NSC-68 (1950)
This is an excerpt from a 58-page top-secret report that was created by the National Security Council (NSC) in 1950. The report was given to President Harry Truman as a means to warn the president about the dangers of retreating back into isolationism after World War II. The main danger presented in the report was the spread of communism. The NSC argues in the report that the United States must be ready to combat the spread of communism by all means necessary, including military force. This report contributed to the United States involvement in the Cold War by aiding in President Truman’s decisions. The Cold War was responsible for many of the changes during and after in American Society.
Letter from Senator McCarthy to President Truman (1950)
This telegram was written by Senator Joseph McCarthy on February 11, 1950. The telegram was sent to President Harry Truman with regards to McCarthy believing there were 57 communists in the State Department. In the telegram, McCarthy points out that the infiltration of communist in the government was helping shape United States foreign policy. McCarthy also states that if President Truman doesn’t acknowledge that there are communist in the government, then the Democratic party will be labeled as being the “bed-fellow of international communism.” This letter demonstrates why Joseph McCarthy was a large contributor to the Red Scare in the United States. It also demonstrates why Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism helped influence a divide in the United States due to the fear of communism.