h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

McCarthy spent the war behind a desk, but when he went campaigning had posters taken of him barechested with a couple of machinegun belts arounf his shouders. He accuesed his opponent (who was 45 years old when the war started for the Americans in '41) of avoiding the draft, and of profiteering form the war, in what way he would not say, as all his opponent had done was to buy a radio station.
The list with the 200 names was actually public record and had been around for a few years. It was the result of a screening, for statistical puroposes of 4000 government employees, that looked for left-wing tendencies, alcohol problems and sexual deviations (as homosexuality was then considered). It is interesting to note that if McCarthy had been screened he would have been in the list, on account of his homosexuality, and his drinking problem. He was an assiduous reader of Mein Kampf, to which he looked at for tactics.