Living 1971 reveals the breakin that changed the fbi before wikileaks or snowden, this pbs doc shows, there was media, pa. Joanna hamiltons wellconstructed documentary 1971 showcases ordinary people who broke into a local fbi office, stole all the files and published them, thereby revealing to. In the past year, two separate creative works have told the. One of the recipients, medsger revisits the story because she has discovered who the burglars were the fbi never identified them. A headshot of judi feingold taken shortly before the 1971 burglary of the fbi. In 1971, stolen files reveal spying on antiwar activists the new. On march 8th, 1971, eight ordinary citizens broke into an fbi office in media, pa. In 1971 the fbi offices at media, pennsylvania were broken into and secrets such as cointelpro, government spying, and assassination came to public light. The film had its world premiere on 18 april 2014 at the tribeca film festival and focuses on the breakin of an fbi office in media, pennsylvania on monday, march 8, 1971 to. The documentary 1971, directed by johanna hamilton, examines a. Johanna hamilton documentary reveals how citizen burglars broke into fbi office and exposed huge abuse and public surveillance. In 1971, somebody burgled an fbi office in pennsylvania, stole secret files, and sent them to journalists. In 1971, stolen files reveal spying on antiwar activists.
On march 8, 1971, under the cover of darkness, eight ordinary citizens broke into an fbi. On the night of march 8, 1971, the citizens commission to investigate the fbi removed files from the media, pennsylvania, office of the fbi. On march 8, 1971, a group of citizens aka the citizens commission to investigate the fbi broke into a small fbi office in pennsylvania, took every file, and shared them with the public. The citizens commission to investigate the fbi was an activist group operational in the us. Characters of 1971 citizens commission to investigate. Activists admit 1971 fbi breakin that exposed domestic spying. The fbi office in philadelphia that was burglarized in 1971. Fbi i dont believe such people have the right to take it upon themselves and make decisions about what should be.
Mailed anonymously, the stolen documents started to show up in newsrooms. The fbi is seeking the publics help in identifying some of the victims of samuel little, who has been confirmed as the nations most prolific serial killer after confessing to. Calling themselves the citizens commission to investigate the fbi, they removed every file in the office. In 1971, eight activists plotted an intricate breakin to the local fbi offices to leak stolen documents and expose the illegal surveillance of ordinary americans in an era of antiwar activism. Citizens commission to investigate the fbi wikipedia. Edgar hoovers fbi a new book reveals details of the historic 1971 burglary of an fbi office in media, pa. Johanna hamilton documentary reveals how citizen burglars. It begins in 1971 in an america being split apart by the vietnam war. For 43 years, the men and women behind a burglary that rocked the fbi stayed hidden, but theyve stepped forward ahead of a book published tuesday. A small group of activistseight men and womenthe citizens commission to investigate the fbi, inspired by daniel berrigans rebellious catholic peace movement, set out to use a more active, but nonviolent. Breaking 43 years of silence, the last fbi burglar tells the story of.
Until discovering, in news articles about my book, that seven of the. In this highimpact book, betty medsger thoroughly explores a 1971 breakin of a small fbi office that turned the entire agency and its most prominent director. In 1971, somebody burgled an fbi office in pennsylvania, stole secret files, and sent them to. Filmmaker johanna hamilton also made a documentary titled 1971 2014. The new pbs independent lens documentary 1971 reveals. This documentary deals with the theft of fbi documents by ordinary citizens that revealed the bureaus unlawful surveillance of antiwar activists. Before watergate, wikileaks and edward snowden, there was media, pennsylvania. Dramatic reconstruction of the 1971 breakin at the fbi office in. Their names became public in 2014 with the release of johanna hamiltons documentary 1971 and a book, the burglary. In march 1971, two weeks after the media burglary, she was one of five people who received the first copies of media fbi files distributed anonymously by the citizens commission to. The lowkey documentary talks to perpetrators of a breakin that blew the lid off fbi surveillance and harassment tactics. Can it inspire intelligence reform in our own time. The book, as well as a new film, 1971, by documentarian johanna hamilton, portray the breakin as a story with new resonance in light of the recent revelations of national security agency surveillance of american citizens by excontractor edward snowden.