The film focuses on interviews with break-in participants
John Raines, Bonnie Raines, Bob Williamson, Keith Forsyth and Bill Davidon.
They give a bit of a background on what led them to this action, with John
talking about how the events of 1968 made him “ready to make a transition
from non-violent protest to non-violent disruption,” and Keith mentioning
how the Jackson State killings by the police got him more involved: “I was
done talking at that point.” They also describe their preparations for the
break-in, including one of them learning how to pick locks. Bonnie was 29 at
the time, but looked younger, so went into the office posing a college student
curious about opportunities for women in the FBI in order to scope out the
site. (This is shown in a re-enactment. The film does use some re-enactments,
but does not rely on them too heavily.) They chose the date of March 8th,
because it was the night of the big fight between Mohammad Ali and Joe Frazier,
and they thought people would be focused on that. Interestingly, one of the
nine people dropped out before the break-in, which understandably made the
others nervous. The ninth person later showed up at John and Bonnie’s home,
saying he was thinking about turning them in. There were other dangers too.
John tells us: “No one knew that every photocopying machine has its own
signature. And the Xerox people knew exactly which machine made that copy. J.
Edgar Hoover demanded that they reveal which machines these were.”
The film also features an interview with Betty Medsger,
the journalist for the Washington Post who received the documents in the mail.
Also interviewed are Terry Neist, a former FBI agent who talks about
infiltrating anti-war groups and “trying to wreck the groups that were
trying to wreck the country,” as well as some historians and journalists.
The film includes footage regarding the investigation, including footage of
Anne Flitcraft describing how the FBI broke into her home and stole her typewriter
and books, as she was a suspect. There is some great footage of a street fair
in which folks sing “The FBI Is Coming To Town” (to the tune of “Santa Claus Is
Coming To Town”). The film also includes material on the Camden action, in
which both Bob and Keith were involved. Also fascinating is the interview with
former NBC reporter Carl Stern regarding the Freedom Of Information Act and
COINTELPRO.
This film is interesting for the story it tells, both the
break-in and the way the government went about its investigation. But it’s also
particularly interesting now with regards to our current political situation,
and the way both the government and the media handle dissent and privacy
issues. A title card at the end does mention how after the attacks on September
11th, the government broadened and expanded its surveillance, something people
aren’t upset enough about, I feel.
Special Feature
The DVD includes Snowden On 1971, which is a panel
on the film, featuring director Johanna Hamilton, Betty Medsger, John Raines,
Bonnie Raines, Keith Forsyth and David Kairys, and moderated by Charles Lewis.
Edward Snowden joins them via satellite. Betty Medsger recounts the day she
received the package of the files and the actions she took in authenticating
them. John Raines talks about how the FBI at that time was not held
accountable, how J. Edgar Hoover was admired. The participants cover some of
the same material they do in the film, going over the events of the break-in,
but there is more about consulting the attorney, which is really interesting,
especially as not much of that was in the film. They also talk about the
decision to go public, and about the Camden 28. This features is approximately
eighty-five minutes.
The DVD of 1971 was released on November 24, 2015
through First Run Features.
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