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A spy in Canaan : how the FBI used a famous civil rights photographer to infiltrate the movement / Marc Perrusquia.
Van Pelt Library E185.97.W75 P47 2017
By Request
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Perrusquia, Marc, author.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Withers, Ernest C., 1922-2007.
- Withers, Ernest C.
- United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation--History--20th century.
- United States.
- United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation.
- African American photographers--Biography.
- African American photographers.
- African American civil rights workers--Biography.
- African American civil rights workers.
- Race relations.
- History.
- Informers.
- Informers--United States--Biography.
- Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century.
- Civil rights movements.
- African Americans--Civil rights--History--20th century.
- African Americans.
- African Americans--Civil rights.
- Documentary photography--United States--History--20th century.
- Documentary photography.
- Black power--United States--History--20th century.
- Black power.
- United States--Race relations--Political aspects--History--20th century.
- Genre:
- Biographies.
- Physical Description:
- xvii, 349 pages ; 24 cm
- Other Title:
- How the FBI used a famous civil rights photographer to infiltrate the movement
- Place of Publication:
- Brooklyn : Melville House, [2017]
- Summary:
- "Ernest Withers captured some of the most iconic moments of the civil rights movement--from the rare photo of Martin Luther King Jr. in repose to the haunting photo of Emmet Till's great-uncle pointing an accusing finger at Till's killers. He was trusted and beloved by King's inner circle, and had a front row seat to history. But what most people don't know is that Withers was an informant for the FBI--and his photos helped the Bureau identify and surveil the era's greatest figures. This book explores the life, complex motivations, and legacy of this fascinating figure."--Provided by publisher.
- Contents:
- Part 1. The assassination
- In the shadows
- A moment of peace
- Part 2. The discovery
- The agent's tale
- A bold photographer
- 'No angel'
- Into the shed
- Informant ME 338-R
- Part 3. The big break
- Up on the ridge
- The secret of the notes
- A tarnished badge
- An accusing finger: the Emmett Till case
- The breakthrough
- Part 4. Spying on the movement
- Assignment: tent city
- Tracking James Forman
- A prolific informant: Summer 1961
- Communists, socialists, Black Muslims and assorted do-gooders: 1962- 1
- The electric cross: the FBI gets tough, Summer 1965
- James Lawson, civil rights and the peace movement
- The war in memphis: disrupting the peace movement
- The communist resurgence: dirty tricks, fear and harassment
- Part 5. To the brink: the FBI 's war on Dr. King and Black Power
- The rise of the invaders: COINTELPRO, the media and the FBI
- 'Is anyone looking for us?': The risks of working undercover
- 'How rotten, how filthy': undercutting sympathizers and supporters
- Death of a movement: the FBI and the collapse of the SCLC
- The Black Panthers, Hoover and the end of an era.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Local Notes:
- Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Charles D. Dickey, Jr., Fund.
- Other Format:
- Online version: Perrusquia, Marc, author. Spy in Canaan
- ISBN:
- 9781612193410
- 1612193412
- OCLC:
- 1029575603
- Publisher Number:
- 99976753319
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