Sep 20, 2005
Senator Joe McCarthy Never Served on the House Un-American Acitivities Committee
Writing in the NYT on September 18, 2005 about a new documentary about Edward R. Murrow--"Good Night, and Good Luck"--staff writer David Carr referred to the depiction of "Murrow's ferocious battle with Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, network sponsors and even his employers as he tries to expose the tactics of the House Un-American Activities Committee."
We have not seen the documentary, which was produced by actor George Clooney. But it is unlikely (we hope) that it features Murrow's campaign against the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).
For the record: Joseph McCarthy was the junior senator from Wisconsin. He did not serve on the House un-American Acitivites Committee (HUAC).
HUAC embraced the tactics of McCarthy, which is what probably confused Mr. Carr. And both HUAC and McCarthy of course were considered scourges of the 1950s by liberals.
But they were not jointly the target of the Murrow documentary. McCarthy was.
(Thanks to Ronald Radosh for the tip!)
We have not seen the documentary, which was produced by actor George Clooney. But it is unlikely (we hope) that it features Murrow's campaign against the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).
For the record: Joseph McCarthy was the junior senator from Wisconsin. He did not serve on the House un-American Acitivites Committee (HUAC).
HUAC embraced the tactics of McCarthy, which is what probably confused Mr. Carr. And both HUAC and McCarthy of course were considered scourges of the 1950s by liberals.
But they were not jointly the target of the Murrow documentary. McCarthy was.
(Thanks to Ronald Radosh for the tip!)