Smithsonian Channel: 'Enemies Within Joe McCarthy- Spreading Lies and Ruining Lives'

Source:Smithsonian Channel- An Army-McCarthy hearing, from 1953-54. 

Source:The Daily Post

“Also known as “The Real American: Joe McCarthy”- The word McCarthyism has become synonymous with moral panic and any kind of resulting political witch hunt. The docudrama Enemies Within – Joe McCarthy attempts to separate the man from the myth and presents the first real comprehensive picture of one of the early “bad guys” of televised politics, his background and the political and cultural landscape that enabled his rise to power.

The film depicts the farmer’s son’s meteoric rise from freshman senator to televised “commie” hunting demagogue and finally, the lack of foresight that led him into the media circus of the “Army-McCarthy Hearings”. Blinded by his desire to be “the number one guy in Washington”, McCarthy took up misguided battles with the Army, the State Department, the CIA and even the President himself – until these forces, most notably the CIA, took active measures against him.

Following five years of extensive research through international archives, newly released material, including interviews with the last members of Joseph Raymond McCarthy’s family in his hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin, and a number of elite eyewitnesses and media historians, the film is a mixture of original footage, previously unseen archive photos / film, and dramatic original script brought to life.

Among others, names such as Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Pulitzer Prize winner Haynes Johnson, Conservative Best Seller Ann Coulter, Watergate Legend Ben Bradlee, and Ex-KGB general Oleg Kalugin lend their voices and unique insights to the rise and fall of a man who literally drank himself to death, only 2 years shy of his 50th birthday.

For the first time McCarthy’s former staff member James Juliana talks about his time with the Senator in an exclusive interview; former Harvard professor Leon Kamin reports on his experiences standing accused before the McCarthy committee as does writer and publisher Sol Stein, also a target of McCarthy’s accusations regarding his work for the Voice of America.”

From Docu Wiki

I’ve only seen certain parts of this film, but it looks very interesting from what I’ve seen. And about a very important part of the Twentieth Century. The 1940s and 50s where the fear of Communists and communism and even communists in the U.S. Government was real high. And Americans were actually worried about Communists taking over America. Which was never a real concern, considering how strong America was during the entire Cold War. And how weak are so-called Communist rivals were the whole time.

Especially the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China. Who were both just trying to keep up with America, especially from a military perspective and having as much if not more influence around the world as the United States. But neither Russia, or China has ever come close to matching our economic power around the world. And yes, the Soviet Union, was a great military power and even diplomatic power. But because of their Marxist state-control economic system, would’ve never been able to compete with America economically and even maintain their military power. And a big reason why the Soviet system collapsed when it did in 1991.

What Senator Joe McCarthy did in the 1950s, especially with his powerful position in the Senate as Chairman of the Government Oversight Committee and perhaps Congress as a whole, was to take advantage of the fears that too many Americans have about communism back then. And use those fears to try to further advance his political career and perhaps make a run for president himself in 1960. If not just further his political power and career in the Senate. Joe McCarthy, was the demagogue of demagogues. And hurt the lives of a lot of good Americans, simply because of who they may have associated with and their political beliefs. Which is un-American.