Hour of Decision: Eisenhower (5) Ike vs. Joe McCarthy, Pt. 1

Lew begins a two-part story within his Eisenhower series on the battle between President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Senator Joseph R. McCarthy. The Establishment in the early 1950s only allowed anti-communist sentiment and activities to be directed overseas, and those efforts had to be limited by the doctrine of “Containment” (no defeat of communism or liberation of captive peoples but only actions to contain communism within its current boundaries were allowed). Vigorous, serious investigations of domestic communist activity was NOT ALLOWED.

Joe McCarthy was not following those rules, which alone put him on a collision course with Eisenhower. In addition, McCarthy went after Eisenhower’s colleague at the Carnegie Endowment, Phillip Jessup, former leader of the notorious Institute of Pacific Relations who had FIVE communist-front affiliations. McCarthy also issued a 60,000 word takedown on the floor of the Senate directed against Eisenhower’s closest ally in the military, General George Marshall. McCarthy in total accused Marshall of being a central agent in what today we would call the “managed decline” of our nation.

McCarthy assiduously sought to avoid confrontation with the popular Eisenhower during the election campaign of 1952. But the result of the election was McCarthy was given a Senate committee and the power to launch investigations, while a most dangerous opponent was made the most powerful man in the world. Those two facts would collide resulting in the ultimate destruction of the heroic Senator from Wisconsin.