Joseph McCarthy - “Enemies from Within” Speech Delivered in

Joseph McCarthy

“Enemies from Within” Speech Delivered

in Wheeling, West Virginia (1950)

Tonight as we celebrate the 141st birthday of one of the great men in American history, I would like

to be able to talk about what a glorious day today is in the history of the world. As we celebrate the

birth of this man, who with his whole heart and soul hated war, I would like to be able to speak of

peace in our time, of war being outlawed, and of worldwide disarmament. These would be truly

appropriate things to be able to mention as we celebrate the birthday of Abraham Lincoln.

Five years after a world war has been won, men's hearts should anticipate a long peace, and men's

minds should be free from the heavy weight that comes with war. But this is not such a period -- for

this is not a period of peace. This is a time of the Cold War. This is a time when all the world is split

into two vast, increasingly hostile armed camps -- a time of a great armaments race. Today we can

almost physically hear the mutterings and rumblings of an invigorated god of war. You can see it,

feel it, and hear it all the way from the hills of Indochina, from the shores of Formosa right over into

the very heart of Europe itself. ...

Today we are engaged in a final, all-out battle between communistic atheism and Christianity. The

modern champions of communism have selected this as the time. And, ladies and gentlemen, the

chips are down -- they are truly down.

Lest there be any doubt that the time has been chosen, let us go directly to the leader of

communism today -- Joseph Stalin. Here is what he said -- not back in 1928, not before the war, not

during the war -- but two years after the last war was ended: "To think that the communist

revolution can be carried out peacefully, within the framework of a Christian democracy, means

one has either gone out of one's mind and lost all normal understanding, or has grossly and openly

repudiated the communist revolution."

And this is what was said by Lenin in 1919, which was also quoted with approval by Stalin in 1947:

"We are living," said Lenin, "not merely in a state but in a system of states, and the existence of the

Soviet Republic side by side with Christian states for a long time is unthinkable. One or the other

must triumph in the end. And before that end supervenes, a series of frightful collisions between

the Soviet Republic and the bourgeois states will be inevitable."

Ladies and gentlemen, can there be anyone here tonight who is so blind as to say that the war is not

on? Can there be anyone who fails to realize that the communist world has said, "The time is now" -

- that this is the time for the showdown between the democratic Christian world and the

communist atheistic world? Unless we face this fact, we shall pay the price that must be paid by

those who wait too long.

Six years ago, at the time of the first conference to map out peace -- Dumbarton Oaks -- there was

within the Soviet orbit 180 million people. Lined up on the anti-totalitarian side there were in the

world at that time roughly 1.625 billion people. Today, only six years later, there are 800 million

people under the absolute domination of Soviet Russia -- an increase of over 400 percent. On our

side, the figure has shrunk to around 500 million. In other words, in less than six years the odds

have changed from 9 to 1 in our favor to 8 to 5 against us. This indicates the swiftness of the tempo

of communist victories and American defeats in the Cold War. As one of our outstanding historical

figures once said, "When a great democracy is destroyed, it will not be because of enemies from

without but rather because of enemies from within." The truth of this statement is becoming

terrifyingly clear as we see this country each day losing on every front.

At war's end we were physically the strongest nation on Earth and, at least potentially, the most

powerful intellectually and morally. Ours could have been the honor of being a beacon in the desert

of destruction, a shining, living proof that civilization was not yet ready to destroy itself.

Unfortunately, we have failed miserably and tragically to arise to the opportunity.

The reason why we find ourselves in a position of impotency is not because our only powerful,

potential enemy has sent men to invade our shores, but rather because of the traitorous actions of

those who have been treated so well by this nation. It has not been the less fortunate or members of

minority groups who have been selling this nation out, but rather those who have had all the

benefits that the wealthiest nation on earth has had to offer -- the finest homes, the finest college

education, and the finest jobs in government we can give.

This is glaringly true in the State Department. There the bright young men who are born with silver

spoons in their mouths are the ones who have been worst.

Now I know it is very easy for anyone to condemn a particular bureau or department in general

terms. Therefore, I would like to cite one rather unusual case -- the case of a man who has done

much to shape our foreign policy.

When Chiang Kai-shek was fighting our war, the State Department had in China a young man

named John S. Service. His task, obviously, was not to work for the communization of China.

Strangely, however, he sent official reports back to the State Department urging that we torpedo

our ally Chiang Kai-shek and stating, in effect, that communism was the best hope of China.

Later, this man -- John Service -- was picked up by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for turning

over to the communists secret State Department information. Strangely, however, he was never

prosecuted. However, Joseph Grew, the undersecretary of state, who insisted on his prosecution,

was forced to resign. Two days after, Grew's successor, Dean Acheson, took over as undersecretary

of state, this man -- John Service -- who had been picked up by the FBI and who had previously

urged that communism was the best hope of China, was not only reinstated in the State Department

but promoted; and finally, under Acheson, placed in charge of all placements and promotions.

Today, ladies and gentlemen, this man Service is on his way to represent the State Department and

Acheson in Calcutta -- by far and away the most important listening post in the Far East.

Now, let's see what happens when individuals with communist connections are forced out of the

State Department. Gustave Duran, who was labeled as, I quote, "a notorious international

communist," was made assistant secretary of state in charge of Latin American affairs. He was taken

into the State Department from his job as a lieutenant colonel in the Communist International

Brigade. Finally, after intense congressional pressure and criticism, he resigned in 1946 from the

State Department -- and, ladies and gentlemen, where do you think he is now? He took over a high-

salaried job as chief of Cultural Activities Section in the office of the assistant secretary-general of

the United Nations. ...

