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S8 Ep1118: The Hiss Perjury Conviction and the Ignition of the McCarthy Era GUEST: Nick Bunker On January 25, 1950, the conviction of Alger
The Hiss Perjury Conviction and the Ignition of the McCarthy Era GUEST: Nick Bunker On January 25, 1950, the conviction of Alger Hiss for perjury electrified American politics, seemingly validating Republican claims that Washington was "full of communist subversives." Seizing the moment, Dean Acheson made a controversial statement of personal loyalty to Hiss, which Joe McCarthy immediately used to launch his crusade. In February, McCarthy famously alleged in Wheeling, West Virginia, that he had a list of 56 card-carrying communists in the State Department. Democratic Majority Leader Scott…
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