McCarthy-era records released

WASHINGTON – The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on Friday released all of the previously closed transcripts of executive sessions held during the chairmanship of Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy from 1953 to 1954.

The release of the Senate records, which were sealed for 50 years, marked the largest opening of documents related to the McCarthy investigations.

“I am pleased that these historically important documents are finally being released to the public,” said Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who chaired the subcommittee in 2001 when she authorized the Senate Historical Office to begin preparing the McCarthy documents for release on their 50th anniversary.

“Senator Margaret Chase Smith said 50 years ago, ‘Those of us who shout the loudest about Americanism in making character assassinations are all too frequently those who, by our own words and acts, ignore some of the basic principles of Americanism.’ The McCarthy transcripts will help ensure that we do not forget this important lesson, and that we remain vigilant in upholding the constitutional rights and democratic principles that are the strength of this nation.”

For two years as chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, McCarthy conducted sensational inquiries into allegations of Communist subversion and espionage. He held hearings on Communists in the Department of State, the Voice of America, the U.S. Information Libraries, the Government Printing Office, the Army Signal Corps, and American defense industries. This effort culminated in the nationally televised Army-McCarthy hearings, followed by the Senate’s vote to censure McCarthy for conduct contrary to senatorial traditions.

Dr. Donald A. Ritchie, associate Senate historian, guided the two-year project of obtaining the McCarthy records from the National Archives and Records Administration and preparing them for publication. The hearing transcripts were edited for publication, but nothing was deleted from the transcripts. All of the original transcripts are open and available for research at the Center for Legislative Archives, National Archives and Records Administration.

The complete five-volume set is available on the Government Printing Office Web site at www.access.gpo.gov/congress/senate/senate12cp107.html.

Printed copies of the hearings may be purchased from the Government Printing Office at bookstore.gpo.gov.