Reviews for The Life and Times of Joe McCarthy
Review - Life and Times of Joe McCarthy, The
Why I read the book: I’ve wanted to read a biography of McCarthy for a long time, but whenever I’ve tried, I’ve found the book to be ridiculously biased one way or another. Then I found this one by Reeves. I’d read his biography of John F. Kennedy. It was biased, but in the same way I am, so I figured his treatment of McCarthy would be to my liking.
What the book was about: It covered McCarthy’s boyhood in Wisconsin very briefly, glanced at his vastly over-emphasized WWII experience in the Pacific, then went into excruciating detail about his Senate career.
Before he got on his anti-Communist kick, McCarthy was desperately searching for a cause. He even took up the defense of some Nazi soldiers who claimed they were mistreated in prison after they massacred American soldiers. (The abuse turned out to be totally trumped-up.) Joe happened upon the Red scare tactic almost by accident. He used a report issued some years previously, wouldn’t reveal his source and claimed that he had evidence of 205 (or was it 81? Or maybe 57?) Communists in the State Department. He couldn’t keep his numbers straight. Conservative Republicans, eager to gain power, jumped on the bandwagon.
McCarthy was given almost limitless powers as the head of a committee and began summoning all sorts of people to appear before him. If anyone balked or protested, he simply labeled them soft on Communism. If anyone pled the fifth, they were labeled “fifth-amendment Communists.” It got to the point where government agencies were passing laws that nobody who pled the fifth could hold office.
In 1954, after four years of being out of control, McCarthy took on the army. The army fought back, and Joe’s tactics were made public. Some brave Senators initiated censure hearings, the pendulum of opinion swung and McCarthy was made to look like a fool. He hung around for another couple years, voting against things, but nobody paid any attention. He died in 1957, at 48, of cirrhosis of the liver brought on by his alcoholism.
What I liked about the book: I wanted to know more about McCarthy, and I do. Reeves made an effort to be fair, but there wasn’t much to be fair about. McCarthy wanted the spotlight, was willing to do anything he had to do to get it, and was cruel and vindictive toward anyone who tried to stop him. About the only good thing Reeves could find to say was that until near the end when his drinking got out of hand, it seemed that people who got to know McCarthy off the public stage thought he was a genuinely friendly guy.
What I didn't like about the book: It went into excruciating detail about every person who was brought before McCarthy’s committee, which made it bog down considerably.
The most interesting quote: A summary near the end of the book: McCarthy was guilty of frequent lying and slander. Untold hundreds of Americans suffered directly from his zeal to find and punish subversives. He disrupted two Administrations and impeded serious congressional activity. He lent his support to a rigid foreign policy that would haunt the nation for generations. He backed efforts to curb academic freedom and censure unpopular ideas. Evidence strongly suggests that he lowered morale throughout the federal government and damaged America’s international prestige. [And] the cliché is true: he did not discover a single Communist.
Recommendation: I gave it a six because it was overly-detailed for what I wanted. But it was informative and interesting.
What the book was about: It covered McCarthy’s boyhood in Wisconsin very briefly, glanced at his vastly over-emphasized WWII experience in the Pacific, then went into excruciating detail about his Senate career.
Before he got on his anti-Communist kick, McCarthy was desperately searching for a cause. He even took up the defense of some Nazi soldiers who claimed they were mistreated in prison after they massacred American soldiers. (The abuse turned out to be totally trumped-up.) Joe happened upon the Red scare tactic almost by accident. He used a report issued some years previously, wouldn’t reveal his source and claimed that he had evidence of 205 (or was it 81? Or maybe 57?) Communists in the State Department. He couldn’t keep his numbers straight. Conservative Republicans, eager to gain power, jumped on the bandwagon.
McCarthy was given almost limitless powers as the head of a committee and began summoning all sorts of people to appear before him. If anyone balked or protested, he simply labeled them soft on Communism. If anyone pled the fifth, they were labeled “fifth-amendment Communists.” It got to the point where government agencies were passing laws that nobody who pled the fifth could hold office.
In 1954, after four years of being out of control, McCarthy took on the army. The army fought back, and Joe’s tactics were made public. Some brave Senators initiated censure hearings, the pendulum of opinion swung and McCarthy was made to look like a fool. He hung around for another couple years, voting against things, but nobody paid any attention. He died in 1957, at 48, of cirrhosis of the liver brought on by his alcoholism.
What I liked about the book: I wanted to know more about McCarthy, and I do. Reeves made an effort to be fair, but there wasn’t much to be fair about. McCarthy wanted the spotlight, was willing to do anything he had to do to get it, and was cruel and vindictive toward anyone who tried to stop him. About the only good thing Reeves could find to say was that until near the end when his drinking got out of hand, it seemed that people who got to know McCarthy off the public stage thought he was a genuinely friendly guy.
What I didn't like about the book: It went into excruciating detail about every person who was brought before McCarthy’s committee, which made it bog down considerably.
The most interesting quote: A summary near the end of the book: McCarthy was guilty of frequent lying and slander. Untold hundreds of Americans suffered directly from his zeal to find and punish subversives. He disrupted two Administrations and impeded serious congressional activity. He lent his support to a rigid foreign policy that would haunt the nation for generations. He backed efforts to curb academic freedom and censure unpopular ideas. Evidence strongly suggests that he lowered morale throughout the federal government and damaged America’s international prestige. [And] the cliché is true: he did not discover a single Communist.
Recommendation: I gave it a six because it was overly-detailed for what I wanted. But it was informative and interesting.
Reviewed by Roger on 2006-07-25 14:39:40