President Eisenhower’s Letter to Milton Eisenhower on Senator Joseph McCarthy (1953)

Date: October 9, 1953

Created By: Dwight D. Eisenhower and James Hagerty

Original or Replica: Original

Era: The Presidency, McCarthyism and the Red Scare

Collection: Eisenhower Presidential Library

Citations: DDE’s Papers as President, Name Series, Box 12, Eisenhower Milton 1952-1953 (3); NAID #16660401

This document is a personal and confidential letter written by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to his younger brother, Dr. Milton S. Eisenhower, on October 9, 1953. In the letter, the President responds to concerns about his administration’s approach toward Senator Joseph R. McCarthy and explains why he deliberately refused to engage in direct public confrontations with the Wisconsin senator during the height of the Red Scare.

President Eisenhower argues that publicly attacking Senator McCarthy would only provide him with the attention and publicity he desired. Instead, he defends his administration’s strategy of quietly upholding constitutional principles, including freedom of expression and access to public libraries, without elevating McCarthy’s political influence through direct confrontation. Eisenhower also criticizes the increasingly bitter tone of American political discourse, expressing his belief that constructive leadership should focus on promoting positive ideals rather than engaging in personal attacks or public feuds. He concludes by assuring his brother that his political principles had not changed and that he had always sought to lead through restraint, dignity, and respect rather than through personal denunciations.

Senator Joseph McCarthy’s anti-communist investigations dominated American politics during the early 1950s and placed significant pressure on the Eisenhower administration.