articularly a man who led the worlds military might against Nazism and Fascism, would have brought relief to the victims of fascistic forces which had gained prominence in America. That was not to be. Richard Nixon, a former member of HUAC was Vice President. Senator Joseph McCarthy and other prominent anti-communists were Republicans. Consistent with his party, Eisenhower on April 27, 1953 issued Executive Order 10450, better known as the Employee and Security Program. The new Order went a step further in tightening the "rope" around the "necks" of federal employees by abolishing all recourse to appeals. The Heads of Agencies and Departments were given final powers. The Civil Service Commission was instructed to develop a Security Investigation Index to cover all employees. George M. Moore, US Civil Service Commissioner, in defense of the Order "barefacedly" argued that it would free the government from disloyal employees and from security risks. Under Executive Order 10450, four thousand three hundred and fifteen (4,315) employees resigned, there were 6,926 separations and 1,743 dismissals attributed to subversive activities.
In the latter half of the 1950s, McCarthy began to be exposed. He treaded on the feet of the Army. The Army Intelligence disseminated information on him regarding allegations of alcoholism and perversion. He also made a fool of himself in the Hearings of a Congressional Committee. It was aired on television. McCarthy lies were exposed to such an extent that he was marginalized in the Senate. One Head of an important American Corporation told President Eisenhower to do something about McCarthy. Finally, the President asked Vice President Nixon to attack McCarthy publicly. Nixon, the only "risen star" of the HUAC did just that in a public statement, but insisted that communism had to be fought, learning from the mistakes of McCarthyism!
The political phenomenon of McCarthyism, which was the extensive practice in the abuse of power by the US Government, clearly qualifies as an example of pathological governance in a developed northern nation-state. The policies adopted in the 1940s and 1950s to fight communism and protect democracy were considered alien to Americas political culture. They were similar to those used in communist dictatorships. Why did both Presidents issue Executive Orders that provided the framework for opportunistic, fanatical and "sick" politicians to legitimize a massive assault on the constitutional rights of American citizens? They did it because they were politicians who pursued their objectives regardless of the cost to citizens or institutions. The two Presidents did not swim against the tide in defense of the American Constitution even though they took a solemn oath to do just that.
Why did the Executive Branch allow the Head of the FBI to amass so much power in violation of administrative and constitutional rules and precepts? Was it because of fear of blackmail based on information collected by the FBI on politicians themselves? Perhaps, the politicians used J. Edgar Hoover to do their "dirty" work in the beginning, and later, he and the FBI got out of control and clearly did their own thing.
The Congress of the USA, instead of restraining the Presidents in issuing Executive Orders in violation of the Constitution, pressured the Presidents to escalate the violations. The Congress then went further than the Presidents and conducted open "witch-hunts" and persecution of citizens in private and public at their workplaces and in their communities. Well, the Presidents were two men, but what happened to the hundreds of men and women who made up the Congress? How can so many men and women in such a short span of time surrender to the McCarthys, Mundts, Nixons, and others? What about their oaths? It was evident that they were afraid that they would lose elections, so they collaborated.
In such a situation, when a nations political and administrative leadership and government degenerate, the hope lies in civil society. But even there, America faced grave problems. Civil society wa