There's a good deal else that is shocking, too, not the least of which is the lengths that both the Truman and the Eisenhower administrations went to shut McCarthy up, and by extension to offer protection to subversive agents within their own governments. Evans does not suggest that these two presidents did so out of sympathy for the communist cause - though, both being liberals, it must be allowed that there was a demonstrable level of affinity between American liberalism and communism at the time, an affinity that has by no means completely dissipated in ours. But Evans shows in detail just how far politicians were willing to go to avoid acknowledging error and confronting problems, including ignoring subpoenas, hiding evidence, and using executive privilege to issue gag orders. These events, and the liberal media and historical establishment's fawning support for them, comes across as more than a little strange in 2022, given recent events.
Evans has thus offered a necessary reconsideration not only of McCarthy, but of the entire era. How does our understanding of the post-World War II era change if we see McCarthy not as a monster, but as a flawed man grappling with a real problem? If McCarthy was right, even to a degree, what of our understanding of the period is wrong? As the problem of leftist radicalism in American government has never quite gone away, and indeed has been born anew in recent years, remembering yesterday's battles for the country's soul is an illuminating endeavor.
July 9, 2014
Another one off my son's political economy shelf. When I asked him how it was, he said "thorough," and that about sums it up. All of this happened before I was born, so I've mostly only heard the politically correct version of events: crazy Joe seeing commies under every bed. More recent news stories from the declassified Soviet files, confirming virtually everything McCarthy said, haven't affected the narrative much, as shown by George Clooney's 2005 film "Good Night and Good Luck."
In a way, though, it all seems faintly quaint. The government was full of committed socialists, working behind the scenes to affect public policy while protecting each other and lying about their ideological opponents? This is news?
In a way, though, it all seems faintly quaint. The government was full of committed socialists, working behind the scenes to affect public policy while protecting each other and lying about their ideological opponents? This is news?
February 1, 2018
This is an excellent and well written book. We are too quick to believe history painted by oneside. Joe McCarthy was a brilliant man - if it weren't for him we might be speaking Russian today. Luckily, today we can go back to the sources and find the truth - there were Soviet Spies in the very highest levels of government. People like to paint the soviet scare as a non-issue, which it was not. They try to paint McCarthy as responsible for every bad thing that was done during this time when he was only invovled in the senate investigations. Reading this book will make you think and if it does nothing more than make you investigate and decide for yourself what happened it will be worth your time.
April 30, 2011
"Accused of creating a bogus Red Scare and smearing countless innocent victims in a five-year reign of terror...his name remains synonymous with witch hunts."
Was McCarthy right all along? This book explores that question and answers it in a way that may surprise some-- Yes. He was. History has proven his concerns to be true, and this book documents the communist infiltration that took place in the highest levels of our government from the 1930s on. How much damage has been done to America and to the world because we as a nation refused to believe the unthinkable?
See my full review at www.cathyf.org
Was McCarthy right all along? This book explores that question and answers it in a way that may surprise some-- Yes. He was. History has proven his concerns to be true, and this book documents the communist infiltration that took place in the highest levels of our government from the 1930s on. How much damage has been done to America and to the world because we as a nation refused to believe the unthinkable?
See my full review at www.cathyf.org
November 16, 2014
The truth
I have read many books on the history of the US, most recently relating to the FDR, Truman and now Eisenhower administrations. McCarthy was so thoroughly vilified by the press and historians that it leads me to believe there was another story behind it all. That story is brilliantly exposed here. In reality, McCarthy was right. There were serious lapses in our security and hundreds of communist agents in our own government, relaying to Moscow our most sensitive secrets. Even Ike was part of this, and if a conspiracy ever existed, the communist infiltration, dating back to 1933, and its coverup is the monumental conspiracy of all time. Read this book.
I have read many books on the history of the US, most recently relating to the FDR, Truman and now Eisenhower administrations. McCarthy was so thoroughly vilified by the press and historians that it leads me to believe there was another story behind it all. That story is brilliantly exposed here. In reality, McCarthy was right. There were serious lapses in our security and hundreds of communist agents in our own government, relaying to Moscow our most sensitive secrets. Even Ike was part of this, and if a conspiracy ever existed, the communist infiltration, dating back to 1933, and its coverup is the monumental conspiracy of all time. Read this book.
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