School and university, i want to all of you to what i think is an extraordinary and special event, especially for me personally. Tonight we have the honor of here who h rosenfelt is an alumn of the journalism as well as the daily cow a long went on to enjoy career as an Investigative Reporter of the San Francisco chronicle. D all those times i stayed in touch with seth all those years, 30 known him for at least years, going on 40 years. Time, almost, at seth was involved in his own quest for the question going on hereally in berkeley in if 1960s when all place. Events were taking and the result is this book, subversives. The fbis war on student radicals and reagans rise to power. Its an extraordinary book and when i read it, finally, by the ay, i was waiting for years to read it and hearing about it. Its an extraordinary book because its written primarily the perspective of the fbi. Rarely hear in public and one that when we hear it, were not sure what to think their documents. This book is based on 250,000 documents that i saw myself. Well see some tonight. Fbi uve never soon an document, you may be shocked but going see it. Looking out here at the audience. How many people remember j. Edgar hoover. E dont have do a lot of explaini explaining about who were talk on. Ut and what was going were going have a conversation, seth and i, and go through some minutes. Aterial for 45 if we have time, well show you a short video at the end thats center for d by the reporting. Ive and you know, i realize this heavy. Very its 504 pages long, a narrative, based on the documents. Surprisingly easy read. Until page to wait 505 of his volume to get a glance at what the daunting was that seth went trying to n he was put it together. About that rrative at page 505. To give you an idea of his i think, isnt here, you can look at their reviews. That says ly narrative nonfinkes at its best. Thats 250,000 documents. Case youve forgotten or too oung to know, the 1960s were a template of the political rosenfeld ss, seth chronicles how the abyss formed, its crucial to history. Warning said the Christian Science monitor. And even the wall street though they even were prepared to hear all kinds of things in their review, work provides a unusual insight on what happened in america. Is going on. Think we might have an example from my before we get done. We have a lot of ground to cover. A 45minute t discussion and an equal amount of time for questions. Microphones in the audience. When you ask question, no speeches, please, and seth will signing books when were done, afterwards. With a t, let me start question as i sit down, tell me, seth, what was going on and give us a sense of what this book is all about. Much for that ry wonderful introduction. [ applause ] this book is a history of the activities concerning the university of california in the cold war and during the 60s. And the book tells that story by activities e fbis in regard to three main characters. Mario savio, the leader of the movement, clark kerr, the president of the california who turned out the be in great dispute with mario savio and other students. Then Ronald Reagan running for governor at this time and major mpus protests a issue in his campaign. Who was at oddsed with kerr and savio. Behind these events, the fbi was with these ved people and the university of alifornia and was secretly tampering with history trying to influence Public Policy behind the scenes. So why dont you give a little background. You start this quest . What got you going . You as a young next door te living to me on hearst street. Yes. Innocent. The days. Ere i got interested in this at berkeley in the late 70s. An editor for the daily and my editor asked if i wanted to see some of the editor had at my gotten under the freedom of communication act. I knew the fbi had been elsewhere in hearings before the congress, a lot of information had come out. I knew berkeley had been a hot of student protests during the 60s. So i was very intrigued to know the fbi up to behind the scenes of berkeley. Documents and consulted with lowell and other people about them. Nd wrote several stories for the daily cal looking at the fbis activities involving the Free Speech Movement and movement. But in researching these stories, i realized there was much more there. See there were many more fbi files that were yet to be released. Finished those stories, submitted an expanded freedom of information act request that sought more information on 100 ifferent organizations and individuals requesting certain categories of records. In berkeley, california, soviet ntelligence agencies were trying to get Nuclear Secrets through members of the communist bay area. He j. Edgar hoover ordered a massive investigation into this effort to find out who the soviet spies were. But what you see in the ocuments is that in the years following that, the fbi veered from this very Important National security mission. And instead came to focus on weressors and students who involved in dissent. The fbi went beyond gathering information and tried to get professors deemed too radical fired from the university of california. Because in reading their book, they did using wiretaps, they did pick up people in oakland, for instance, ho were conspiring to get secrets . Yes. This is true. Did find that espionage in berkeley directed the nuclear said, they were very Important National security ission, one that the fbi properly should be doing. But the files make it abundantly veered from e fbi that mission and came to focus on people involved in first activities and lawful dissent. Investigation. Eir they used surveillances, they used electronic surveillance, informers, they developed informers, ane formant informants. The ke it clear, whats difference between an informer informant. Ngo and an a term of art. Would be anyone who has a more formal relationship with the fbi who was probably cases would be paid but not necessarily who was somebody that the