Athan Theoharis, Chronicler of F.B.I. Abuses, Dies at 84 - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
one-time A&M history professor who exposed FBI abuses died on 03-Jul
The FBI should be fixed or abolished. immediately
one-time A&M history professor who exposed FBI abuses died on 03-Jul
The tables have turned - the former victims of FBI abuse now have the keys to the castle and are ironically using the same tactics to persecute their political opponents (even Hoover's FBI wouldnt have been so bold as to try to overturn a presidential election)Quote:
Beginning in the mid-1970s, Professor Theoharis, who taught history at Marquette University in Milwaukee, deftly used Freedom of Information Act requests to pry open the F.B.I.'s deep well of secrets, including the extent to which Hoover compiled damning information on public officials and his cooperation with Senator Joseph McCarthy's campaign against people he accused of being Communists.
The documents showed the extent of the agency's break-ins and its illegal surveillance of left-wing organizations; its pursuit of allegations that President Dwight D. Eisenhower had extramarital affairs; and the use of the F.B.I. by presidents of both parties for political purposes.
One of Professor Theoharis's most alarming finds was a surveillance program forged by the F.B.I. and the American Legion in 1940 that lasted until 1966. The F.B.I. used tens of thousands of the organization's volunteers to report information about other citizens.
The goal of the program was to use Legionnaires, "who were highly motivated and who held pretty conservative views, who were going to act as the eyes and ears and expand the resources of the bureau beyond the agents," Professor Theoharis said in a joint interview in 2013 for the book "The Burglary: The Discovery of J. Edgar Hoover's Secret F.B.I.," by Betty Medsger, and "1971" a documentary directed by Johanna Hamilton.
Both the book, published in 2014, and the film, released the same year, dealt with the burglars who stole critical documents from an F.B.I. office in Media, Pa., which showed, among other things, active unlawful surveillance of Black, student and peace groups, and led to the revelation of Hoover's secret Cointelpro program, begun in 1956, which spied on civil rights leaders, political organizers and suspected Communists.
He taught history at what is now Texas A&M University, Wayne State University in Detroit and Staten Island Community College (now part of the College of Staten Island) before joining the Marquette faculty
The FBI should be fixed or abolished. immediately
