Red Scare!Red Scare!

In September 1945, In September 1945, a cipher clerk a cipher clerk named Igor named Igor Gouzenko from the Gouzenko from the Soviet Embassy in Soviet Embassy in Ottawa defectedOttawa defected

He carried with him He carried with him files that described, files that described, in detail, the extent in detail, the extent of Soviet spying in of Soviet spying in North AmericaNorth America

Igor Gouzenko

The Gouzenko affair caused The Gouzenko affair caused tremendous consternation in the tremendous consternation in the United States and CanadaUnited States and Canada

His defection led to a significant His defection led to a significant number of charges against number of charges against Canadians and Americans for spying Canadians and Americans for spying on their own countryon their own country

Many felt that the Soviet spying Many felt that the Soviet spying extended even deeper, into the heart extended even deeper, into the heart of governmentof government

In 1949 the In 1949 the Soviets exploded Soviets exploded their first nuclear their first nuclear bomb and it bomb and it became clear that became clear that they were only they were only able to advance able to advance that quickly due to that quickly due to spying activitiesspying activities

The American FBI The American FBI launched a hunt launched a hunt for ‘Atomic spies’for ‘Atomic spies’

The First Soviet A-bomb test

Ted Hall, youngest

scientist on the Manhattan

project, and a source of key

Soviet information

In many ways the hunt for the Atomic In many ways the hunt for the Atomic Spies was a witch hunt that saw several Spies was a witch hunt that saw several people convicted based on slanted or people convicted based on slanted or questionable evidencequestionable evidence

The desire to see someone punished led The desire to see someone punished led to the execution of Julius and Ethel to the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, they were convicted of Rosenberg, they were convicted of aiding an enemy of the United States aiding an enemy of the United States (the USSR) (the USSR) See Video ClipSee Video Clip

The real Atomic spy turned out to be The real Atomic spy turned out to be Klaus Fuchs a physicist who worked on Klaus Fuchs a physicist who worked on the Manhattan project, he lived to tell the Manhattan project, he lived to tell the talethe tale

An American An American Senator (Joe Senator (Joe McCarthy) was McCarthy) was so convinced so convinced that Soviet spies that Soviet spies were everywhere were everywhere that he began a that he began a hunt for hunt for suspected spies suspected spies and and collaboratorscollaborators

1947 Comic BookPart of the scare

He created the He created the Committee on Un-Committee on Un-American activities, American activities, this committee this committee called hundreds of called hundreds of people and branded people and branded many of them as many of them as Communist Communist sympathizers sympathizers

Many people were Many people were unfairly tarnished unfairly tarnished with the taint of with the taint of being a Soviet spy, being a Soviet spy, some committed some committed suicide, many had suicide, many had their lives ruined, their lives ruined, not one spy was ever not one spy was ever found found

Charles Chaplin, Actor

J. Robert Oppenheimer,

Physicist

Lee Grant, actress

Paul Robeson

Spy GamesSpy Games Throughout the Cold War there was Throughout the Cold War there was

significant action between the significant action between the superpowers spy agencies the CIA & superpowers spy agencies the CIA & KGBKGB

In many cases their actions played a role In many cases their actions played a role in keeping the tensions between the two in keeping the tensions between the two countries highcountries high

The British suffered a tremendous blow The British suffered a tremendous blow when it was revealed that three of the when it was revealed that three of the top officials in MI-5 were actually Soviet top officials in MI-5 were actually Soviet spiesspies