Andy Wilson

March 30, 2005

Position paper

Issue 13

Issue 13 addressed the question of whether or not Communism threatened

America’s Security after World War II. Professors John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr

argue that the “Venona Project” uncovered a large number U.S. officials who where

passing on sensitive information to the Soviets. On the other side is professor Richard M.

Fried who supports the view that the 1950’s was a witch hunt where people had their First

and Fifth Amendment rights suspended so different state and government committees

could investigate those individuals who they thought might have possible ties to the

Soviet Union.

I believe that both sides propose legitimate views concerning the threat of

Communism in post-war America. Haynes and Klehr are correct when they discuss the

stealing and delivering of U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviets but their view on Soviet

aircraft designs is wrong because they did not come from America, they came from

engineers and aircraft that the Soviets captured from the Nazis at the end of World War II.

While Haynes and Klehr are correct in some aspects, Fired correctly identifies the

massive witch hunt of supposed communists that prosecuted and ruined the careers of

many innocent people. I believe that both sides contain facts that I see as correct and

aptly describe the atmosphere of the time.