When do you change your mind about Joe McCarthy?

[CrusaderFrank]

I learned that McCarthy was a bad man who used his power and the House Unamerican Activities Committee to blacklist good, decent, totally innocent Americans. He was evil, a drunk, a bully, a bad, bad man.

That was then.

Since then the Soviets themselves admit that they had a robust spy operation at State Department with highly placed people operating entire networks of spies who reported to Moscow and did their bidding, undermining our efforts and enhancing the Communist positions the world over

It matters because Soviet operatives at State handed Yugoslavia to Tito, China to Mao and goaded the USA to take a hard line against the Japanese prior to Pearl Harbor. The Japanese had kicked the crap out of the Russians at the turn of the century and Moscow wanted the USA and Japan to come to blows.

Between Venona and tens of thousands of pages of declassified FBI documents, we have a mountain of solid evidence and reports describing in vivid detail the extent of the Soviet penetration. All the facts, the paper trail, the confessions from Moscow confirm that Joe McCarthy got it right.

At what point do you admit that you need to reevaluate what you've been taught about McCarthy?

 

[Luissa]

I have never changed my mind.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

I have never changed my mind.

Meaning you knew all along he was right or you're impervious to 80,000 pages of documents proving him correct?

 

[PoliticalChic]

I learned that McCarthy was a bad man who used his power and the House Unamerican Activities Committee to blacklist good, decent, totally innocent Americans. He was evil, a drunk, a bully, a bad, bad man.

That was then.

Since then the Soviets themselves admit that they had a robust spy operation at State Department with highly placed people operating entire networks of spies who reported to Moscow and did their bidding, undermining our efforts and enhancing the Communist positions the world over

It matters because Soviet operatives at State handed Yugoslavia to Tito, China to Mao and goaded the USA to take a hard line against the Japaneses prior to Pearl Harbor. The Japanese had kicked the crap out of the Russians at the turn of the century and Moscow wanted the USA and Japan to come to blows.

Between Venona and tens of thousands of pages of declassified FBI documents, we have a mountain of solid evidence and reports describing in vivid detail the extent of the Soviet penetration. All the facts, the paper trail, the confessions from Moscow confirm that Joe McCarthy got it right.

At what point do you admit that you need to reevaluate what you've been taught about McCarthy?

Somewhere between reading 'In Denial: Historians, Communism, and Espionage" by Klehr and Haynes, and ‘The Sword and the Shield: The Mitrokhin Archives, the History of the KGB,” by Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin.

Or maybe it was "Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America," also by Haynes and Klehr...


I certainly recommend same to anyone whose mind has never changed re: Senator McCarthy.


And thenn follow it up with the compilation "The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression," because, as Alexander Pope so insightfully stated:

"A little Learning is a dang'rous Thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring."

 

[theDoctorisIn]

So, what exactly did Dalton Trumbo, Ring Lardner, and Paul Robeson do? What state secrets did they sell to the Soviets?

 

[PoliticalChic]

So, what exactly did Dalton Trumbo, Ring Lardner, and Paul Robeson do? What state secrets did they sell to the Soviets?

I would love to respond, and explain the impact that 'fellow travelers' have throughout history, but, frankly, I find that avatar so disgusting I'll have to pass.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

So, what exactly did Dalton Trumbo, Ring Lardner, and Paul Robeson do? What state secrets did they sell to the Soviets?

I would love to respond, and explain the impact that 'fellow travelers' have throughout history, but, frankly, I find that avatar so disgusting I'll have to pass.

Whatever you say.

 

[Intense]

I learned that McCarthy was a bad man who used his power and the House Unamerican Activities Committee to blacklist good, decent, totally innocent Americans. He was evil, a drunk, a bully, a bad, bad man.

That was then.

Since then the Soviets themselves admit that they had a robust spy operation at State Department with highly placed people operating entire networks of spies who reported to Moscow and did their bidding, undermining our efforts and enhancing the Communist positions the world over

It matters because Soviet operatives at State handed Yugoslavia to Tito, China to Mao and goaded the USA to take a hard line against the Japanese prior to Pearl Harbor. The Japanese had kicked the crap out of the Russians at the turn of the century and Moscow wanted the USA and Japan to come to blows.

Between Venona and tens of thousands of pages of declassified FBI documents, we have a mountain of solid evidence and reports describing in vivid detail the extent of the Soviet penetration. All the facts, the paper trail, the confessions from Moscow confirm that Joe McCarthy got it right.

At what point do you admit that you need to reevaluate what you've been taught about McCarthy?

I did back in the 80's.

 

[Defiant1]

McCarthy has always been a hero to me.

I'm glad I don't have to change my mind. I hate doing that.