The Venona papers did not justify the excesses of the Red Scare, but they did provide evidence of Soviet espionage in the United States. The papers were a series of decrypted Soviet messages that revealed the existence of a network of Soviet spies operating in the US government and other sensitive areas. This information led to the arrest and prosecution of several Soviet agents, including Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were executed for espionage in 1953.
While the Venona papers provided some evidence of Soviet espionage, they did not justify the widespread fear and paranoia that characterized the Red Scare. The vast majority of Americans were not involved in espionage, and the threat from the Soviet Union was often exaggerated. The Red Scare led to the blacklisting of thousands of innocent Americans, the destruction of careers, and the erosion of civil liberties.