Since the beginnings of time, differing political ideologies have struggled to assert a position of superiority among the people. Twentieth-century North America was no different. From Thomas Jefferson's republic of yeomanry to the disoriented political values of today, America took pride in being a city-upon-a-hill; America took pride in democracy. In America, land of the free, democracy ran rampant. Whether it be Wall Street, Main Street, or 44th Street, democracy asserted itself in a position of superiority. Its leadership was soon to be challenged, however, by Karl Marx's credos and their physical manifestation during the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Soviet Russia.
In the tumultuous womb of World War I, Communism was born, and it began to chew at everything within its reach. Democracy cowed merely at the thought that such putrid filth may seep through undetected into its organs. America's home-front during World War I responded with force, cleansing the nation of any communist leanings, in what became known as the First Red Scare. Throughout the course of the Second World War, Russian – American hostilities were downplayed in face of a common foe, Nazi Germany. However, neither country had completely led down their guard, and so the end of the war did not see a reconciliation, but rather heightened tensions between the two newly created superpowers. It was precisely this post-war power vacuum that left the two political ideologies vying for influence on the world stage. As each power struggled to extend their sphere of influence, a so-called “iron-curtain” was drawn, effectively partitioning East and West, Communist and Democratic. Thus began a war of ideologies, fought with diplomacy and propaganda, rather than with guns and bullets. This “Cold War” – a term coined by Bernard Baruch, senior advisor to Harry Truman – cultivated long-standing suspicions and hostilities between the the USA and the USSR, bringing them to a head. In North America, particularly in the United States, people became paranoid, fearing espionage, mind-control, and the general disease inherently carried by communism. Such was the atmosphere of the Second Red Scare. Although technological breakthroughs made by the Soviet Union – such as the launching of Sputnik and the successful development nuclear weapons – were perceived as monumental threats to the American people, nothing would roil the American way of life more than the concept of communism.
While the Cold War “Red Scare” literally turned North America upside-down, the Soviets had a field day – field decade is more like it – watching friends snitching on friends, people losing jobs, and lives destroyed, all out of fear of communism. As will be examined later on, much of this fear was without grounds, but such were the times. Such were the times that this percolation of paranoia led to furious lashing out, epitomized by “witch-hunts” trying to “expose” all the communists and communist-sympathizers in the USA.
Joseph McCarthy was a Republican Senator from Appleton, Wisconsin, whose name underscores the frenzy of anti-communism and Cold War hysteria during the 1950's. McCarthy was elected to the Senate in 1946, but he was what some considered a “legislative lightweight.” However, his rise to national prominence came on February 9, 1950, when during a speech he claimed to have a list of 205 Communists in the State department. He claimed that Secretary of State Dean Acheson was pro-communist. In the months following, he continued to make unsubstantiated charges against members of the State department, members of the Army, and even Hollywood stars. He continued to make speeches proclaiming his knowledge of card-carrying members of the Communist Party, however, the numbers seemed to fluctuate from speech to speech. Between 1953 and 1954, he headed a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. During his reign of terror, he blacklisted – basically jobs, rights, and privileges were taken away for any whose name landed on the list of “communist conspirators” - thousands of people, destroying their careers, families, and lives. Enclosed by the mass hysteria of the Cold War, people did anything to avoid getting blacklisted. This can be seen in the excessive support for McCarthyism. Nobody dared to oppose Senator McCarthy, for he was seen as the ultimate example of patriotism. In wanting to emulate that same patriotism, people would report friends, neighbors, and even family members.
