Battling McCarthyism

Drew Pearson carried on a four-year campaign against the Red-baiting Joe McCarthy that ended with the senator’s censure. For Pearson, their clash caused the loss of his radio and television sponsors, and a substantial cut in his income, along with a physical beating by McCarthy. Since the senator had made himself a good source, the “Merry-Go-Round” treated him well until his speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, accusing the State Department of harboring known Communists. Pearson rebutted these charges and devoted numerous columns to McCarthy’s irresponsible accusations. He also targeted McCarthy’s young aides, Roy Cohn and G. David Schine. The column’s reports that Schine had evaded military service led to his being drafted. Cohn’s efforts to win special privileges for Private Schine then precipitated the Army-McCarthy hearings. Pearson’s stand against McCarthyism also caused his permanent estrangement from FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.