In 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy from Wisconsin rose from relative obscurity when he shocked the country with the claim that many State Department workers were colluding and aiding the Communist Party.  McCarthy’s communist accusations continued to gain momentum until the nationally televised Army–McCarthy hearings in early 1954. During that hearing, McCarthy charged that an aide of Army Counsel Joseph Welch’s had ties to a Communist organization. In full view of the American public, Welch defended his aide, countering McCarthy's voluble assertions with a stern response that ultimately ended McCarthy's career: "Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness…Let us not assassinate this lad further, senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?"

It was the picture that shattered all of our records.