Loyalty Oath

Here is a blog entry from Brad Delong that contains the papers of Ernst Kantorowicz, a famous historian, who refused to sign the "loyalty oath" required by the regents of UC Berkeley in the early 1950s (during the McCarthy era).

This was a sad period in US history. Here's the succinct statement of the event from the preface of the Kontorowicz material:

"If you are not a Communist, why can't you sign the oath?" How often has this question been asked and still is asked? The answer is that from the very beginning it was true that "The issue is not Communism; it is the welfare and dignity of our University" (Alumni Letter, August 17, 1950). The forcibly imposed oath with its economic sanctions and encroachments on tenure, rejected almost unanimously by the Faculties of the University of California, was at first one of the most thoughtless and wanton, later one of the most ruthless attacks on the academic profession at large. In order to enforce the oath which "is not required by Law" (Governor Warren: February 28, 1950), the faction of the Board of Regents headed by Regent Neylan has not only violated the rules of tenure; bit by bit they have succeeded in virtually abolishing the very idea of tenure as well as that of trial by jury. Finally those gentlemen, victors pro tempore, could allow themselves to put their foot on the prostrate body of what has been one of the world's proudest and most renowned Faculties. They could assume the power to dictate what was crime and what not, demand of the Faculty unconditional obedience to the Board of Regents even in matters of conscience, and crush non-conformists by an open "breach of faith" (Governor Warren and his group: August 24, 1950).

The reality was that people were hounded out of employment because they wouldn't bend to the stupidity of this requirement. Think about it. If you were really a Communist -- a duplicitous fiend only too willing to use any ploy to destroy America -- then you would willingly sign. The only people who would refuse to sign were those with a moral conscience that didn't like being bullied by political opportunists who used the "loyalty oath" as a bludgeon to politically dominate others. The whole thing was idiotic and counterproductive. But it didn't come to an end until McCarty overextended himself by wanting to "purge" the military. From Wikipedia:

One of the most influential opponents of McCarthyism was the famed CBS newscaster and analyst Edward R. Murrow. On October 20, 1953, Murrow's show See It Now aired an episode about the dismissal of Milo Radulovich, a former reserve Air Force lieutenant who was accused of associating with Communists. The show was strongly critical of the Air Force's methods, which included presenting evidence in a sealed envelope that Radulovich and his attorney were not allowed to open. On March 9, 1954, See It Now aired another episode on the issue of McCarthyism, this one attacking Joseph McCarthy himself. Titled "A Report on Senator Joseph R. McCarthy," it used footage of McCarthy speeches to portray him as dishonest, reckless and abusive toward witnesses and prominent Americans. In his concluding comment, Murrow said:

"We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men.”

This broadcast has been cited as a key episode in bringing about the end of McCarthyism.