Cartoons 1950s Test

Fire! (1949)

In the cartoon is the torch from the statue of liberty, and a man labeled "Hysteria" is climbing on a ladder, up to the torch, with a bucket of water. The torch is supposed to represent the Enlightenment and is meant to light our way to freedom. Since "Hysteria" is trying to squelch the fire, the cartoon shows that the mass panic concerning Communism that McCarthy helped create is a major threat to our freedom. It can endanger Americans' right to say whatever they want to say without being persecuted. By 1949, the Soviets had expanded their control to cover most of Eastern Europe, and it appeared that China would soon fall to the communists as well. "The fear-filled forties and fifties were a dark period when the spread of communism abroad increased anxieties and frustration at home," wrote Herb Block.

I Have Here in My Hand (1954)

On February 9, 1950 Joseph McCarthy gave a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia to the local Republican Women's Club and stated "I have here in my hand a list of 205 . . . a list of names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party". But, he actually got the number wrong and there were only 57. Herblock saw this as another example of McCarthy's false accusations and insufficient evidence. In the course of testimony McCarthy submitted evidence that was identified as fraudulent. As both public and politicians watched the bullying antics of the Senator, they became increasingly disenchanted. Before the year was out McCarthy, whose charges had first hit the headlines in February 1950, was censured by his colleagues for "conduct unbecoming a senator."

Here He Comes Now! (1954)

Richard Nixon had discovered the power of smear attacks in his early campaigns for the House of Representatives and Senate years before Senator McCarthy began to use them. In 1954, during his vice-presidential campaign for re-election, Nixon traveled the country to charging previous Democratic administrations and current Democratic members of Congress with being soft on communism. His targets included some of the most respected members of the Senate. Herb Block's 1954 depiction of the emerging campaigner would stick with Nixon throughout his career.

It's Okay, We're Hunting Communists (1947)

The cartoon shows the Committee on Un-American Activities driving recklessly through the streets, obviously not bothering to care that they were running over people. Chaos is evident, with all papers flying all over, parking meters falling over, and general looks of terror on the faces of people. Block was trying to show that Joseph McCarthy's committee was wreaking havoc on the American populace and would not stop for anything. McCarthy began to subpoena individuals in Hollywood (screenwriters, directors, actors, etc.). The Cold War revived the anti-communist hysteria that had gripped the United States after World War I. In 1947 Congress revived the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC), opposed by Herb Block since its inception in the 1930s and declared by President Truman to be itself the most un-American activity. "Some producers, directors and screenwriters refused to testify or to play the 'name game' in which the committee demanded the names of associates, who could then be called on to name others thus providing an ever-expanding list of suspects to be summoned."

Have a Care, Sir (1954)

This 1954 drawing shows a butcher knife-wielding Joe McCarthy confronting a frightened President Eisenhower. That he is pulling a feather from a sword's sheath implies that the president was powerless to stop McCarthy's crusade (also that he was a "chicken" for being scared). Throughout his political career, Dwight Eisenhower refused to take a public stand against Senator Joseph McCarthy's aggressive anti-communist campaign. Eisenhower even struck from a 1952 campaign speech in Wisconsin a defense of his mentor, George C. Marshall, a McCarthy target. Eisenhower, however, continued to speak of "justice and fair play" in fighting communism, and it was a long time before they prevailed.

Say, Whatever Happened to Freedom From Fear? (1951)

This depicts a grimacing Joe McCarthy storming Washington D.C. carrying a paintbrush and a bucket of black liquid labeled "smear". The nervous-looking men represent the Washington officials who were tried in the House of Un-American Activities hearings. An example is Alger Hiss' conviction. As Senator Joseph McCarthy's campaign against State Department and Justice Department officials continued, President Harry Truman spoke against "scaremongers and hatemongers" who "are trying to create fear and suspicion among us by the use of slander, unproved accusations, and just plain lies."

We Now Have New and Important Evidence (1950)

This depicts an impassioned Joe McCarthy making a speech before the House of Un-American Activities Committee. Two men are hauling some "new and important evidence" that links a man to the American Communist Party. It is a piece of wooden fence sawed off by McCarthy's cronies, and relays his judgment that the McCarthy hearings are based on wild rumors rather than convincing evidence. Herb Block indicates that McCarthy's accusations are unfounded; a fence that has the words "Joe Zilch is a red" hardly proves that the accused is actually a member of the communist party. Block also attempted to turn public opinion against the trials by using the name "Joe Zilch", which is is synonymous with the terms "Average Joe" and "John Doe". No American was safe from McCarthy's accusations. Senator Joseph McCarthy's continued string of reckless charges of communism in government created such a sensation that the Senate appointed a special committee under Millard E. Tydings to investigate his "evidence." McCarthy managed to turn the hearings into a circus, each new charge obscuring the fact that earlier accusations weren't backed up. Nevertheless, he still had a lot of support.