As the presidential election of 1952 began to heat up, so did
accusations and counteraccusations concerning communism
in America. The “Red Scare”—the widespread belief that
international communism was operating in the United States
—came to dominate much of the debate between Democrats
and Republicans in 1952.

Senator Joe McCarthy delivered a radio address on 
October 27, 1952 where he made accusations of
Communist infiltration into the State Department,
the administration of President Harry S. Truman,
the Voice of America, and the U.S. Army.