We’re lucky enough in this town to have some incredible events at some of the amazing museums. This week’s highlight is a session at the Spy Museum called The FBI and the Weather Underground. The talk will cover the history of an American counter culture group called Weather Underground, which were an offshoot of the SDS movement in the 1970s. They blew up a statue or two in Chicago, caused riots, and leveled a house in an explosion that was meant for a noncommissioned officer’s ball. The talk is unique because not only will they have the FBI agent assigned to part of the case, but one of the founders of the Weather Undeground as well:
In the late 1960s and early 1970s long-simmering public unrest over the Vietnam War, social reform, and civil rights erupted into violent radical protest. When the Weather Underground began a series of bombings — including strikes on the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon – as acts of war against the United States, its young members became the target of one of the largest FBI manhunts in history. Bill Ayers, a founding member of the militant political organization and author of Fugitive Days, will recount the origins of the WUO, its purpose, as well as his own evolving feelings about its actions and legacy. Don Strickland, a former FBI agent assigned to the WUO case, will discuss the Bureau’s wide-ranging efforts to deal with the WUO’s violent acts and track down Underground fugitives, many of whom had become skillful in adopting aliases, forging identification, and selecting hideouts. Join these two former adversaries for an evening of reflection and revelation about an incendiary time in American history.
If you’re big on Spy stuff, or just want a scintillating lecture on the history of the 1970s FBI, $20 buys you a ticket to this event.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