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) is a film that accurately captures the mass hysteria of the Cold War 1950's, and translates much of intricate details of the ludicrous actions of the people. It's release coincided with the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which undoubtedly boosted its box office earnings. We see protagonist Sgt. Raymond Shaw's stepfather, Senator Johnny Iselin, as a perfect parallel to Senator Joseph McCarthy. He is portrayed as an ambitious Senator willing to do anything to gain popularity as the Senate mid-term reelections are coming up. Like Senator McCarthy before his elaborate Senate hearings, we see Iselin portrayed as a fool, a “legislative lightweight,” with little political capital. When his stepson, Sgt. Raymond is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, we see Iselin using Raymond's fame for his own campaign purposes. When the Secretary of State is in a press conference regarding aspects of the nation's security (reduced naval force), Senator Iselin storms in and starts waving a piece of paper that allegedly contains the names of two hundred some members of the Communist Party within the State Department. Iselin goes as far as to question the ability and loyalty of the Secretary of State, causing a heated dispute between the two, which ends up on national television. This seemingly consolidates Iselin's political stature, and rises to national prominence. When reporters later ask Iselin how many names he has on the list, a flustered Iselin mutters three different answers on three different occasions, fluctuating between less than two hundred to more than three hundred. This clearly alludes to the arbitrary amounts given by real-life Senator Joseph McCarthy during the 1950's. Like Senator Joseph McCarthy, Senator Johnny Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate is viewed as somewhat of a lunatic. However, no one dared openly challenge him, for fear that they will be accused of being pro-communist. Like Senator McCarthy, Senator Iselin is seen as the radical patriot in the movie, especially with his stepson's Medal of Honor. The movie's ironic twist though, is that the nation's supposed hero and patriot, is actually working towards communist hegemony.
Other fears of those times included brain-washing, indoctrination, and a strain of espionage called the “sleeper agent.” During the Korean War (1950 – 1953), American POW's suffered tremendously. They were often beaten, put to forced labour, and even shot or marched to death. Among those that came home, most were subjugated to experimentations in brainwashing and indoctrination conducted by the Commies. Thus, these fears were not completely unfounded. The sleeper agent is a spy who is put into deep cover, and is not immediately put into action. Such espionage tactics would prove to be extremely hard to counteract, as sleeper agents were especially difficult to track and weed out. Coupled with the Cold War hysteria of the McCarthy era, these fears would contribute greatly to a nation immersed in distrust. Anyone could be a communist, and if you accidentally befriended him or her, then it could be your life on the line.
The central plot of The Manchurian Candidate revolves around the afore-mentioned ideas of brain-washing, indoctrination, and sleeper agents. A platoon of US Soldiers, led by Maj. Bennet Marco (Frank Sinatra) and Sgt. Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey) are captured by North Koreans. During their captivity, a cohort of Soviet, North Korea, and Chinese Communists brainwash and indoctrinate them with false information. They are brainwashed into thinking that Shaw had saved their lives, and to say that “Raymond Shaw is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life” when asked his character. Shaw receives a Congressional Medal of Honor for allegedly “saving” his platoon (another story imbedded by the Communists), which provides a perfect cover for his role as a Soviet sleeper agent.
Although espionage and counter-espionage activities within North America were extant, – such as the Gouzenko Affair in Canada – and even widespread, the magnitude of a threat such activity posed towards the American people was too much exaggerated by government policies and the people who took advantage of the zeitgeist. The Truman Doctrine's aim to curb Communism's advance was the single-most influential ideal that caused the popular culture's backlash against communism. Subsequent government actions such as the establishment of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC), which was involved in anti-communist investigations, and various other Senate committees including McCarthy's bogus Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, contributed greatly to tensions and fears at home. Loyalty-security reviews, FBI crackdown on communist activity, and frequent arrests related to blacklisted citizens further heightened tensions at home. In Canada, Minister of External Affairs Lester B. Pearson said, quote, “Let us by all means remove the traitors from positions of trust, but in doing so, I hope we may never succumb to the black madness of the witch hunt," endquote. Nevertheless, Canada, with close cultural ties with the United States, found itself unable to resist the Red Scare. The RCMP quietly investigated civil servants, scientists, university professors, and trade unionists, seeking out political or sexual nonconformity. In one year, more than 70,000 people were “sweeped.” Legislature such as the Quebec Padlock Law gave police the power to seal off any property where communist literature or activity was suspected. Eventually, as the dust settled, it was found that much of the fears during that time were unfounded. From the thousands of people blacklisted, and had their lives destroyed, very few were actually involved with any Soviet conspiracy rings. Nevertheless, the Cold War marked a period of heightened tensions, as North America fought to subdue Communism abroad, and preserve Democracy at home.
