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Showing results 1 – 6 of 6

Glossary Term – Event

Internal Security Act of 1950

Congress passed the Internal Security Act over President Truman’s veto. Also known as the McCarran Act or the Subversive Activities Control Act, it strengthened laws against espionage, allowed investigation and deportation of immigrants who were suspected of subversive activities or of promoting communism or fascism, and allowed the limitation of free speech for national security reasons. President Truman vigorously opposed the law that he believed “would make a mockery of our Bill of Rights [and] would actually weaken our internal...

Glossary Term – Event

Rosenbergs arrested

In summer 1950, Julius Rosenberg and his wife, Ethel, were arrested on charges of espionage. The pair were accused of sharing secret American intelligence with the Soviets. They were ultimately found guilty and executed in 1953. Though evidence later showed that Julius did in fact spy for the Soviets, Ethel was likely unaware of her husband’s activities.

Glossary Term – Event

Operation CHAOS

The CIA escalated Operation CHAOS, a program for domestic spying on American citizens. Over the next ten years, the CIA used questionable tactics to investigate and profile thousands of anti-war American citizens and organizations.

Glossary Term – Person

Alger Hiss

Alger Hiss (1904–1996), a US State Department official, was accused by Time magazine editor and ex-Communist Whitaker Chambers of being a spy for the Soviets in 1948. Hiss denied the allegations but in 1950 was found guilty of perjury and sentenced to five years in prison.

Glossary Term – Person

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Julius Rosenberg, an engineer, was arrested on charges of espionage in 1950. Rosenberg’s wife, Ethel, was also arrested. Accused of sharing intelligence with the Soviets, the Rosenbergs were found guilty and executed in 1953. Evidence later showed that it is likely Julius was guilty but Ethel probably was not.

Glossary Term – Person

J. Edgar Hoover

J. Edgar Hoover (1895–1972) was the controversial director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 1924 to 1972. After studying law, Hoover worked for the Department of Justice and the attorney general. At just twenty-nine years old, he was named director of the FBI. Hoover reorganized the FBI and instituted new policies and training to transform the bureau into a respected and specialized organization. In the 1930s, Hoover led the FBI in investigating cases of espionage, communism, and fascism, as well as well-known criminals....