Cold War Hysteria: How serious was the threat of communism in the US?
Weighing the Evidence
All documents and text associated with this activity are printed below, followed by a worksheet for student responses.Introduction
In this activity, you will examine 5 documents related to the Cold War in order to answer the following question: How serious was the threat of communism in the US? Start by using the SOAP method for analyzing documents. After you have analyzed each document, decide with which interpretation the document best supports. Drag the document to the appropriate side of the scale. When you are finished, your scale should be leaning towards one side.Name:
Class:
Class:
Worksheet
Cold War Hysteria: How serious was the threat of communism in the US?
Weighing the Evidence
Examine the documents and text included in this activity. Consider how each document does or does not support two opposing interpretations or conclusions. Fill in the topic or interpretations if they are not provided. To show how the documents support the different interpretations, enter the corresponding document number into the boxes near the interpretation. Write your conclusion response in the space provided. Interpretation 1
The communist threat to our national security was very real during the Cold War.
The communist threat to our national security was very real during the Cold War.
The Communist Threat: Real or Perceived?
Interpretation 2
The communist threat to our national security was perceived to be much worse than it really was.
The communist threat to our national security was perceived to be much worse than it really was.
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Activity Element
Telegram from Senator Joseph R. McCarthy to President Harry S. Truman, with Truman's Reply
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2
Activity Element
Jell-O Box Exhibit Used in the Espionage Trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and Morton Sobell
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3
Activity Element
Oppenheimer admits lying during investigation
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4
Activity Element
Brochure "is Communism Un-American?"
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Activity Element
Ethel Rosenberg Arrest Photograph
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Conclusion
Cold War Hysteria: How serious was the threat of communism in the US?
Weighing the Evidence
Write a one paragraph response to the question "How serious was the threat of communism in the US?" based on your analysis of the documents. Remember to start your paragraph with a claim and use at least 3 pieces of evidence (from 3 different documents) to support your answer. Use evidence and analysis frames to effectively support your claim.Your Response
Document
Telegram from Senator Joseph R. McCarthy to President Harry S. Truman
2/11/1950
In this telegram to President Harry S. Truman, Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin repeats his assertion that he has the names of fifty-seven Communists who are working in the State Department, and calls upon the President to provide Congress with a full accounting of Communist infiltration of the Department, including the role of alleged Communist spy Alger Hiss in protecting security risks. In an undated (and apparently unsent) reply, the President states that McCarthy is not fit to serve in the U.S. government, adding that the people of Wisconsin must be very sorry to be represented in the Senate by such a person.
This primary source comes from the President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration).
National Archives Identifier: 201514
Full Citation: Telegram from Senator Joseph R. McCarthy to President Harry S. Truman; 2/11/1950; President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration), . [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/telegram-from-senator-joseph-r-mccarthy-to-president-harry-s-truman-with-trumans-reply, May 5, 2024]Telegram from Senator Joseph R. McCarthy to President Harry S. Truman
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Telegram from Senator Joseph R. McCarthy to President Harry S. Truman
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Telegram from Senator Joseph R. McCarthy to President Harry S. Truman
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Telegram from Senator Joseph R. McCarthy to President Harry S. Truman
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Telegram from Senator Joseph R. McCarthy to President Harry S. Truman
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Telegram from Senator Joseph R. McCarthy to President Harry S. Truman
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Telegram from Senator Joseph R. McCarthy to President Harry S. Truman
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Document
Jell-O Box Exhibit Used in the Espionage Trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and Morton Sobell
3/6/1951 - 3/29/1951
The prosecution presented this JELL-O box as evidence in the trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and Morton Sobell for espionage. They contended it was used to verify identities at secret meetings. The prosecution stated that Julius Rosenberg cut apart the side panel giving his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, David and Ruth Greenglass, one half and Harry Gold the other. Each would present their two sections upon meeting.
According to trial testimony of David and Ruth Greenglass, after dinner at the Rosenbergs' apartment in January 1945, Julius went into the kitchen with Ruth and Ethel, took an empty Jell-O box and cut a side panel into two irregular parts. He gave one piece to Ruth, saying that the person contacting her and David in Albuquerque would identify themselves by presenting the other half. In cross-examining David Greenglass, defense attorney Bloch challenged his story by asking the flavor of the real Jell-O box. David did not remember. Roy Cohn is credited with selecting raspberry for the facsimile.
According to trial testimony of David and Ruth Greenglass, after dinner at the Rosenbergs' apartment in January 1945, Julius went into the kitchen with Ruth and Ethel, took an empty Jell-O box and cut a side panel into two irregular parts. He gave one piece to Ruth, saying that the person contacting her and David in Albuquerque would identify themselves by presenting the other half. In cross-examining David Greenglass, defense attorney Bloch challenged his story by asking the flavor of the real Jell-O box. David did not remember. Roy Cohn is credited with selecting raspberry for the facsimile.
This primary source comes from the Records of U.S. Attorneys.
National Archives Identifier: 278774
Full Citation: Jell-O Box Exhibit Used in the Espionage Trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and Morton Sobell; 3/6/1951 - 3/29/1951; Exhibits from the Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Case File; Selected Case Files, 1847 - 1986; Records of U.S. Attorneys, ; National Archives at New York, New York, NY. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/jello-box-exhibit, May 5, 2024]Jell-O Box Exhibit Used in the Espionage Trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and Morton Sobell
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Document
Oppenheimer admits lying during investigation
4/16/1954
The Oppenheimer affair occupied center stage throughout much of the 1950's, polarizing the atomic research community and much of official Washington. Oppenheimer's security clearance was suspended after hearings conducted by a special board appointed by the Atomic Energy Commission. During the Board's investigation, Lewis L. Strauss, the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission filed a preliminary report in a letter to President Eisenhower (4-16-54) In it, Strauss revealed that Oppenheimer had admitted that he had lied to government investigators and that he had " many and continuing relations with persons known to him to be Communists while he was engaged on the atomic bomb project and subsequently."
This primary source comes from the Collection HH-STRAU: Lewis L. Strauss Papers.
National Archives Identifier: 187134
Full Citation: Oppenheimer admits lying during investigation; 4/16/1954; Collection HH-STRAU: Lewis L. Strauss Papers, . [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/oppenheimer-admits-lying-during-investigation, May 5, 2024]Oppenheimer admits lying during investigation
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Oppenheimer admits lying during investigation
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Document
Brochure 'is Communism Un-American?'
ca. 1950
This primary source comes from the Records of District Courts of the United States.
National Archives Identifier: 2641481
Full Citation: Brochure 'is Communism Un-American?'; ca. 1950; Records of District Courts of the United States, . [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/brochure-is-communism-unamerican, May 5, 2024]Brochure 'is Communism Un-American?'
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Document
Ethel Rosenberg Arrest Photograph
8/11/1950
Additional details from our exhibits and publications
The Rosenbergs, Julius and Ethel, were arrested on July 17, 1950, and August 11, 1950, respectively. They were charged with conspiracy to commit espionage.
This primary source comes from the Records of U.S. Attorneys.
National Archives Identifier: 596909
Full Citation: Ethel Rosenberg Arrest Photograph; 8/11/1950; Records of U.S. Attorneys, . [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/ethel-rosenberg-arrest-photograph, May 5, 2024]Ethel Rosenberg Arrest Photograph
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