The Growth of American Power Through Cold and Hot Wars 327The Cold War at Home, or “Domestic Containment”
Earlier, as noted, many Americans were concerned about the “national secu-
rity state” and the growing militarization of American foreign policies. But it
had a domestic impact as well, which, as in the period from 1919 into the
1920s, we refer to as the Red Scare. In order to preserve “national security,”
American leaders looked for enemies not just abroad–in alleged Communist
countries threatening American investment, trade, and corporate power–but
also at home, and within a decade after the end of World War II, countless
Americans would be accused, most unfairly, of being disloyal, and basic liber-
ties in the U.S.–as with the PATRIOT Act and Homeland Security after the
events of September 11th, 2001–would be regularly cast aside because of the
fear of outside enemies or domestic “subversives.”
Subversion, however, was not simply restricted to those who sought to
harm the U.S. or who were disloyal. In fact, those who controlled the govern-
ment, the economy, and the media defined subversion broadly, so that virtu-
ally anyone who criticized American policies, who thought that the govern-
ment should act differently in the cold war, or who had a different, and more
comprehensive, understanding of “democracy” was considered a threat to the
national security. In this way U.S. leaders, who constantly contrasted American
“democracy” to that of the “slavery” of the Soviet Union, actually had more
in common with the Russians than was apparent or that they would ever
admit.
Government and Capitalist attacks on “disloyal” Americans had already
grown during the war, when it became easier to attack groups for their behav-
ior or political action. Total loyalty was essential to the war effort, so it was
easy to move against anyone or any organization that was deemed “different”
regarding the needs of the state for a unanimous effort against “enemies” like
Nazis or Communists. But attacks against those who were different moved
far beyond political ideas or actions. Mexican Americans, for instance, came
under attack during wartime. In Los Angeles, which was full of alarmist
reports of a “Mexican Crime Wave,” the White establishment began to iden-
tify young Mexican Americans who wore distinctive, baggy, clothing called
Zoot Suits as the source of the city’s dangers. After the murder of a young
Mexican-American man in August 1942, the Los Angeles Police Department
rounded up over 600 people, all Mexican Americans. Those arrested for the