The book was highly critical of the FBI, and nothing could be done to prevent its publication. Whitfield feebly argues that subsequent attempts to discredit the work still represent some form of government control. Whitfield is unable to demonstrate that Lowenthal suffered as a result of his work which was factually unassailable. Thus, Whitfield is not entirely correct in arguing that just criticism of American institutions was not tolerated. In many respects, this issue is comparable to the contemporary issue of violence in the media.
Reality is never quite so clear-cut.
Certainly, McCarthy s activities fed upon such views and even helped magnify their intensity. The same goes for popular culture, for it reflects the environment in which it was created while simultaneously influencing and shaping that environment. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that films after the war increasingly began to portray Communism and the Soviet Union in an unflattering light, sometimes even reaching the point of demonization. In some respects, the bogeyman of Nazism was simply substituted by Communism. Whitfield s fourth chapter on religion in the Cold War deserves praise.