Hollywood US Foreign Policy 1949-1950:
The USSR's First Atomic Bomb, August 1949:
China falls into Communism, October 1949:
US Foreign Policy 1949-1950:
The USSR's First Atomic Bomb, August 1949:
China falls into Communism, October 1949:
The Red Scare:
NSC-68 - Total Commitment:
NSC-68 and Asia:
Containment in Asia:
The Hollywood Ten:
HUAC (House of Un-American Committee):
Alger Hiss:
The Rosenberg's:
The Cold War comes to Asia:
- May 1949, Berlin Blockade was defeated
- West Germany created
- NATO alliance formed
- USA was optimistic that Communism had been contained in Europe
- NATO ensured that Western Europe was protected against the massive Soviet army by the USA's atomic weapons
- Autumn 1949, balance of power shifted
- China fell to communism
- USSR developed first atomic bomb
The USSR's First Atomic Bomb, August 1949:
- USSR developed first atomic bomb
- Shattered US and NATO security
- USA was completely taken by surprise at the speed in which the USSR had developed its atomic bomb
- USA's nuclear monopoly was now at an end
- No longer be able to use the threat of nuclear weapons in foreign policy
- New balance of power emerged amongst the superpowers
China falls into Communism, October 1949:
- Mao Zedong declared the foundation of the People's Republic of China
- Established communist regime
- During Chinese Civil War (1945-49), USA had supported Chiang Kai Shek's Nationalist government
- Communist victory took many by surprise
- Debate raged in American over the extent to which Truman could have "saved" China
- 1949, white paper was published by US Secretary of State Dean Acheson
- Stated that the US could not have altered the outcome of the Civil War
- Blamed defeat on the unpopularity of Chiang Kai Shek with the Chinese people
- "Nationalist collapse" rather than a "communist victory"
- White paper was received badly
- Many in the US blamed Truman's government for not doing enough to stop Communism in Asia
US Foreign Policy 1949-1950:
- May 1949, Berlin Blockade was defeated
- West Germany created
- NATO alliance formed
- USA was optimistic that Communism had been contained in Europe
- NATO ensured that Western Europe was protected against the massive Soviet army by the USA's atomic weapons
- Autumn 1949, balance of power shifted
- China fell to communism
- USSR developed first atomic bomb
The USSR's First Atomic Bomb, August 1949:
- USSR developed first atomic bomb
- Shattered US and NATO security
- USA was completely taken by surprise at the speed in which the USSR had developed its atomic bomb
- USA's nuclear monopoly was now at an end
- No longer be able to use the threat of nuclear weapons in foreign policy
- New balance of power emerged amongst the superpowers
China falls into Communism, October 1949:
- Mao Zedong declared the foundation of the People's Republic of China
- Established communist regime
- During Chinese Civil War (1945-49), USA had supported Chiang Kai Shek's Nationalist government
- Communist victory took many by surprise
- Debate raged in American over the extent to which Truman could have "saved" China
- 1949, white paper was published by US Secretary of State Dean Acheson
- Stated that the US could not have altered the outcome of the Civil War
- Blamed defeat on the unpopularity of Chiang Kai Shek with the Chinese people
- "Nationalist collapse" rather than a "communist victory"
- White paper was received badly
- Many in the US blamed Truman's government for not doing enough to stop Communism in Asia
The Red Scare:
- Fall of China and the USSR's atomic bomb led to fears about growing soviet power
- Anti-Communist feeling in the USA grew
- By 1950 it had reached fever-pitch
- Senator Joseph McCarthy began alleging that USSR was conspiring to place Communist sympathisers in key positions in the USA
- Accusation led to a series of "purges" and "show trials"
- People were accused of "un-American behaviour"
- Some were executed
- All elements of US society began to be viewed with suspicion
- "Anti-Red" crusade shifted public opinion against Communism in America
- McCarthy began to accuse everyone of being Communists, including members of the US Army and State Department
- Claimed that the Truman administration was influenced by Communism because it was too "soft"
- February 1950 Dean Acheson was forced to publicly reconsider the White Paper on China
- Claming that China under Mao was completely in league with the USSR
- State Department advisors on China who had criticised thee GMD lost their jobs
- Truman began a review of US foreign policy
- He was unable to recognise the legitimacy of the new Chinese government
NSC-68 - Total Commitment:
- Report by the US National Security Council in 1950
- Seen as one of the key documents of the Cold War - Warned that all communist activity everywhere could be traced back to Moscow (Stalin)