fbi believed in gathering information on political organizations. So, the most startling part of your book, really, is to me about Ronald Reagan, having covered Ronald Reagan, was to see documents reagan is an d informer, not an informant, but an informer. Start . That maybe you can show us how you could determine that . That began in hollywood in world war ii. Agents knocked on Ronald Reagans door and told there were communists liberal groups he was involved in. Is the fbi n wrote agents opened my eyes to a good many things. Failed to show is what they hinted about. Active gan became an informer in hollywood. He provided information about guild, and in hooverent year, j. Edgar repaid temperature favors by giving reagan personal and help even though it was beyond the fbis jurisdiction to to do so. One document. About reagan and the fbi. Can you read it out there . No. Cant read it. Ill summarize it. Ill go to the pertinent part. Is a document from august , 1947, a report on the fbis investigation to alleged communism in holly wootd. One of the areas was the of the unions in hollywood. You can see the index or table and here is the screen actors guild. Fast forward to is hat this document says two fbi agents interviewed wyman nt reagan and jane in their home. The dent ray gab was president of the guild. And jane had been active in the guild. Questioned in order they might further investigation regarding the activities of some members of the guild they suspected were carrying out party work. On to say thates reagan advised they had 12 fficers, provided background information, and names names. Revere,e people was ann a wellknown actress. Actress. Ley, another he claims on all questions of policy, they confront the guild, follow the communist party line. Morley do not appear to be particularly close. Arisesen ever an occasion necessitating the appointment of some member to a committee or to the two cliques they had invariably nominate or same individuals. Reagan and wyman go on to list other, alexander fox, crow man, lva, hume orothy tree, Howie Chamberlain and celina royal. Larry parks. Ns this document struck me for several reasons. Times said several including in his memoir that he at r pointed the finger anybody. You can see here he quite clearly secretly did that. And are other documents the scantiest of evidence. And i believe that this information shows a different reagan, different from popular easy going president who sort of takes a kind liviu people. Yes. You see reagan here naming people who are his opponents in guild. And hes, of course, benefitting personally by bringing his to the attention of the fbi. Whats also significant, he offers no real evidence. Seemed to they follow the communist party line. So he became a favorite of hoovers. He did. Reagan is president of the screen actors guild. His tenure, the fbi had wide access to Guild Records on dozens of actors and actresses who had no idea that of their guild was making this Information Available to the fbi. Hoover was. Edgar suspicious of Ronald Reagan because he was involved in liberal groups. But the more reagan cooperated with the fbis investigation, to trust oover came him. And certain documents say that fbi have what close and cooperative relationship. Reagan. Ear hoover paid hes not getting any money. No, no evidence that he was a paid informant or that he was under the control of the fbi. Document suggests he was operating not out of pecuniary out of personal and political motives. For this, he got favors. Favors were interested. Ye, one favor occurred in 1960, his then former wife jane wyman were concerned about maureen. Est daughter, in washington, d. C. , she was 19 years old. They had heard she was living married policeman. But rather call her up and ask they turned to the bi through a mutual friend and hoover personally authorized an of her romantic life even though he acknowledged that this is rds beyond the bureaus jurisdiction. Posed as an r, one insurance salesman and interviewed neighbors. He other interviewed the cleaning lady at the rooming house. A third agent talked to other olice officers about this officer. They confirmed that she was, in older iving with this married policeman and they furnished the information to the agreed to keep it secret. Used this they information and how it helped their relationship with their daughter in any way. Hen, in another ibt in 1965, received on the eve of him becoming governor. To runeagan was deciding for governor, reagan gets more personal help and political help edgar hoover, this time concerning his adoptive son, michael ray dwan. At this time had been investigating the crime family in phoenix where he had a home were conducting surveillance. Saw that Michael Reagan was hanging out with the son of benano, the mafia leader. Agents wanted to interview Ronald Reagan about this. They thought maybe he heard information from their son that could help them with their investigation, which after high priority. J. Edgar hoover interceded. To let the agents interview Ronald Reagan and instead ordered that they warn son reagan was hanging out with joe jr. Nd one of the most interesting documents that i saw was a report that sum rises ronald this. Ns reaction to to us. An show that lets see. You cant make this up. This document is what the fbi calls a summary memorandum. Summarizes other fbi documents. So, this is the serial number of original document and then what we have here is the summary that. And in my lawsuit under the freedom of information act, the bi claimed that the original documents have been destroyed. So this is all we have. What it says it says it letter. Es the the letter states Ronald Reagan was advised by the special agent 1, 1965, concerning is sons association with joseph benano jr. In phoenix, arizona. E was most appreciative and stated he realized that such an association and actions on the son might well jeopardize any political aspirations he might have. Expressed concern for his sons behavior and reputation. Telephoneted he would his son and tell him to disassociate himself gracefully which would er cause no trouble or speculation. He stated that the bureaus matter would be kept absolutely confidential. Reagan commented it would be mproper to express his information in writing and expressed that the special agent onvey the great admiration he has for the director and the ureau and express thanks for the bureaus cooperation. 