Dave Davies

Risen describes the red-baiting hysteria of the period in colorful detail, and he writes that there's a through-line to be found from that era up to our current political moment. Clay Risen is currently a reporter and editor at The New York Times, now assigned to the obituaries desk, and is the author of eight books, some about American history and some about whiskey.

Before writing obituaries, Risen was a senior editor on the Times 2020 politics coverage and before that an editor on the opinion desk. His new book is Red Scare, Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America. Clay Risen, welcome to Fresh Air. Thanks for having me.

Before writing obituaries, Risen was a senior editor on the Times 2020 politics coverage and before that an editor on the opinion desk. His new book is Red Scare, Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America. Clay Risen, welcome to Fresh Air. Thanks for having me.

Before writing obituaries, Risen was a senior editor on the Times 2020 politics coverage and before that an editor on the opinion desk. His new book is Red Scare, Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America. Clay Risen, welcome to Fresh Air. Thanks for having me.

There's a lot of detail in this book, but there's also a big picture sense of what was really happening with this outbreak of anti-communist fervor. And one of the strands, you say, was a culture war, a long simmering resentment among conservatives about the changes that had taken place in the nation with the New Deal.

There's a lot of detail in this book, but there's also a big picture sense of what was really happening with this outbreak of anti-communist fervor. And one of the strands, you say, was a culture war, a long simmering resentment among conservatives about the changes that had taken place in the nation with the New Deal.

There's a lot of detail in this book, but there's also a big picture sense of what was really happening with this outbreak of anti-communist fervor. And one of the strands, you say, was a culture war, a long simmering resentment among conservatives about the changes that had taken place in the nation with the New Deal.

You know, new rights for organized labor, the beginnings of the social security system, etc., Roosevelt was enormously popular really as the result of these programs. What were the greatest objections to those changes and what form did the opposition take?

You know, new rights for organized labor, the beginnings of the social security system, etc., Roosevelt was enormously popular really as the result of these programs. What were the greatest objections to those changes and what form did the opposition take?

You know, new rights for organized labor, the beginnings of the social security system, etc., Roosevelt was enormously popular really as the result of these programs. What were the greatest objections to those changes and what form did the opposition take?

Right. So you had that thing going on. There's this people who were angry, felt that they had been pushed aside, left out, that their way of life was ignored and replaced with something alien. The second strand you cite, of course, is the emergence of the Cold War and the fear of the Soviet Union. And that was connected to a communist presence in the United States.

Right. So you had that thing going on. There's this people who were angry, felt that they had been pushed aside, left out, that their way of life was ignored and replaced with something alien. The second strand you cite, of course, is the emergence of the Cold War and the fear of the Soviet Union. And that was connected to a communist presence in the United States.

Right. So you had that thing going on. There's this people who were angry, felt that they had been pushed aside, left out, that their way of life was ignored and replaced with something alien. The second strand you cite, of course, is the emergence of the Cold War and the fear of the Soviet Union. And that was connected to a communist presence in the United States.

And we should note that while Soviet-style communism is discredited among Americans today, it was different in the 30s and 40s, right?

And we should note that while Soviet-style communism is discredited among Americans today, it was different in the 30s and 40s, right?

And we should note that while Soviet-style communism is discredited among Americans today, it was different in the 30s and 40s, right?

You know, I often think of... The excesses of the Red Scare as being driven by congressional hearings, people demanding loyalty statements and the like. But Harry Truman, the Democratic president who followed Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was actually pretty active on this front as well. Tell us why he embraced this idea of asking citizens to commit to loyalty hosts and the like.

You know, I often think of... The excesses of the Red Scare as being driven by congressional hearings, people demanding loyalty statements and the like. But Harry Truman, the Democratic president who followed Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was actually pretty active on this front as well. Tell us why he embraced this idea of asking citizens to commit to loyalty hosts and the like.

You know, I often think of... The excesses of the Red Scare as being driven by congressional hearings, people demanding loyalty statements and the like. But Harry Truman, the Democratic president who followed Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was actually pretty active on this front as well. Tell us why he embraced this idea of asking citizens to commit to loyalty hosts and the like.

Right. I mean, it's interesting. He comes up with this loyalty oath that he expects government employees to swear to. People identified problems with this approach. What were they?