These words come from Senator Joseph McCarthy's speech that he made in Wheeling, West Virginia on February 9, 1950. It represents a major shift in early Cold War tensions and the beginning of the Red Scare.

For the few years preceding this speech, most Cold War anxieties were focused abroad. Communism was considered a threat from the Soviet Union (and China, to a certain extent). In this speech, McCarthy insinuated that the threat was already in the United States. Without ever providing evidence, he claimed to know of many secret Communists embedded within the federal government, particularly in the State Department.

President Truman had already suggested that there could be the possibility of Communists within the government. In 1947, Truman expanded the Hatch Act to create a loyalty program as a bulwark against the threat of Communists in the government. With his speech and later accusations, McCarthy said that Truman's efforts were inadequate.

McCarthy's motives for this insinuation are not entirely clear. It allowed him to challenge Truman's foreign policy, which he disapproved of. It propelled him into the national spotlight. As he took charge of anti-Communist investigations and further red-baiting, McCarthy's approval ratings increased dramatically. It did, however, lead to much criticism from his political opponents. However, once the idea that there could be secret Communists within the government took hold, it became an easy tactic for the senator to use in an attempt to discredit his opposition.