The Lavender Scare

The Metropolitan Police were also asked to index the name, address occupation and age of almost 5,000 suspected sex perverts in the area. The individuals let go this time due to their sexuality were officially fired because they were uncommonly susceptible to blackmail. About 20% of the total United States workforce had been investigated and interviewed in the three year period between when McCarthy named gays in the State Department and President Eisenhower issued his order demanding all homosexuals be terminated from the US government with executive order 10, 450.