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.

  
CAMILLE BOHANNON

William Henry Cosby Jr. is a former comedian, actor, spokesman,
and media personality. He performed over a period of decades in
film, television, and stand-up comedy, with his longest-running
live-action role being that of Cliff Huxtable in the NBC sitcom
The Cosby Show (1984-1992). He also released several stand-
up comedy albums. Cosby still holds the record earning the
most Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album with seven
wins.

The Department of Justice unleashed a shocking and often
violent unconstitutional nationwide dragnet — detaining as
many as 10,000 people — on this day in history, Jan. 2, 1920.

Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer (above) appointed to the
office 10 months earlier by President Woodrow Wilson, led the
sweep against suspected communists and anarchists, as well
as their sympathizers.

The action was soon dubbed the Palmer Raids. 

The Foundation for Economic Education said…"The raids
constituted a horrific, shameful episode in American history,
one of the lowest moments for liberty since King George III
quartered troops in private homes."

The foundation called the effort under President Wilson
"America’s reign of terror."

Thomas Woodrow Wilson
(December 28, 1856 – February 3, 1924)

A young Justice Department official, J. Edgar Hoover, 
played a key role in the Palmer Raids. He was named
FBI director in 1924. 

On June 12, 1987, in one of his most famous Cold War
speeches, President Ronald Reagan challenged Soviet
Leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down” the Berlin Wall,
a symbol of the repressive Communist era in a divided
Germany.

Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-Wisconsin) succumbed to illness exacerbated by alcoholism and passed away at age 48.

McCarthy had been a key figure in the anticommunist hysteria
popularly known as the “Red Scare” that engulfed the United
States in the years following World War II.

McCarthy was born in a small town in Wisconsin in 1908. In
1942, he joined the Marines and served in the Pacific during
World War II. He returned home in 1944 and decided to start
a career in politics.