This, ladies and gentlemen, gives you somewhat of a picture of the type of individuals who have

been helping to shape our foreign policy. In my opinion the State Department, which is one of the

most important government departments, is thoroughly infested with communists.

I have in my hand 57 cases of individuals who would appear to be either card-carrying members or

certainly loyal to the Communist Party, but who nevertheless are still helping to shape our foreign

policy.

One thing to remember in discussing the communists in our government is that we are not dealing

with spies who get 30 pieces of silver to steal the blueprints of new weapons. We are dealing with a

far more sinister type of activity because it permits the enemy to guide and shape our policy.

This brings us down to the case of one Alger Hiss, who is important not as an individual anymore

but rather because he is so representative of a group in the State Department. It is unnecessary to

go over the sordid events showing how he sold out the nation which had given him so much. Those

are rather fresh in all of our minds. However, it should be remembered that the facts in regard to

his connection with this international communist spy ring were made known to the then-

Undersecretary of State Berle three days after Hitler and Stalin signed the Russo-German Alliance

Pact. At that time one Whittaker Chambers -- who was also part of the spy ring -- apparently

decided that with Russia on Hitler's side, he could no longer betray our nation to Russia. He gave

Undersecretary of State Berle -- and this is all a matter of record -- practically all, if not more, of the

facts upon which Hiss' conviction was based.

Undersecretary Berle promptly contacted Dean Acheson and received word in return that Acheson,

and I quote, "could vouch for Hiss absolutely" -- at which time the matter was dropped. And this,

you understand, was at a time when Russia was an ally of Germany. This condition existed while

Russia and Germany were invading and dismembering Poland, and while the communist groups

here were screaming "warmonger" at the United States for their support of the Allied nations.

Again in 1943, the FBI had occasion to investigate the facts surrounding Hiss' contacts with the

Russian spy ring. But even after that FBI report was submitted, nothing was done.

Then, late in 1948 -- on August 5 -- when the Un-American Activities Committee called Alger Hiss to

give an accounting, President Truman at once issued a presidential directive ordering all

government agencies to refuse to turn over any information whatsoever in regard to the

communist activities of any government employee to a congressional committee.

Incidentally, even after Hiss was convicted, it is interesting to note that the president still labeled

the expose of Hiss as a "red herring."

If time permitted, it might be well to go into detail about the fact that Hiss was Roosevelt's chief

adviser at Yalta when Roosevelt was admittedly in ill health and tired physically and mentally ... and

when, according to the secretary of state, Hiss and Gromyko drafted the report on the conference.

According to the then-Secretary of State Stettinius, here are some of the things that Hiss helped to

decide at Yalta: (1) the establishment of a European High Commission; (2) the treatment of

Germany -- this you will recall was the conference at which it was decided that we would occupy

Berlin with Russia occupying an area completely encircling the city, which as you know, resulted in

the Berlin airlift which cost 31 American lives; (3) the Polish question; (4) the relationship between

UNRRA and the Soviet; (5) the rights of Americans on control commissions of Rumania, Bulgaria

and Hungary; (6) Iran; (7) China -- here's where we gave away Manchuria; (8) Turkish Straits

question; (9) international trusteeships; (10) Korea.

Of the results of this conference, Arthur Bliss Lane of the State Department had this to say: "As I

glanced over the document, I could not believe my eyes. To me, almost every line spoke of a

surrender to Stalin."

As you hear this story of high treason, I know that you are saying to yourself, "Well, why doesn't the

Congress do something about it?" Actually, ladies and gentlemen, one of the important reasons for

the graft, the corruption, the dishonesty, the disloyalty, the treason in high government positions --

one of the most important reasons why this continues -- is a lack of moral uprising on the part of

the 140 million American people. In the light of history, however, this is not hard to explain.

It is the result of an emotional hangover and a temporary moral lapse which follows every war. It is

the apathy to evil which people who have been subjected to the tremendous evils of war feel. As the

people of the world see mass murder, the destruction of defenseless and innocent people, and all of

the crime and lack of morals which go with war, they become numb and apathetic. It has always

been thus after war. However, the morals of our people have not been destroyed. They still exist.

This cloak of numbness and apathy has only needed a spark to rekindle them. Happily, this spark

has finally been supplied.

As you know, very recently the secretary of state proclaimed his loyalty to a man guilty of what has

always been considered as the most abominable of all crimes -- of being a traitor to the people who

gave him a position of great trust. The secretary of state, in attempting to justify his continued

devotion to the man who sold out the Christian world to the atheistic world, referred to Christ's

Sermon on the Mount as a justification and reason therefore, and the reaction of the American

people to this would have made the heart of Abraham Lincoln happy. When this pompous diplomat

in striped pants, with a phony British accent, proclaimed to the American people that Christ on the

Mount endorsed communism, high treason, and betrayal of a sacred trust, the blasphemy was so

great that it awakened the dormant indignation of the American people.

He has lighted the spark which is resulting in a moral uprising and will end only when the whole

sorry mess of twisted warped thinkers are swept from the national scene so that we may have a

new birth of national honesty and decency in government.

Source: Digital History Project, University of Houston

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=3633