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On July 30, 2010, the FBI released one file with three sections totaling 423 pages on Howard Zinn, a best selling radical historian, teacher, playwright, and political activist.
Zinn was born in Brooklyn, New York and died at the age of 87 on January 27, 2010. As a young man he worked as a shipyard hand and served in the U. S. military as a bombardier during World War II. Returning from the war, he became involved in a number of left-wing political causes, some of them associated with the activities of the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA).
In 1949, the FBI opened a domestic security investigation on Zinn (FBI File # 100-360217). The Bureau noted Zinn’s activities in what were called Communist Front Groups and received informant reports that Zinn was an active member of the CPUSA; Zinn denied ever being a member when he was questioned by agents in the 1950s. In the 1960s, the Bureau took another look at Zinn on account of his criticism of the FBI’s civil rights investigations. Further investigation was made when Zinn traveled to North Vietnam with Daniel Berrigan as an anti-war activist. The investigation ended in 1974, and no further investigation into Zinn or his activities was made by the FBI.
100-HQ-360217, Section 1: March 9, 1949 to April 2, 1968, 284 pages
Seventeen pages withheld as duplicative, for referral to another government agency, or because they are classified in their entirety. Redactions were made to protect personal privacy and the identity of sources of information and because material is still classified.
100-HQ-360217, Section 2: June 20, 1969 to August 22, 1974, 119 pagesRedactions were made to protect personal privacy and the identity of sources of information and because material is still classified.
100-HQ-360217, Section 3: August 22, 1974, 20 pages
One redaction was made to protect personal privacy.
It will be interesting, to say the least, to see what the FBI collected on Zinn over the 25 years they say they snooped on him. But what seems even more immediately remarkable is the FBI’s own statement (above) that accompanies the release of the 400+ page file.
First, I’d love to hear what made Zinn a "radical historian", and where in the US statutes the practice of "radical history" constitutes criminal behavior. Are there others? Perhaps another FOIA request is needed to uncover which historians the FBI considers "radical" and therefore criminal, and which ones are "moderate," and therefore permissable under law. Do all the "radical" ones get collected on by the FBI? Is there a list of current, practicing historians who are considered "radical?" Names please.
Second, the FBI’s blatant admission above that they again began collecting on Zinn in the 1960s (FBI: "we took another look"), simply because he criticized the FBI’s handling of civil rights investigations at that time–is simply amazing. ("Hey, he criticized us, so we surveilled his ass–it’s his own fault)". Amazing that they did it then, and amazing they’d make that statement today in such a casual manner.
Also notable: the punchline at the end of each section scores pretty high on the unintended irony scale, for example: "One redaction was made to protect personal privacy." In other words, the FBI is stating in its best straight-man voice that "We collected personal, private information on Howard Zinn for over two decades, but we’re making these little redactions now because of our deep respect for people’s personal privacy". That’s pretty good stuff, if a bit dark and kind of scary.
But this is all ancient, non-radical history now. Banal, one might say. Looking forward with hope (something our President recommends we do pretty much all the time), I’m sure we can rest easy that the FBI has learned a lesson thanks to the old radical professor.
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Wow, serving on bombers during World War II sure made for some awesome peace activists in the Vietnam era. We had a visit here in diaries this week from another patriot with a similar history: Senator George McGovern. It seems that when people of conscience serve in war, they come back determined to see that war is never by choice. On the other hand, when craven politicians who have never served a day choose war, they decry and defame the ones who know just what evils are being unleashed.
Read that piece with interest Jim. A bit of a PR ad I thought, and he didn’t engage with commenters. I dislike “drive-by” posts. But great respect for McGovern, always.
The file is interesting and chilling. A couple of favorites: a report noting that an address book left behind on a city bus was turned over to FBI by the transit authority because it contained Zinn’s name, and a report that a job applicant at a university (can’t recall which one but it was not BU where Zinn taught) listed Zinn as a reference.
That’s some scary reach and guilt by association. Imagine what they can reach to now with the tools they have (as ew frequently documents).
I have my doubts that the address book was actually just forgotten on the bus, since it belonged to the wife of another known “subversive”. Not sure which scenario is more chilling. On one hand you have someone down to the level of metro transit checking a lost address book for subversives and reporting to FBI, on the other you have FBI going to the length of obtaining the book and possibly creating a phony report that it was lost.
Another observation: why after all these years it is still necessary to classify the names of the informants? Also, there sure were a lot of informants at all the universities Zinn spoke at, etc.
Word.
DW