Sem2.HW5

"How real was the threat of Communist spies within the US?"

The Algar Hiss Case in 1950 shows that the threat of Communist spies in the US was real. State Department official Algar Hiss was accused of passing information to the USSR. Although Hiss denied it, in 1995 documents were revealed, indicating that Hiss was indeed a Communist spy.

McCarthyism is an example of the unrealistic threat of Communist subversion within the US. From 1952 to 1954, McCarthy accused innocent people for supporting Communism, increasing the public's fear of Communist spies. But his charges were backed with no evidence, and he never made a solid case against anyone.

The threat of Communist spies was unreal because the US government was at fault for increasing the public's fear. Truman's Executive Order 9835 was a program designed to weed out any disloyal persons, but, sadly, it was "in large measure responsible for creating...hysteria" (Zinn 157).

"Is it fair to say that the anxiety caused in the US due to nuclear threat, was useful and 'healthy'?" (security of the nation = health)

It is not fair to say that the anxiety caused by nuclear threat in the US was useful and "healthy". The Federal Civil Defense Administration was established to prepare civilians to survive nuclear attacks, but as the arms race continued, the FCDA's methods turned out to be useless and ineffective.

The anxiety caused by nuclear threat was useful and healthy because it led to the growth of businesses in the 1950s. Atomic power fascinated people, and many businesses saw the potential of atomic power, as evident in the production of "fallout shelters", atomic tourism, and "atomic lunch-boxes".