336 ChaPter^6
ably the most revered military leader in American history next to George
Washington, was a dupe of the communists because he reported truthfully
about the influence of the Chinese communists. The Wisconsin senator, along
with Nixon and many others, including a young aide named Robert Kennedy,
the brother of a future president, made their careers out of accusing people
of being communist, stoking the national fear and giving the government
more power over individual freedoms and restricting constitutional rights.
McCarthy ran roughshod over his enemies, and the Constitution, gaining
the ability to ruin lives simply by accusing people of being Communists with-
out any proof. Not everyone went along with McCarthy’s crusade, however.
While Hollywood representatives were willing to criticize the red scare early
on, the first national political figure to do so was Senator Margaret Chase
Smith of Maine. On June 1st, 1950 Smith denounced McCarthy in her
“Declaration of Conscience” speech. Smith originally thought McCarthy
“was onto something disturbing and frightening” but very soon questioned
the “validity, accuracy, credibility, and fairness of his accusations. She believed
he had turned the Senate into “a forum of hate and character assassination,”FIGuRE 6-11 Senator Joseph McCarthy questions Chief Senate Counsel
representing the united States Army Joseph Welch, 1954