20 yearsocument is now before he came in partnership fbi. The Ronald Reagan has defined himself politically as someone he should not be overly reliant on government, being payer dollars are but no n entitlements, help tion taking personal regarding his son and daughter. I should add going forward, reagans relationship with the fbi became closer. When reagan became governor in one of the first things he did after taking and e was to phone the fbi request a briefing about student protests at berkeley and savio larly about mario and the Free Speech Movement and president of the united states. Members of the board regis and hoover authorized that briefing as well. You have the coming together f the new governor of california and the director of the fbi. And from your book it appears will, e target, if you for whoever was clark kerr, the president of the united states. Why clark kerr. Fixated on een so it . Long edgar hoover was curious about berkeley. And he had been concerned about professors, the professors who refused to sign a s andty oath in the late 40 early 50s. Not the loyalty oath we all have to sign to wooshg here. No, this is a different loyalty oath. Adopted loyalty oath employees. Niversity and in which the professors who fired and sign it and sued over it sued to get reinstated, you mean . They wanted reinstatement. And this particular loyalty oath unconstitutional. But hoover said they were subversives. And clark kerr . Let me find one other first. Nt here we go. Put this a little further away from you. You. Ank this document is dated october 16, 1958. And its just after clark kerr has become president of the tatewide university of california. And it sheds light on hoovers view of clark kerr. R. Clark kerr has been inaugurated as the president of the university of berkeley, california and as a consequence, all eight campuses located in both northern and southern california. Kerr has given the impression that he is a, quote, iberal, end quote in the educational field. Hes no in sympathy with loyalty aths by state and university officials, and that hes also not in complete accord with the fact that various branches of state and local government must conduct security investigations of the individuals on the various the university of berkeley, california when they take classified contracts. Background in mind,ackground i the following is brought to the merely n to the bureau, for the investigation and the event that the bureau may inquiry concerning dr. Kerr who at best is a highly ontroversial figure in california education. So thats 1958. And a few years later, theres document which even more expressed clark kerr j. Edgar hoovers view of clark kerr. This one is dated march 20, 1961. It concerns a Public Housing fficial in los angeles and had been called to testify before the house on American Activities Committee and he had refused. To come to the campus and give a speech. Certain people were unhappy about that. We see on the back page hoovers handwriting and the characteristic jagged scrawl. Thisites im opposed to crowd of bleeding hearts at berkeley using the fbi to get of the hook. I know kerr is no good and i kreagan who is the vice chancellor, i doubt kre action gan is. Here was the head of the Largest Law Enforcement Agency say iing bluntly the head of the leading university and one of the most imminent educators in was rot on the the core, essentially. This reflected the fbis view of clark kerr. Later intervened with Lyndon Johnson when he as a ered clark kerr cabinet position. He did. The Civil Rights Movement were very, very upset that the that sity had a rule prohibited them from engaging in campus. L activity on to appreciate how upset they were, you have to understand summer, mario ous savio and other students had helping to issippi register blacks to vote that they had been attacked by the ku had risked their lives for something they believed passionately about and to berkeley to find ut they could not hand out a leaflet on campus or collect a quarter for a civil rights group. Or that matter, they couldnt hand out a leaf let for oldwater for president , the candidate that year and nominated a the cow palace in San Francisco. Students tried to negotiate with the university. The university refused. Of the defiance, some students set up a card table in the main at Administration Building and handed out leaflets. Short order, Police Cruiser pulled into the middle of the somebody arrested named Jack Weinberg who was behind the table. Anywhere, y could go students began to sit down around the police car and soon witha was fill ed students sitting around the police car and they held a sit movement. E free speech the fsm went on to stage a tried to protests, negotiate with the university. Ultimately tried to put on what sitin in the t nations history more than people were arrested sitting in overnight at sproul hall. R5i gans revoked the rule admitting it was an nfringement on free speech rights. When this happened, hoover who at kerr for suspicion convinced kerr was untrustworthy and unreliable. He believed clark kerr failed to rack down on the Free Speech Movement. And began to try to get him fired. Do this was leaking information to the board of regents close to clark kerr with the idea that they could use the allegations against kerr to convince other regions to fire him. Informers in ited the administration, the university administration. One of the most astonishing things i found in my research was the extent to which the fbi in University