Of Mice or Men?

Toward the end of this exhaustive study, Mr. Fried compresses a definition of McCarthyism into “semantic violence.” The dictionary consensus defines it as reckless accusation of pro-Communist activity unsupported by proof or, more generally, as the employment of unfair investigative procedures, especially against government employees. I should like to add my own: a pipsqueak menace allowed to balloon into a frightening assault on civil liberties by timidity and indecision inside a...