70 SPECIALPROVIDENCEwouldhaveembarrasseda Caesar.TheUnitedStatesgovernmentwas,in
otherwords,lookingmoreandmoreliketheoldimperialstatesofCon-
tinentalEurope.And,atleastasfarastheconcentrationofpowerinthe
executive went,mostforeignpolicy professionals thoughtthis was a
goodidea.Congress,a theoreticallycoequalbranchofgovernmentwhose
roleinforeignpolicyhadbeendesignedbytheFoundingFathers,was
consideredaninterferingbusybodybythediplomatsofthenewdispen-
sation. Thefuddy-duddyFoundersintheir isolationhad,arguedthe
ColdWarriors, signallyfailed todesign a Constitutionsuitablefora
greatpower.
ThedomesticlegislationoftheFoundingFathersalsocametolook
outdatedas thepreceptsofContinentalrealismtightenedtheirgripin
theColdWaryears.Sen.JosephMcCarthywasonlythemostextreme
voiceofa largechorusclaimingthatthe harshrealitiesoftheinter-
nationalscene madetraditional American concepts ofcivil liberties
obsolete.
PartlybecauseSenatorMcCarthyandotherssogrosslyoverreactedin
the1950S,scoffingatthehystericsofanticommunismbecamea favorite
sportofAmericanintellectuals,withmanyinspiringreflectionsonthe
courageofthosewhorefused,oftenatconsiderablepersonalandprofes-
sionalcost,to"namenames"orotherwisecooperatewithvariouscon-
gressionalandstateinvestigations.Thisisallverywell,andtheabuses
werereal,butonemustalsorememberthatthecommunistmovement
wasoneofthegreathorrorsofworldhistory,responsibleforuntoldsuf-
feringanduncountablemillionsofdeaths.Furthermore,althoughhisto-
rianshavenotyetandmaynoteverworkoutthenumericalproportions,
a significantnumberofAmericanCommunistsdidinfactdoeverything
intheirpowertoassisttheforeignpolicyoftheSovietUnion.
"Anti-::tnticommunists" notedthatmanymembers ofCommunist
parties inthe UnitedStatesand elsewherewere good-hearted social
idealistsmotivatedmorebygenuinepassionforracialandsocialjustice
thanbyanydesiretobuildStalinistpolicestates.Thiswas true,and
fromthestandpointofevaluatingtheintentionsandmotivesofmany
honestAmericanCommunists,itshouldnotbeforgotten.
Nevertheless,thecapacityofcommunistideologytocapturesomeof
thefinestmindsandkeenestconsciencesofthedaymadecommunism
morefrightening,dangerous,anddisgusting,notless;theabilitytoper-
vertthegoodmakesa badthingworse.
Evenso,theideathatmeremembershipina politicalparty,however
poisonousormisguided,couldbaranAmericancitizenfromcertainpro-