Lies. Alternative facts. Demonizing the opponent. Former Senator Joseph R. McCarthy (R-Wisconsin) has been dead for 63 years, but the political tools and techniques that he pioneered are very much alive. They are as fresh as today’s headlines. The Free Library is proud to present “Trust No One: Joe McCarthy and the Politics of Fear,” a special series that explores the life of an American demagogue and the dangerous legacy he left behind.

“Dangerous Friends” is the third lecture in this five-part series. Prize-winning biographer David Nasaw explores a complex friendship that includes jobs, money, and romance. David Nasaw has written landmark biographies of William Randolph Hearst and Joseph P. Kennedy. In September of 2020, he published The Last Million: Europe’s Displaced Person’s From World War to Cold War. He has retired from teaching at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

This free virtual program will be presented on Zoom. To register, please click here.

"Trust No One: Joe McCarthy and the Politics of Fear" is made possible by generous support to the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation from Elizabeth Gemmill and Murray and Lonnie Levin.