Dave Davies

I mean, this is remarkable, but things changed.

Yeah. And what about the unions, the Screen Actors Guild, the Screenwriters Guild?

Yeah. And what about the unions, the Screen Actors Guild, the Screenwriters Guild?

Yeah. And what about the unions, the Screen Actors Guild, the Screenwriters Guild?

So it was hard to find friends if you were one of these actors or writers who was targeted.

So it was hard to find friends if you were one of these actors or writers who was targeted.

So it was hard to find friends if you were one of these actors or writers who was targeted.

Because I guess there was a national consensus that Soviet communism was a danger.

Because I guess there was a national consensus that Soviet communism was a danger.

Because I guess there was a national consensus that Soviet communism was a danger.

All right, let's take another break here, then we'll talk some more. We are speaking with Clay Risen. He is a reporter and editor for The New York Times and the author of eight books. His latest is Red Scare, Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America. He'll be back to talk more after this short break. I'm Dave Davies, and this is Fresh Air.

All right, let's take another break here, then we'll talk some more. We are speaking with Clay Risen. He is a reporter and editor for The New York Times and the author of eight books. His latest is Red Scare, Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America. He'll be back to talk more after this short break. I'm Dave Davies, and this is Fresh Air.

All right, let's take another break here, then we'll talk some more. We are speaking with Clay Risen. He is a reporter and editor for The New York Times and the author of eight books. His latest is Red Scare, Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America. He'll be back to talk more after this short break. I'm Dave Davies, and this is Fresh Air.

Going back to Hollywood for a moment, there was never a blacklist exactly as you say. But as close as it came was a book called Red Channels, a report of communist influence on radio and television produced by something called the American Business Consultants. Who were they? What did they do with this?

Going back to Hollywood for a moment, there was never a blacklist exactly as you say. But as close as it came was a book called Red Channels, a report of communist influence on radio and television produced by something called the American Business Consultants. Who were they? What did they do with this?

Going back to Hollywood for a moment, there was never a blacklist exactly as you say. But as close as it came was a book called Red Channels, a report of communist influence on radio and television produced by something called the American Business Consultants. Who were they? What did they do with this?

Makes you think of social media today. It does. Somebody sees an opportunity. Yeah, let's push this farther.

Makes you think of social media today. It does. Somebody sees an opportunity. Yeah, let's push this farther.

Makes you think of social media today. It does. Somebody sees an opportunity. Yeah, let's push this farther.

We haven't talked about Joe McCarthy. His story is better known than some of the others that we've talked about. But he was certainly the shining knight of the anti-communist crusade.