Category: World War II
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“A Twentieth Century Congress”: Kefauver’s Call for Change
After the Great Depression and WWII, the federal government was bigger and more complex than ever. And Congress, wedded to archaic and inefficient traditions, was struggling to cope. Kefauver offered a way out of the wilderness. If only Congress had listened.
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Better Living Through Chemistry: Kefauver and the Department of Science
The Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957 set off a panic that America was losing the race for space. Kefauver thought that a federal Department of Science would help America catch up. Why wasn’t the idea adopted?
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Duck and Cover: America’s Troubled History with Civil Defense
After World War II, America tried to develop a plan for civil defense in case of a nuclear attack. Why didn’t it work out, and who’s to blame for its failure?
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Campaign 1954: Keef vs. the “Wild Swinger”
Kefauver’s first Senate term made him nationally famous… but controversial at home. To win re-election, he’d have to face a hyper-ambitious young Congressman who just wouldn’t… stop… talking.
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Joseph McCarthy’s Opening Act: The Malmedy Hearings
Before he started slinging irresponsible accusations about Communism, Joseph McCarthy was slinging irresponsible accusations about the Army… and sticking up for the Nazis. No, seriously.
Estes Kefauver for President 