Memorandum, Meeting the Challenge of McCarthyism

Meeting the Challenge of McCarthyism ABC-CORDS There is probably no good definition of "McCarthyism, " but the term wraps up what is generally acknowledged to be the reason for the Administration's set-back in the 1950 election. This acknowledgment comes both from newspaper comment and from hard-headed reports sub- mitted after the election by defeated candidates. Unless McCarthyism is discredited, the 1952 election is in great danger of going the same way. Most other issues of the 1950 election - for example, the Taft-Hartley Act - have faded into the current problems of defense mobilization; but increasing attention to mobili- zation makes McCarthyism that much more vital as a continuing issue, i.e., McCarthyism increases in importance, as our foreign policy and military position dominates national attention. Senator McCarthy will be up for reelection in Wisconsin in 1952. He will therefore be more of a personal issue that year than he was in 1950, but McCarthyism has a far larger geographical impact than Wisconsin. It deeply concerns Maryland, Pennsylvania, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Colorado, Utah and California - to mention some of the States in which Administration defeats were suffered last fall. It seems clear among both liberals and conservatives in the Democratic Party that McCarthyism must be completely and roundly whipped, if the Administration is to have a chance in 1952, and that this must be done with equal parts of vigor and intelligence. The attack cannot be one that would make a martyr of McCarthy, in his home State or in other cam- paigns, including the Presidential one. However, practically nothing appears on the surface as having been done since the election to prosecute this vital activity. The current House subcommittee investigation of Senator Butler's tactics against Senator Tydings in Maryland is about the only example to the contrary, although it is a very good example of the kind of counterattack which must be conducted as a minimum. McCarthyism can be beaten. But it will not eliminate itself - it will have to be beaten aggressively. A little-known fact about the 1950 elections in Wisconsin is that many of the Democratic gains in that State were made where McCarthy appeared or made a speech during the campaign. (Remember that Senator Wiley was running for election.) See the attached excerpt from a Wisconsin magazine for details of this