McCarthy claimed to have a list of 205 Communists in the State Department, all working to sabotage the American ideals and lifestyles (Murray 33). When asked to produce tangible evidence of this, McCarthy only released one name, Owen Lattimore, which proved to be a nonexistent member of the State Department with no ties to the Communist party (Fariello 91). Nonetheless, McCarthy's claims struck a chord in an already fearful country. The Senator continued on his crusade to rid the government of all who had "anti-American" views. He spewed out accusation after accusation until his political agenda had gathered so much force that it was unstoppable. McCarthyism was spreading at a rapid pace, and those who stood in its way were prime targets for his blind finger pointing. He would respond to challenges with more accusations, striking fear into all those who opposed him. McCarthy was careful to only reveal these accusations within the senate where he was immune to the laws against slander (Murray 38). The only way to ensure one's safety was to hop on the bandwagon with McCarthy, thus resulting in a vicious cycle that destroyed lives and butchered careers. .
Coinciding with McCarthy's claims and possibly even opening the door for them were two highly publicized trials regarding espionage and treason. The case of Alger Hiss in 1948 confirmed the possibility that American officials had Communist motivations. Hiss was accused of spying in association with the Soviet Union, and former Soviet spy Whittaker Chambers produced government documents allegedly created on Hiss" typewriter (Fried 61). The statute of limitations had run out before Hiss could be charged with espionage, but his conviction of perjury sent a chilling message to the American people regarding the safety of Capitalist ideals within the nation's government. .
In September of the very next year, another spy case triggered nationwide panic.