28. Joseph McCarthy’s Horrible Friend
Harry J. Anslinger, who led the Federal Bureau of Narcotics for 32 years as Commissioner and spearheaded the criminalization of drugs, was a horrible human being. An extreme racist and bigot even by the standards of his day, he demonized racial minorities and immigrants. He also hated jazz, mongrel music of African, Caribbean, and European origins mating on American soil. It was the opposite of everything Anslinger believed in. He thought it was musical anarchy, and proof of primitive impulses in black people, just waiting to erupt. As he described it in internal memos: “It sounded like the jungles in the dead of night”.
He became friends with Senator Joseph McCarthy, as the two bonded over their anti-communism. When he learned about the Senator’s addiction to opium, Anslinger’s first concern was not with his duty to enforce the law. Instead, he grew worried that his friend might be vulnerable to blackmail if his addiction was discovered by enemies. Especially communist enemies, who would use it to further their Cold War ends. Not only did Anslinger cover-up for McCarthy and shield him from arrest, he went further and saw to it that he was safely supplied with drugs.
