You haven’t read “Blacklisted by History”, have you?
You are wrong. Perhaps you missed the part about the proposition being speculation. The speculation arose when Truman raised the question, and subsequent events resulted in more productive investigations of Communists within the government and business were forced to end when McCarthy’s demogoguery provoked even the anti-communists to to revile McCarthy’s methods. So, regardless of whether McCarthy was genuinely serving the anti-communist resistance or a Communist agent provoking an end to all investigations of Communists, including those not involving McCarthy, the end result was the ability of Communists to operate with near impunity due to public sympathy against demogoguery.
In McCarthy’s defense, the Kennedy family was supposedly anti-communist Catholics, which is why they were friends with McCarthy. If so, then it has to be wondered how and why Ted Kennedy did so much to help the communists.
Yes, the Communists left no stone unturned, it would seem, to defame and discredit mcCarthy. It also must be observed how McCarthy did himself and anti-communist resistance no favors with his alcoholism, fraud, stolen valor, and true demogoguery. He was correct in identifying many Communists. Nonetheless, the question must be asked, did McCarthy do more harm than good, and why?
If McCarthy was truly anti-communist, then why was he corrupt, and why did he harm the anti-communist investigations with his demogoguery? Was he just being rude, crude, and self-destructive because he was oblivious to the consequences of his actions?
If McCarthy was a Communist agent attempting to derail the anti-communist investigations in Congress, then why was he outing so many Communists, or were they expendable in the eyes of the Soviets so long as the operation terminated further investigations of Communists?
The Soviets pride themselves as being master chess players adept at plotting their moves far ahead in the game. Was McCarthy a witting or an unwitting pawn in the Soviet game? Assuming McCarthy was indeed attempting to work against the Communists, the possibility that someone can smear and subvert anti-communist investigations and activism by causing it to be in ill repute must not be ignored. Such a tactic is a routine part of the Communist arsenal.