Barbara Greenspun remembers 1954: Frightening time for family

Friday, Aug. 4, 2000 | 8:52 a.m.

Sun Publisher Barbara Greenspun recalls when her husband Hank was indicted after he wrote an inflammatory column about Sen. Joseph McCarthy (Greenspun was later acquitted of charges of sending threatening material through the mail).

When the indictment was returned against Hank in April 1954 I was very pregnant with my fourth child and scared about what this could mean to our family. At the time, Sen. McCarthy's influence was still strong. People were fearful of his power and his propensity to destroy those he considered his enemies.

It was a frightening time for all of us, so much so that prominent journalists in Washington were afraid to criticize the Senator. Many of them sent information and background material to Hank, knowing he had no qualms about publishing the truth. Through that period I lived in constant fear for my husband and family, knowing how ruthless the senator could be. Looking back I realize the chances Hank took in exposing Sen. McCarthy for the demagogue he was. In the end it proved worthwhile, but there were many anxious moments for all of us.