Roy Cohn: Joe McCarthy's Right-Hand Man

In the 1950s he was the right-hand man of Senator Joseph McCarthy, whose name defines an era of hysteria, suspension of constitutional rights and witch-hunting. He was a major player in one of the nation's most celebrated espionage trials--the Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Trial. In the 1970s, he was a mainstay at the infamous Studio 54 nightclub and the owners' legal representative. Roy Cohn's ruthlessness and greed were well known, as was his legal acumen and ability to successfully defend some of the era's most notorious criminals, including underworld crime boss, John Gotti. But Cohn had his own secret, which eventually resulted in meeting an adversary he could not conquer, AIDS. Roy Cohn: Joe McCarthy's Right-Hand Man would be useful for classes on American history, American Culture, Political Science, Constitutional History and Ethics. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.OBJECTIVE

By examining the life and career of Roy Cohn, students will gain an understanding of certain historical events of the 20th century, especially Cold War anxieties and the witch-hunts of the 1940s and 1950s.

NATIONAL HISTORY STANDARDS

Roy Cohn: Joe McCarthy's Right-Hand Man fulfills the following National Standards for History for grades 5-12: Chronological thinking, historical comprehension, historical analysis and interpretation, historical research capabilities, historical issues-analysis and decision-making for eras 8, 9 and 10.

• bulwark
• connive
• dilettante
• iconoclast
• indict
• lucrative
• patronage
• perjury
• posthumously
• prodigy

1. It's been said that Roy Cohn could "turn secrecy into a currency better than money." What does this mean? How can secrecy be a currency? What can you "buy" with it?

2. Roy Cohn was one of the leading legal figures during the McCarthy era. What was McCarthyism? How did it influence American history and culture?

3. McCarthyism flourished in the atmosphere of the Cold War. What was the Cold War? How was it different that a "hot' war?

4. Cohn was adept at amassing political markers to get what he wanted. What is a political marker? What are some examples?

5. Discus the role of the press in Roy Cohn's life and career.

6. Discuss the impact of the Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Case and its symbolic value in American history.

7. Do you think that Julius and Ethel Rosenberg received a fair trial? Discuss why or why not.

8. Judge Irving R. Kaufman, who presided at the Rosenberg trial, was reluctant to pass the death sentence on Ethel Rosenberg. Why? What does this say about gender conventions of the era?

9. How did Cohn's association with Joseph McCarthy almost end his career?

10. Why was Cohn known as the "lawyer of last resort?"

11. Discuss the impact of AIDS on Roy Cohn and American culture and society.

1. Conduct a reenactment of the Rosenberg Trial.

2. Imagine that you are a newspaper reporter and your assignment is to write an obituary of Roy Cohn. Write a short obituary that conveys the events in Cohn's life and his unique personality.

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