A Conspiracy So Immense A Conspiracy So Immense The World of Joe McCarthy David M. Oshinsky THE FREE PRESS A Division of Macmillan , Inc. NEW YORK Collier Macmillan Publishers LONDON Copyright © 1983 by The Free Press A Division of Macmillan, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher. The Free Press A Division of Macmillan, Inc. 866 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10022 Collier Macmillan Canada, Inc. First Free Press Paperback Edition 1985 Printed in the United States of America paperback printing number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 hardcover printing number 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Oshinsky, David M. A conspiracy so immense. Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. McCarthy, Joseph, 1908-1957. 2. Internal security —United States—History—20th century. 3. Communism— United States—1917- . 4. Legislators—United States—Biography. 5. United States. Congress. Senate—Biography. I. Title. E748.M43073 1983 973.918'092'4 [B] 77-18474 ISBN 0-02-923490-5 ISBN 0-02-923760-2 pbk. For Kathy Contents Acknowledgments ix 1. Beginnings 1 2. G. I. Judge 21 3- Gunning for the Senate 36 4- The Pepsi-Cola Kid 53 5- Rock Bottom 72 6. The Red Bogey in America, 1917-1950 85 7- Wheeling 103 8. Battle of the Billygoats 115 9- Stand or Fall 130 10. The Lattimore Connection 139 il. Declaration of Conscience 158 12. The Fourth Estate 17 9 J3- “An Infamy So Black . . . ” 191 14. “Slimy Creatures” 203 J5- Tydings’s Revenge 214 16. Ike 226 27- Gearing for Battle 247 18. Voices Within the Voice 265 19. Of Diplomats and Greek Ships 286 20. Friends and Enemies 301 vu viii Contents 21. A Discouraging Summer 315 22. The Monmouth Hearings 330 23. White House Blues 345 24. Who Promoted Peress? 355 25. The Chicken Luncheon 372 26. “The Fault, Dçar Brutus” 390 27. Setting the Ground Rules 405 28. The Hearings Begin 416 29. Executive Privilege 435 30. The Eleven Memoranda 446 31. “So Reckless, So Cruel” 457 32. Censure 472 33. Final Years 495 Notes 509 Selective Bibliography 565 Index 581 Acknowledgments I BEGAN researching this project in 1975. Many people helped along the way. Gerd Korman intensified my interest in McCarthy; John Roche and Leonard Levy kept that interest alive. James Martin, Maurice Lee, Richard L. McCormick, and Steven Whitfield read parts of the manu­ script and made valuable suggestions. Robert Amdur and William O’Neill labored over the various drafts; their kind and creative assistance can hardly be exaggerated. Robert Rutter and David Schmitz served expertly as research assistants. I am deeply indebted to the librarians and archivists at the Truman Library, the Eisenhower Library, the Kennedy Library, the Princeton University Library, the Mundt Library, the Li­ brary of Congress, and the Wisconsin State Historical Society. In partic­ ular, I would like to thank Tom Soapes and David Wigdor for their personal interest in the project. My editors at The Free Press were skillful and supportive. Charles Smith displayed more patience than I deserved. His interest in the proj­ ect was contagious. Joyce Seltzer read the manuscript with great care. Her comments and insights made for a much better book. George Row­ land was both a critic and a friend. I relied on him every step of the way. My wife Kathy was the indispensable one. Her support, her enthusi­ asm, and her love sustained me through seven difficult years. She is, in every sense, a full partner in this project.