Privacy SOS

Paul Robeson: Enemy of the State?

According to J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, yes! Wales Online reports on a BBC 2 documentary that will be aired today in the UK describing how Robeson was the target of a cross-continental FBI and M15 investigation. Robeson apparently had the largest FBI file of any entertainer ever. Hoover personally oversaw the investigation, and placed Robseon on a list of "subversives" who could be detained without trial. 

Robeson was hounded by both British and American spies, but he continued campaigning for civil and human rights, and singing and acting. When his passport was confiscated by the authorities, Robeson didn't cancel his planned gig in Canada. Instead, he performed across the water for 20,000 Canadian fans. 

© 2024 ACLU of Massachusetts.