#121 - Truman's Hysteria

In 1950 Harry Truman complained about a “great wave of hysteria” sweeping the nation - the Red Scare. He should know. He was really largely responsible for creating it. Between the launching of his "loyalty program" in March 1947 and it's finish in December 1952, some 6.6 million persons were investigated to see if they were Communist sympathizers. Not a single case of espionage was uncovered, though about 500 persons were dismissed in dubious cases of “questionable loyalty" - which was never defined. Meanwhile in Hollywood, the FBI were worried that that "so-called intellectuals" might be influencing scripts. Because if it's one thing you don't want in a democracy, it's intellectuals. HOW TO LISTEN If you're already a subscriber, you can listen to the full show in the player below or subscribe through iTunes or any podcast player. If you haven't heard any of the series and want to know if you'll like it before you sign up, you can listen to the first six episodes totally free. You might want to start with Episode 1, unless of course you're an old school George Lucas fan, in which case feel free to start at Episode IV. We don't recommend it though. If you haven't already, join our Facebook page and you'll be in the running to win prizes in our regular "Share The Love" and other competitions. If you'd like a chance to win a prize, write a funny or insightful review on iTunes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices