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Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. Hi,

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Speaker 1: I'm Eves, and Welcome to This Day in History Class,

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Speaker 1: a show that uncovers history one day at a time.

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Speaker 1: Today is April twenty second, twenty nineteen. The day was

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Speaker 1: April twenty second, nineteen fifty four. US Senator Joseph McCarthy

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Speaker 1: began hearings investigating the US Army for being soft on communism.

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Speaker 1: The hearings were broadcast on the ABC in Dumont Networks

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Speaker 1: until June seventeenth, and they became a congressional spectacle. In

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Speaker 1: the early nineteen fifties, television was a growing medium in

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Speaker 1: the United States, televised congressional hearings were just gaining steam.

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Speaker 1: In March of nineteen fifty one, somewhere around thirty million

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Speaker 1: people watched the key Fover Committee hearings. To the surprise

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Speaker 1: of network executives, the hearings put organized crime big shots

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Speaker 1: on the stand and in front of millions of Americans

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Speaker 1: who had their eyes glued to the screen. It was

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Speaker 1: the most widely viewed congressional investigation ever. So the Army

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Speaker 1: McCarthy hearings were not the first ever hearings to be

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Speaker 1: broadcast but they did get Gavel to Gavel TV coverage

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Speaker 1: in tons of attention. The period in the nineteen forties

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Speaker 1: and nineteen fifties in America when a fear of communism

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Speaker 1: was pervasive is known as the Red Scare. During this time,

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Speaker 1: the House un American Activities Committee rooted out communists in

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Speaker 1: the federal government and political subversives in Hollywood. Senator McCarthy

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Speaker 1: was a prominent anti communist figure during this time, as

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Speaker 1: he hurled accusations of communism at celebrities and his opponents.

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Speaker 1: He caused people their reputations and livelihoods by manipulating the

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Speaker 1: media and smearing their names. McCarthy's bold eyes accusations got

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Speaker 1: him a lot of attention, and he became a divisive figure.

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Speaker 1: Many people saw his actions as patriotism, while others viewed

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Speaker 1: them as self serving and over zealous. Regardless, McCarthy's antics continued.

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Speaker 1: His constant attacks on suspected communists were becoming a political

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Speaker 1: problem once Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower took office in

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Speaker 1: nineteen fifty three, and by nineteen fifty four he was

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Speaker 1: falling out of favor. But McCarthy couldn't let his faime

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Speaker 1: in importance to the administration fade when G. David Shine,

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Speaker 1: one of his former investigators, was drafted into the Army.

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Speaker 1: McCarthy's Chief council Roy m cohne, pressured military officials to

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Speaker 1: give Shine special privileges, but the army refused. Issuing a

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Speaker 1: chronology of how Cone pressured the army to give Shine

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Speaker 1: preferential treatment, so McCarthy said that the army was holding

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Speaker 1: Shine hostage so he couldn't expose communists in the military.

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Speaker 1: The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which McCarthy chaired, voted

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Speaker 1: for an inquiry into his charges that the army was

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Speaker 1: soft on communism. The hearings would have live television coverage.

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Speaker 1: McCarthy was replaced as chair by Senator Carl Munt and

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Speaker 1: the hearings began on April twenty second, nineteen fifty four.

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Speaker 1: Over the thirty six days of hearings, McCarthy's outbursts and

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Speaker 1: harsh demeanor did not vote well for his future in Congress.

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Speaker 1: He often yelled point of order when he didn't like

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Speaker 1: something that was said, and he interrupted people frequently. One

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Speaker 1: of the most memorable moments of the investigation came during

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Speaker 1: his exchange with the Army's Chief Council, Joseph Welch. When

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Speaker 1: McCarthy suggested Fred Fisher, a lawyer in Welch's Boston law firm,

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Speaker 1: was a Communist sympathizer, Welch responded, in part, let us

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Speaker 1: not assassinate this lab further. Senator, you've done enough. Have

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Speaker 1: you know sense of decency? Sir? At long last? Have

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Speaker 1: you left no sense of decency. After the exchange was over,

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Speaker 1: the gallery applauded television coverage of the hearings had done

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Speaker 1: McCarthy no favors. After calling out McCarthy's staff for potentially

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Speaker 1: harboring subversives, Senator Stuart Symington said near the end of

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Speaker 1: the investigation, the American people have had a look at

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Speaker 1: you for six weeks. You are not fooling anyone. The

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Speaker 1: committee concluded that Cone, but not McCarthy, engaged in unduly

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Speaker 1: persistent or aggressive efforts in trying to get shine privileges,

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Speaker 1: and the committee said the Army had exhibited some suspicious behaviors,

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Speaker 1: though no charges were upheld against the Army. The hearings

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Speaker 1: played a huge role in McCarthy's downfall, though they were

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Speaker 1: good for the TV networks. Press about McCarthy grew more negative.

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Speaker 1: His approval ratings were dropping. Soon he was replaced as

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Speaker 1: chairman of the Investigating Committee, and in December nineteen fifty four,

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Speaker 1: the Senate voted to censure him for conduct contrary to

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Speaker 1: Senate traditions. Still, McCarthy continued to spout anti communist rhetoric.

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Speaker 1: He died in nineteen fifty seven. I'm Eve Jeffcote and

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Speaker 1: hopefully you know a little more about history today than

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Speaker 1: you did yesterday. You can find us on Twitter, Instagram,

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Speaker 1: and Facebook at TDIHC podcast. Thank you for joining me today.

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Speaker 1: See you same place, same time tomorrow.