- Recent world events had a "global theme" that all indicated the growing strength of the USSR - Represented a "monolithic" view of communism
- All controlled by Moscow - Report went on to warn of a "indefinite period of tension and danger"
- Advising the US to by ready to meet every challenge that may arise - To this end, it recommended the government increase its military
- Spent by $35-50 billion - NSC-68 was hugely significant as it encouraged military and economic aid to be given to any country that was resisting Communism anywhere in the world
- Revisionist historians have criticised US perceptions of Soviet intentions expressed in the document
- Argue the document rested of false premises and was just an "excuse" for US expansionism
- American taxpayer would have to raise huge amounts of money
- Historian Taubman argues that Acheson deliberately overstated the case in order to persuade the US public to agree to a rise in military spending
NSC-68 and Asia:
- Facing difficult congressional elections in November 1950
- Growing climate of fear
- President Truman could not afford to be seen as "soft" on Communism - Personally, Truman was in no rush to consider committing the USA to containment on a "global scale" as advocated by NSC-68
- 25th June 1950, Communist North Korea invaded South Korea
- Cold war spread to Asia
Containment in Asia:
- North Korean attack was seen as clear Soviet expansionism
- Was assumed that the North Koreans were being instructed by Stalin - Korea War seemed to back-up what NSC-68 predicted
- Truman feared that failure to take action would result in a "domino effect" - Communism could quickly spread to other countries
- US therefore responded with the same policy it had used in Europe (containment)
The Hollywood Ten:
- 10 people from the hollywood industry were found guilty of contempt of congress and were all sentenced to 6-12 months in prison
- HUAC investigated into the Hollywood Motion Picture Industry
- 41 people working in Hollywood were interviewed ('friendly witnesses')
- They named nineteen people who were accused of having left-wing views
- In 1947 October Roy M. Brewer was interviewed and he claimed he knew 13 writers and actors who were involved in Communist activities e.g. John Garfield and Dalton Trumbo
- Both had volunteered to act as observers for the studio pickets during the Conference of Studio Unions (CSU) strike 10 of the 41 people interviewed refused to answer the questions
- Known as the Hollywood Ten All 10 were found guilty of contempt of congress and were all sentenced to 6 - 12 months in prison
HUAC (House of Un-American Committee):
- Investigated allegations of communist activity within the US
- Established in 1983
- Would call citizens to testify to high-profile hearings before Congress
- The atmosphere the citizens were in would cause drama and showed the Communists were inside American institutions Controversial tactics formed fear, distrust and repression
- Already existed within the hysteria of the 1950s 1960s HUAC's influence was decreasing
- In 1969 the HUAC was renamed to the Committee on Internal Security
Alger Hiss:
- Accused of being a spy for the USSR by Whittaker Chambers
- 1943 Chambers was interviewed by the FBI
- J. Edgar Hoover concluded that Chambers didn't have enough information to convict Hiss as a communist
- In March 1945 Chambers gave the FBI details of Hiss' spying activities
- In November 1946 The FBI sent a report to the Secretary of State
- James F. Byrnes stating that Hiss was probably a Soviet agent Hiss was interviewed by D.M Ladd
- The FBI's Assistant Director and denied all associations with Communism
- The FBI restricted Hiss' access to confidential documents and wiretapped his office and home phones
- On 5th August 1948 Hiss testified before the HUAC stating that he had never been part of the Communist Party or any Communist-front organisation
- In May 1949 Main evidence of the trial was that Hiss had retyped sixty-five pages of the State Departments documents and also summarised them in four pages worth of notes
- Proof that the documents were re-typed on Hiss' typewriter was found as well as that the handwriting from the notes matched Hiss' November 1949 Second trial
- Witness stated that in 1935 she was informed by Hiss that he wanted to recruit Noel Field to his spy network
- On 25th January 1950 Hiss was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison
The Rosenberg's:
- Accused for being spies for the USSR
- Trial in March 6th 1951
The Cold War comes to Asia:
- Korean War was a significant turning point
- Marked expansion of Cold War into Asia - USA now feared the "domino effect"
- Communism had to be contained before it could spread to other countries