Oppie Was A Commie

Accuracy In Media ^ | June 27, 2003 | Notra Trulock

[walford]

...rather than have Oppenheimer supply classified documents to agents, his Soviet spy masters might have preferred that he "appoint other Communists to key positions who would in turn hand over the information." Crouch then identified a number of scientists with Party affiliations appointed by Oppenheimer to key positions in the Manhattan Project. Nearly fifty years later, the Schecters would uncover a letter in the Soviet spy archives written by Lavrenti Beria, Stalin’s chief spy and then head of his nuclear program. Beria refers to Oppenheimer as an "unlisted agent" of the CPUSA and praises Oppenheimer’s role in providing Soviet spies access to U.S. atomic secrets...

[walford]

When people complain of how McCarthy was persecuting people for being communists, the implication is that they were targeted for their idealistic convictions.

The fact is they were living in this country enjoying the prosperity that freedom brings while at the same time passing information that would better enhance our enemies' ability to threaten the lives of each and every American living at the time.

That in turn gave the USSR considerable influence on our foreign policy. If it were not for its nuclear arsenal Soviet Russia would have been just another pathetic Third World dictatorship.

The idea that people would be sympathetic to the likes of Oppenheimer is beyond repulsive.

[Tai_Chung]

Was McCarthyism good for the United States?

[walford]

'McCarthyism' is now a smear word for anyone who holds the conviction that Marxism/Leninism is bad.

Let us remember the context of under which the MeCarthy hearings took place. We just got finished fighting a war in Asia because of an expansionist communist state invaded its neighbor. We fought Chinese on the ground and Russians in the air.

Prior to that, after shedding much blood and treasure to prevent a fascist dictatorship from taking over much of Europe, we saw our Soviet 'allies' exploit the situation by installing their own puppet governments from where the Nazis were ousted.

My father tells me that when he was stationed in Germany in the mid-fifties, he and the other dog-faced soldiers were given the impression that tanks from the east could come rolling in at any minute. I'm old enough to remember the hair-trigger tension that existed between us and the USSR back in the bad old days.

What is 'McCarthyism' to you?

[presidio9]

I'm not sure anyone really knows what "McCarthyism" was anymore. But I CAN tell you that Joe McCarthy was good for the United States. Too bad too few people knew this.

[HanneyBean]

...it wasn't until I read the first few lines of this article that I realized that it was Oppie - not OPIE.
Whew, I'm glad my memories of little Opie Taylor from The Andy Griffith Show can remain unblemished!!
I'll leave quietly now - sorry for the intrusion!

[Iris7]

Nicely written reply.

[Catspaw]

...it wasn't until I read the first few lines of this article that I realized that it was Oppie - not OPIE. Whew, I'm glad my memories of little Opie Taylor from The Andy Griffith Show can remain unblemished!!

That makes two of us :-))

[GOPJ]

BINGO:

The fact is they were living in this country enjoying the prosperity that freedom brings while at the same time passing information that would better enhance our enemies' ability to threaten the lives of each and every American living at the time.

[GOPJ]

BINGO:

The fact is they were living in this country enjoying the prosperity that freedom brings while at the same time passing information that would better enhance our enemies' ability to threaten the lives of each and every American living at the time.

[MonroeDNA]

"Was McCarthyism good for the United States?"

Yes.

[A_perfect_lady]

That makes two of us :-))

Three.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

Me three.

[Tai_Chung]

'McCarthyism' is now a smear word for anyone who holds the conviction that Marxism/Leninism is bad.

The smear campaign against McCarthyism is not unlike the smear campaign against the Bush Administration in the handling of suspected terrorists.

In the 1950's, we needed to investigate communist infiltrating the US entertainment industry, government, Labor Unions, and private industry. Communism was the biggest threat against the US and it would have been foolish for the US ignore it.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

It's probably now, "me four."

[Cincinatus]

One of the reasons people are "sympathetic" to Oppenheimer is because his scientific prestige was critical to ensuring the cohesion of the bunch of whiny, tempermental scientists at Los Alamos that was vital for the success of the Manhattan Project.

The FBI knew all about Oppie's pre-war leftist sympathies and communist flirtations and they briefed Gen. Groves on it. But Groves knew that he needed Oppie to get the vital questions answered. Groves did not hesitate to come down hard on Oppie if he needed to yank some chains of some of the more "questionable" scientists.

The other thing to remember is that during the duration of WW II, we were the ostensible allies of the USSR. Thus, commie spying was viewed with less alarm than Nazi spying would have been (at least by the New Dealers who were running the war effort). The real reason Oppie's security clearance was revoked was because he didn't want to work on Teller's "Super", i.e., the H-bomb. He had outlived his usefullness.

I don't know how much of the communist infiltration of the Manhattan Project can be laid at Oppie's door. Anytime you get a lot of pampered, entitled academics together, you'll find a lot of leftist sympathies. The thought at the time was that we needed the bomb -- an we needed it yesterday. Other considerations were given less weight. Perhaps that was a mistake, but I relegate it to the "fog of war" symdrome, not conspiracy.

[Gorzaloon]

The idea that people would be sympathetic to the likes of Oppenheimer is beyond repulsive.

Maybe they will finally lay off poor old Dr. Teller for a change, too. Once again, he was right.

[frodolives]

Yeah, what you said- "What's up with Little Ronnie Howard?"

[jmq]

Not our little Opie. No way is he a commie.
He was brought up right. Not like some
All in the Family loser.

[BA63]

Was McCarthyism good for the United States?

I remember in my early 20's, after a light study on "McCarthyism", thinking to myself; He did root out some communists.

It was good for America, not so good for Democraps and Liberals. The Gipper said it best "I didn't leave the Democatic Party, they left me"

It seems that America at that point (Late 40's then the 50's & 60's) was tired of reality (protecting and fighting for liberty) and wanted to have their ears tickled by slick politicians (ie: Liberals, Socialists and Communists) promising utopia.

[RippleFire]

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