 He faced Sen. Joseph McCarthy prosecutor Roy Cohn on March 6, 1953, at a U.S. congressional hearing to successfully defend the VOA against accusations that its South American radio program, “Eye of the Eagle,” was Communist.After Bauer's testimony, the VOA was left alone by the McCarthy Commission and Bauer was made head of the VOA European Division, with direct control of radio programming to the Soviet Union and other communist-controlled countries in Europe.In 1953, Bauer joined the United States Information Agency (USIA) as a radio program manager and during his tours of duty as a U.S. Foreign Service officer served as first secretary for cultural affairs and as counselor for public affairs.