Editing John Peurifoy (section)

==Security and McCarthyism==
Peurifoy played a pivotal role in the State Department’s response to McCarthyism. In 1947, under President Harry S. Truman’s Executive Order 9835, which mandated loyalty reviews to root out disloyal employees, Peurifoy commissioned an FBI audit of the State Department’s Division of Security and Investigations, finding it “lacking in thoroughness.” On December 7, 1948, he testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) during the Alger Hiss case, defending the department’s security measures while navigating intense political scrutiny. His efforts to strengthen internal security, including reorganizing the division, earned him a reputation as a tough administrator, though critics argued his reforms enabled McCarthy’s witch hunts. A lifelong Democrat and self-described liberal, Peurifoy’s South Carolina roots shaped his political identity, which he likened to a religion, yet he balanced loyalty to the department with Cold War pressures.