Seeing Red: Federal Campaigns Against Black Militancy, 1919-1925

256 Pages·1998·40.509 MB·English

by  Theodore Kornweibel

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“[Kornweibel’s] boo!< is based almost en-
tirely on extensive primary research in nu-
merous archives and in difficult-to-decipher
microfilm. Others may build on his work in
the future, but I am certain that no one will
duplicate hisxesearch.... ["Seeing Red” is] a
significant contribution both to African
■
American history and to the history of in-
5
tell igence- [gathering],’ —Susan Rosenfeld,
former Chief Historian of the FBI
is a gripping, painstakingly
documented account of a neglected chap-
e
ter in the history of American political intelli- r
a
u
gence. From 1918 into the early 1920s, any
q
African Americans who sp e out forcefully S

for their race—editors, u y
ison organizers,
e
civil rights advocates, rad sc al political activ l
p
o
ists, and Pan-Africanists—were likely to be
C
investigated by a network □f federal intelli-
gence agencies.The “crime
” which justifs
such surveillance was almost always that of
expressing ideas that the agents found dis-
tasteful. Agents of the federal government
watched these African Americans, tapped
their phones, rifled their offices, opened
their mail, infiltrated their organizations, in-
timi lestr audiences, and sustained a
>f prosecution.
gb the Bureau of Investigation (re-
le FBI in 1935) was ordered to
ise political spying in 1924, it never did.
iring that Bolshevism was spreading to
America, the Bureau, led by a young ]. Edgar
Hoover, spearheaded the federal govern-
ment’s political intelligence network to hel
Jacket photo: Garveyltes Salute Viewing Stand, 1924. Photog-
rapher: James Van Der Zee. Copyright ©All rights reserved.
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in 2017 with funding from
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https://archive.org/details/seeingredfederalOOkorn
SEEING RED
BLACKS IN THE DIASPORA
Darlene Clark Hine,John McCluskey, Jr., and
David Barry Gaspar, General Editors
SEEING RED
FEDERAL CAMPAIGNS
AGAINST BLACK
MILITANCY,
1919-1925
THEODORE KORNWEIBEL, JR.
Indiana
University
Press
BLOOMINGTON AND INDIANAPOLIS
© 1998 by Theodore Kornweibel, Jr.
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying and recording, or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without permission in writing from
the publisher. The Association of American University
Presses’ Resolution on Permissions constitutes the
only exception to this prohibition.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum
requirements of American National Standard for Informa-
tion Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed
Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kornweibel, Theodore.
Seeing red : federal campaigns against Black militancy,
1919-1925 / Theodore Kornweibel, Jr.
p. cm. — (Blacks in the diaspora)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-253-33337-7 (cloth)
1. Black Power—United States—History—20th century.
2. Afro-Americans--Civil Rights—History—20th century.
3. Afro-American communists—History. 4. United States—
Race relations. 5. Intelligence service—United States—
History—20th century. 6. Anti-communist movements—
United States—History—20th century. 7. United States.
Federal Bureau of Investigation—History. I. Title. II.
Series.
E185.61.K59 1998
323.1'196073'00945—dc21 97-10294
1 2 3 4 5 03 02 01 00 99 98
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