"Subversives": How the FBI Fought the 1960s Student Movement & Aided Reagan's Rise to Power

[Lars77]

DemocracyNow.org - Investigative journalist Seth Rosenfeld's new book, "Subversives: The FBI's War on Student Radicals, and Reagan's Rise to Power," is based on more than 300,000 pages of records Rosenfeld received over three decades through five Freedom of Information lawsuits against the FBI. The book tracks how then-FBI director J. Edgar Hoover ordered his agents to investigate and then disrupt the Free Speech Movement that began in 1964 on the Berkeley campus of the University of California. The protests prevailed and helped spawn a nationwide student movement. Rosenfeld outlines in great detail how FBI records show agents used "dirty tricks to stifle dissent on the campus." In the book's more than 700 pages, he uses the documents to explore the interweaving stories of four main characters: the FBI's J. Edgar Hoover; actor and politician Ronald Reagan, who was running for governor of California at the time; Clark Kerr, then the University of California president and a target of scorn from both Reagan, Hoover and student activists; and legendary Free Speech Movement leader and orator, Mario Savio.

To watch the complete weekday independent news hour, read the transcript, download the podcast, search our vast archive, or to find more information about Democracy Now! and Amy Goodman, visit http://www.democracynow.org/

[orpupilofnature57]

1. NWO

[freshwest]

2. Thanks, bookmarking.

[fascisthunter]

3. when FBI agents become political, they become traitors to the country as a whole

I feel this way about the military as well...

[LiberalFighter]

4. I really get upset when I watch science fiction movies

with the military running operations in the country. I bet most people forget that the military have no jurisdiction outside of their bases in the country. I'm wondering if there might be a conspiracy between the military and movie industry to brainwash the public into believing that if something like that did happen they wouldn't oppose it. The only thing good about most of those movies is the military are dumbasses shit for brains.

[Lars77]

5. I wrote my BA thesis on right and left politics in 50s Sci-fi movies.

A film like The day the earth stood still is leftist because it portrays people are aggressive and violent, with the military screwing things up do to fear and aggressiveness.

Whereas Them! is a right leaning film because it portrays the military as this benign force locking down LA for the inhabitants own good and even saving a child from the den of the ants.

You should also have a look at Destination Moon, which is about a group of patriotic entrepreneurs kick-starting the moon race with a private initiative because the government is too slow and bureaucratic. It is Ayn Rand's wet dream and totally right wing but a very good film, underrated i think.