Before McCarthy began his witch-hunts for Communists in 1950, the prosecution of spies had already begun. Alger Hiss was recently sentenced to five years in prison for conducting espionage against the United States. Klaus Fuchs was also arrested and confessed that he had spied for the Soviets. Other spies like Lawrence Duggan had committed suicide in 1948 and Noel Field already defected to the Soviet Union. Likewise, Elizabeth Bentley gave away more than 40 valuable agents to American authorities. Overall, the number of spies for the Soviet Union had fell significantly after the end of World War II in 1945.

The American Communist Party was also declining. According to FBI figures, Party membership in the United States fell from 740,000 in January of 1947 to 530,000 in May of 1950.

The threat of Communism was waning by 1950. The danger of Communism and espionage was largely a product of fear and manipulation by politicians like Senator Joseph McCarthy.