Milo John Radulovich (October 28, 1926 – November 19, 2007) was an American citizen (born in Detroit) of Serbian descent and former reserve Air Force lieutenant who was accused of being a security risk in 1953.[1] His case was made public and helped turn the American people against McCarthyism (though Senator Joseph McCarthy was not directly involved).
In 1953, in the middle of McCarthyism in the U.S., Radulovich, a reserve Air Force lieutenant in Dexter, Michigan, was discharged because his father and sister were accused of being communists or communist sympathizers. It is believed that the basis of this determination was that his father, a Yugoslav immigrant, kept up on events in his homeland by subscribing to a number of Serbian newspapers. One of these papers was associated with the American Slav Congress, which had been labeled as Communist by the American government. His sister, Margaret Radulovich was a supporter of liberal causes, but he maintained that he was "apolitical". Whatever evidence there was against the Lieutenant or his family was contained in a sealed manila envelope.
Radulovich demanded an Air Force hearing, aided by retired lawyer Charles Lockwood, who worked pro bono. Lockwood contacted an editor at the Detroit News, which ran a story about the situation. Among the readers was a former classmate of Radulovich, attorney Kenneth Sanborn (who went on to become a State Representative and Probate Judge in Michigan). He was also an Air Force lieutenant and also accepted no fee for his services. Radulovich was granted a hearing at which the sealed manila envelope was brandished and waved by the attorney for the USAF. However, the envelope was never opened and neither the board members, nor anyone in the Radulovich camp were permitted to see its contents.
The Air Force stripped Radulovich of his commission, which came to the attention of Edward R. Murrow, host of the popular See It Now program on CBS. For months, Murrow, producer Fred Friendly and the See It Now team had debated on how to address McCarthy's witch hunt, until the Radulovich affair. A crew (Reporter/Assistant producer Joseph Wershba and cameraman Charlie Mack) went to Dexter and filmed passionate interviews with the lieutenant and his family. Attorney Lockwood also appeared, and declared on national television "In my 32 years of practicing, ... I have never witnessed such a farce and travesty upon justice as this thing has developed into."
The program aired on October 20 1953. The image of this innocent man and his immigrant father led many viewers to question the impact of McCarthyist tactics for purging the government and military of potential security risks. Radulovich was reinstated one month after the broadcast.
Radulovich moved to California where, despite his reinstatement, he had trouble getting work. He was hired by a private weather forecasting business, later went to work for the National Weather Service, and was chief meteorologist at Capital City Airport in Lansing, Michigan when he retired in 1994.
Michael Ranville wrote a book about Radulovich's trial, "To Strike at a King: The Turning Point in the McCarthy Witch-Hunt." The CBS broadcast and background to its airing was dramatized in the 2005 film Good Night, and Good Luck. Mr. Radulovich himself is interviewed in the "special features" segment on the Good Night and Good Luck DVD released on March 14, 2006.
After experiencing two strokes and other more minor medical conditions, Radulovich died November 19, 2007.
His case is recognized by the State Bar of Michigan as one of its "Michigan Legal Milestones".[2]
References
edit- ^ Muhlmann, Geraldine. A political history of journalism, Page 97. Cambridge: Polity, 2007
- ^ Michigan Legal Milestones.
External links
edit- Obituary from the New York Times
- Obituary from The Economist, 29 November 2007