AllMovie

Actor Paul Newman hosts this black-and-white documentary that examines the Army-McCarthy hearings that were nationally televised between April 22, 1954, and June 17, 1954. Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy's investigations into whether there were possible Communist sympathizers serving in the military brought about these hearings. Actual clips from the hearings show Senator McCarthy and others often ruthlessly questioning witnesses. Numerous procedural questions were often raised as different individuals tried to control the hearings. Senator Everett Dirksen and attorneys Joseph Welch, Roy Cohn, and Ray Jenkins were among the many who actively tried to resolve this highly controversial inquiry that riveted the American public's attention for over a month.