And by late 1953, it was going bust because of the armistice in Korea. Government contracts that had gone to Convair and other aircraft factories during the Korean buildup were running out. People were worried about their jobs. And the future looked grim. The Soviet Union had the H-bomb, and it seemed only a matter of time before it used it.
Fear generates more fear.
McCarthy was all over the television, telling us the bad guys, the Communists, were all over the country. Specifically, in our government.