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A Genius for Confusion: Joseph R. McCarthy
This new biography of Joseph R. McCarthy shows how the Wisconsin Senator’s campaign against American Communists prized sensation above truth. McCarthy often put aside his hunt for Reds while he pursued his anti-communist critics. He fought foes not just with noisy accusations but with covert gossip. He was gullible enough that some con artists managed to lure him on wild goose chases. The man who charged others with being “dupes” was sometimes one himself.
Historian Fried’s book builds on over a decade’s research in a multitude of sources, many of them newly opened—not just McCarthy’s own papers but those of forty-seven Senate colleagues, plus records of journalists, observers, and activists. It brings to light such theatrical episodes as a CIA “op” against McCarthy as well as Joe’s wild goose chase after Soviet security chief Lavrenti Beria in Spain. The resulting multi-focal perspective on the political and institutional setting in which McCarthy operated with such abandon is full of drama.
Historian Fried’s book builds on over a decade’s research in a multitude of sources, many of them newly opened—not just McCarthy’s own papers but those of forty-seven Senate colleagues, plus records of journalists, observers, and activists. It brings to light such theatrical episodes as a CIA “op” against McCarthy as well as Joe’s wild goose chase after Soviet security chief Lavrenti Beria in Spain. The resulting multi-focal perspective on the political and institutional setting in which McCarthy operated with such abandon is full of drama.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published August 15, 2022
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 1, 2023
It's useful to learn about the McCarthy Era. I'm on a professional mission (doomed to fail, of course) to convince people to remove or limit use of the word unprecedented from their vocabularies when talking about American politics. Much of what we're dealing with today has happened already, in different contexts perpetrated by long-dead demagogues.
The reason you may be interested in this concise, cradle-to-grave biography by Rick Fried (who appeared on my podcast, History As It Happens, to discuss it) is you'll see how effective -- how potent -- lying is as a form of asymmetrical warfare. If you carpet bomb your foes with enough bullshit, you can make it impossible for them to effectively respond, leaving them permanently on the defensive. And when you're always on the defensive, you can't help but sound like someone who's denying something, no matter how absurd the charge.
Fried excels at placing McCarthy in his proper context -- the anti-Communism of post-war America. 1949 -- what a year! China falls to Mao, the Soviets tested a bomb, and the Alger Hiss trial. The following year Stalin ordered the invasion of South Korea. Democrats and Republicans were anti-Communists, although they could differ in the intensity and focus of their anti-communism, i.e., on international developments or domestic subversion.
McCarthy brought about his own demise because he eventually aimed his lies at the wrong institution, the (Eisenhower's) U.S. Army. Still, his run lasted until 1954. In the end, Senator Joseph McCarthy never found any spies or dangerous people working in the U.S. government -- at a time when there were, of course, actual Communist spies operating in the United States. He drank himself to death shortly after his disgrace. Good riddance.
The reason you may be interested in this concise, cradle-to-grave biography by Rick Fried (who appeared on my podcast, History As It Happens, to discuss it) is you'll see how effective -- how potent -- lying is as a form of asymmetrical warfare. If you carpet bomb your foes with enough bullshit, you can make it impossible for them to effectively respond, leaving them permanently on the defensive. And when you're always on the defensive, you can't help but sound like someone who's denying something, no matter how absurd the charge.
Fried excels at placing McCarthy in his proper context -- the anti-Communism of post-war America. 1949 -- what a year! China falls to Mao, the Soviets tested a bomb, and the Alger Hiss trial. The following year Stalin ordered the invasion of South Korea. Democrats and Republicans were anti-Communists, although they could differ in the intensity and focus of their anti-communism, i.e., on international developments or domestic subversion.
McCarthy brought about his own demise because he eventually aimed his lies at the wrong institution, the (Eisenhower's) U.S. Army. Still, his run lasted until 1954. In the end, Senator Joseph McCarthy never found any spies or dangerous people working in the U.S. government -- at a time when there were, of course, actual Communist spies operating in the United States. He drank himself to death shortly after his disgrace. Good riddance.
July 5, 2024
Long winded; only people interested in late '40's and 1950's "red" scare will be able to finish.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews