Witch Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare

Balis and Levy employed their "fly on the wall style" in Bringing Down a President, and utilize again to tell the story of McCarthy era Communist "witch hunts" through short observations about particular occurrences, which are then supported by direct quotes. These come from a variety of sources and famous and not-so-famous people. There are presidential directives, interviews, Time Magazine and other news media snippets, and a lot of quotes from Josh, the son of Communist Party members that were especially interesting, since his father had to go into hiding in another state.

A wide range of situations were covered, from the investigations until Hollywood personnel that ruined hundreds of careers, to teachers, the Rosenberg spy case, to the discriminatory treatment of homosexuals. From cities to small towns, it seems like there was nowhere safe. This was fascinating for me to read, because in talking to friends and family members who lived through this time in Ohio, this was something that was in the news but not really on their doorsteps. Clearly, this was a widespread phenomenon, and the people I knew were very lucky not to have been affected!