How would you interpret “this” in the last sentence?
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Writer Harrison Shepherd, nationally known author of books on the topic of Mexico, was fired this week from federal employment for reasons of un-Americanism. The Asheville man had worked for the Department of State since 1943. His role there remains unclear, but Melvin C. Myers, chief investigator on the case, confirmed it could well have given access to sensitive information. The misdeeds came to light through the massive loyalty investigation of federal employees initiated last year, which has so far identified hundreds of cases of un-Americanism but no espionage. Myers cited this as proof the campaign is working to drive out potential spies that may be hidden in government ranks.How would you interpret “this” in the last sentence “Myers cited this as proof…”?
What do you think the “this” refer to?
Does it refer to the fact that the massive loyalty investigation had identified hundreds of cases of un-Americanism but no espionage?
If so, I’m confused, for if the investigation couldn’t identify any espionage, how could they drive out potential spies?
What do you think?
Thanks! And this excerpt is taken from The Lacuna by Kingsolver.

Question

How would you interpret “this” in the last sentence?
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Writer Harrison Shepherd, nationally known author of books on the topic of Mexico, was fired this week from federal employment for reasons of un-Americanism. The Asheville man had worked for the Department of State since 1943. His role there remains unclear, but Melvin C. Myers, chief investigator on the case, confirmed it could well have given access to sensitive information. The misdeeds came to light through the massive loyalty investigation of federal employees initiated last year, which has so far identified hundreds of cases of un-Americanism but no espionage. Myers cited this as proof the campaign is working to drive out potential spies that may be hidden in government ranks.How would you interpret “this” in the last sentence “Myers cited this as proof…”?
What do you think the “this” refer to?
Does it refer to the fact that the massive loyalty investigation had identified hundreds of cases of un-Americanism but no espionage?
If so, I’m confused, for if the investigation couldn’t identify any espionage, how could they drive out potential spies?
What do you think?
Thanks! And this excerpt is taken from The Lacuna by Kingsolver.

Answer

This is a common tactic in English writing - a paragraph has certain 'parts'. The first sentence generally talks about what the paragraph is 'about', and the middle sentences give supporting evidence (or explanation) to the first sentence. The last sentence, when used like this, will often refer back to the main idea of the paragraph.

In this example, the 'this' refers to the firing of Harrison Shepherd.

This piece is written with bias - meaning that it presupposes the conclusion without giving any evidence to reach that conclusion. The novel is about a period of time in American history when being 'un-American' was very nearly a crime, and many people were persecuted for 'un-Americanism' while having done nothing wrong.

There are some clues to this in the paragraph. It mentions 'misdeeds', yet offers no concrete accusation or charge, and also mentions that his role is unclear. As you noted - if there is no proof of espionage, how are they driving out potential spies? You are not actually confused at all, you are correctly interpreting the passage, but the passage is written from the point of view of Myers (it sounds like), where the assumption of guilt is present without evidence.