4/2/25 "Red Scare" / "Demagogue"

Today's program features both a newly-recorded interview and an interview from the archives- both concerning the so-called Red Scare in the years following World War Two. First is New York Times reporter Clay Risen talking about his book "Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America." The book examines the nature of the Red Scare, the way it extended beyond the infamous congressional hearings to involve many facets of American life, and the reverberations of it to the present day. After that, from 2021, comes an excerpt from a conversation with best-selling author Larry Tye, talking about his book "Demogogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joe McCarthy." McCarthy is the figure most vividly remembered from the Red Scare, but Tye was able to gain access to McCarthy's personal archives to paint an exceptionally clear portrait of the man.