This is one of those personal diaries that might get deleted because it's not political. On the other hand, I can make it political without a lot of effort. I'm going to go to the bedside of an old lady who needs help and part of why she needs help could be due to Joseph McCarthy. He and his committee didn't ruin her life, but they sure enough tried, and they made her a lot less secure financially.
She worked in the American Embassy in Russia during WWII and knew Russian (gasp!). That's where my parents met her--they worked there, too. When she returned to the US, she was in D.C. and well on her way to a good career, especially for a woman back then.
Then McCarthy hit and because they associated with people who knew Russian and a few who were actual Russians** (gasp!) she and my mother were pushed out of their career paths. By then my father worked for the private sector, so he was okay. Both women were called upon to testify before Congress. My mother got out of it because she was busy giving birth to my oldest sister. But my family's friend lost her D.C. job and never worked for the government again (My mother managed to get her job and eventually her career back. I think her GS wasn't as high? I never did the story completely straight and I wish I had because now it might be too late.)
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