NCJ Number
125712
Journal
Congress and the Presidency Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1983) Pages: 79-93
Date Published
1983
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Using the document collections of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) files declassified under the Freedom of Information Act, this study examines the response of the FBI and the Roosevelt Administration to the efforts of the Special House Committee to Investigate Un-American Activities, chaired at the time by Rep. Martin Dies (D-TX).
Abstract
Despite the agreement of many FBI officials with Dies on the drawbacks of the New Deal reforms, the alleged subversiveness of many New Deal personnel, and the "un-Americanism" of many of the liberal and labor organizations alied with the Administration, the FBI used a 1940 confrontation with the Dies Committee to pursue its own goals of autonomy and bureaucratic empire-building. The FBI responded with a number of tactics including solicitation of political intelligence on the Committee, its chairman, members, and constituency; the development of evidence to discredit the committee; attempts to convene a grand jury to silence the committee's criticisms; and a newspaper and radio publicity campaign which involved the cooperation of other groups and individuals who could command media attention. As a result of these efforts, Congressman Dies agreed to maintain a complementary relationship with the FBI and pledged to refrain from interfering with future criminal investigations. 36 notes, 22 references. (Author abstract modified)