HIST 102 · Course Capstone Research Project

"Witches Everywhere"

McCarthy, Venona, and the Soviet Archives
Primary Sources Declassified Archives Research Essay 100 Points
Top Secret · Eyes Only · Classification Level: HIST 102
Professor Austin dressed as a fictional cloak-and-dagger field operative

Operational Briefing

Attention, Agent. Your mission is to investigate the evidence behind Joseph McCarthy's accusations using declassified archival sources. The goal is not to begin with a predetermined verdict. Your job is to decide what the evidence supports, what it contradicts, and what remains uncertain.

Also, your handler would like the capstone submitted correctly. This may be the most dangerous part of the operation.

Assignment Status

One Canvas Assignment · 100 Points · Two Files

Complete the Research Notes first. Then use that research to build the Essay Planner and full draft. Submit both exported .txt files together in the single "Witches Everywhere" Canvas assignment.

Document Alpha: Research Notes
Five completed case entries plus the NotebookLM Briefing Doc. 50 points.
Document Bravo: Essay Planner & Draft
Planner fields plus the full assembled historical essay. 50 points.

Before You Begin: Protect Your Work

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Export a backup before ending a work session. If you switch computers or browsers, your saved form entries may not appear.

The Historical Question

The Problem You Will Investigate

McCarthyism is commonly associated with reckless accusation, fear, and abuse of political power. At the same time, later declassification of Venona intercepts and Soviet archival material established that genuine Soviet espionage networks operated in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s.

Your task is to investigate five individuals connected to McCarthy's accusations and reach your own evidence-based conclusion. For each case, ask whether the archival record supports McCarthy's accusation, contradicts it, or complicates it.

Competing Evidence and Investigations

The Senate's Tydings Committee and the later McCarran Committee reached different conclusions about communist infiltration and security concerns. Venona documents and the Vassiliev Notebooks added evidence that investigators in 1950 could not fully access.

Rather than assuming that one investigation, one politician, or one later archive settles the entire question, compare the evidence and explain where it leads you.

How the Assignment Works

Step 1Research All Five Individuals

Complete all five case entries in the Research Notes Form. Record the person's government role, Soviet code name when one is documented, McCarthy's accusation, archival evidence, citations, and your assessment of the evidence.

Three cases provide direct archival starting points. Two require more independent research. Use credible primary sources, government archives, scholarly publications, library databases, and the starting links provided.

When all five entries are complete, export the form as a .txt file. This first export is the file you will take to NotebookLM in Step 2. Do not submit it to Canvas yet.

Open Research Notes Form
Step 2Generate the NotebookLM Briefing Doc

Create a new Google NotebookLM notebook and upload your exported Research Notes .txt file as the only source. Use NotebookLM's Briefing Doc feature to generate a structured summary from your research.

Copy the complete Briefing Doc and paste it into the designated field at the bottom of the Research Notes Form. Paste the Briefing Doc as generated. Do not use NotebookLM to rewrite your research notes, your thesis, or your essay.

After pasting the Briefing Doc, export the Research Notes Form again. This second export is the final Research Notes file that you will submit.

If NotebookLM is unavailable or the Briefing Doc feature does not work, contact Professor Austin instead of substituting another AI tool.

Step 3Build the Essay Planner and Full Draft

Use your completed Research Notes to build the essay. You researched all five people, but your essay does not need to discuss all five. Select the strongest 2 to 3 cases or lines of evidence for your argument.

Your standard essay target is 600 to 900 words. A longer essay is acceptable if the extra length improves the argument rather than repeating points.

  • A clear thesis that answers the historical question.
  • An introduction with historical context, McCarthy's claim, your thesis, and a road map.
  • Three evidence-based body paragraphs. Each should include at least one direct quotation from archival evidence, identify the source, and explain how the evidence supports, contradicts, or complicates the claim you are evaluating.
  • A conclusion, works cited, and brief reflection.
  • The full assembled essay draft in the final field, not only the planner scaffolding.

Citations: You do not need to memorize a citation style. Make each source traceable. For a Venona cable, include the cable number or identifying information, date, sending office when available, and URL. For other sources, include enough author, title, date, organization, and URL information for another reader to locate the source. Be consistent.

Open Essay Planner
Step 4Submit Both Files Together in Canvas

Upload both files to the single "Witches Everywhere" Canvas assignment:

  • McCarthy_Research_Notes_[YourName].txt
  • McCarthy_Essay_Draft_[YourName].txt

Do not submit screenshots, PDFs, or Word documents. Before submitting, open both exported files and confirm that the expected content is present.

Research Guide: Starting Sources

The following links are starting points, not a complete research list. You may use additional credible primary and scholarly sources. Your campus librarian can help you locate sources and evaluate them.

Harry Dexter White - JURIST

Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. NSA Venona cable plus Gorsky Memo / White Notebook No. 2.

NSA Venona: White Cable

Alger Hiss - ALES

State Department official. Venona Cable #1822, March 30, 1945. The identification has been historically contested, so examine competing evidence.

Venona Cable #1822

William Remington - No Confirmed Code Name

Commerce Department economist. Independent research is required. Distinguish later legal proceedings from evidence directly supporting McCarthy's accusation.

Starting reference: William Remington

Vassiliev Notebooks

Notes derived from Soviet intelligence archives, including material used in later scholarship on espionage.

White Notebook No. 2

McCarthy's Senate Speech

The February 20, 1950 Congressional Record containing McCarthy's extended Senate speech.

Congressional Record

Academic Integrity and AI Use

All submitted work must reflect your own research and analysis. Do not use AI tools to generate, rewrite, or complete the Research Notes, thesis, body paragraphs, conclusion, works cited, reflection, or full essay draft.

The only permitted AI-supported element is the NotebookLM Briefing Doc described in Step 2, generated from your own Research Notes file as the sole source.

Mission Closure Checklist

Before you submit, confirm that you researched all five cases, pasted the NotebookLM Briefing Doc into the Research Notes Form, assembled the full essay draft, exported both final .txt files, opened both files to verify their contents, and uploaded both files together to the one Canvas assignment.

Good luck, Agent. The archives are waiting. So is the gradebook.