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Title: When the FBI Went After 'Mad' Magazine
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URL Source: http://mentalfloss.com/article/6596 ... en-fbi-went-after-mad-magazine
Published: Dec 28, 2015
Author: Jake Rossen
Post Date: 2015-12-28 08:31:16 by Ada
Keywords: None
Views: 198
Comments: 10
In a memo dated November 30, 1957, an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation identified as “A. Jones” raised an issue of critical importance: "Several complaints to the Bureau have been made concerning the 'Mad' comic book [sic], which at one time presented the horror of war to readers." Attached to the document were pages taken from a recent issue of Mad that featured a tongue-in-cheek game about draft dodging. Players who earned such status were advised to write to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and request a membership card certifying themselves as a “full-fledged draft dodger.” At least three readers, the agent reported, did exactly that. Mad, of course, was the wildly popular satirical magazine that was reaching upwards of a million readers every other month. Published by William Gaines, who had already gotten into some trouble with Congress when he was called to testify about his gruesome horror comics in 1954, Mad lampooned everyone and everything. But in name-checking the notoriously humorless Hoover, Gaines had invited the wrong kind of attention. The memo got several facts incorrect: Mad had switched from a comic book to a magazine format in 1955, and it was Gaines’ E.C. Comics that had “presented the horror of war” in other titles. Despite getting these crucial pieces of information wrong, Jones didn’t hesitate to editorialize: "It is also of interest to note that…it is rather unfunny.” The agent recommended the Bureau’s New York offices “make contact” with Mad’s headquarters to “advise them of our displeasure” and to make sure “that there be no repetition of such misuse of the Director’s name.” Less than a week later, the Feds entered the hallowed hallways patrolled by Alfred E. Neuman. Their New York office would later report to Hoover directly that they had met with John Putnam, the magazine’s art director. (Conveniently, Gaines was not in that day.) Putnam told the agents he regretted the magazine using Hoover’s name and that nothing malicious was intended: Putnam said that the use of the membership card and the name and address of the Director at the end of the game was referred to in their business as a 'gag' or 'kicker' in the same way that a comedian like Bob Hope or Milton Berle might use it. Putnam swore that Mad would never again take Hoover’s name in vain; Gaines sent off a letter of sincere apology to the Director. The Smoking Gun Just two years later, in January 1960, Agent A. Jones was forced to file a second notice about the shenanigans at Mad. A recent issue had made not one, but two derogatory mentions of Hoover, including one in which he is blatantly and disrespectfully portrayed as being associated with a vacuum cleaner, “The Honorable J. Edgar Electrolux”: Obviously, Gaines was insincere in this promise…and has again placed the Director in a position of ridicule…it is felt we should contact Gaines…and firmly and severely admonish them concerning our displeasure… It was by now clear Mad was not only polluting young minds, but that Gaines had absolutely no regard for the honorable Hoover’s position. In June 1961, the FBI’s worst fears had been realized. Detailing an investigation into a Seattle-area extortion attempt led to the following: Investigation … resulted in gaining admissions from the victim’s 12-year-old son and an 11-year-old companion that they had gotten the idea of preparing an extortion letter after reading the June issue of 'Mad' magazine. Working in concert with the Buffalo field office, the FBI determined another letter had been sent by a young boy demanding money in the style of a recent issue’s extortion advice. And there was a third under review that was sent to the agent of some professional wrestlers. Mad was quickly becoming the scourge of the federal government. The FBI suggested the magazine be brought the attention of the Attorney General for “instructing [readers] to deliberately violate the Federal Law.” They tried reaching out to Gaines, who was on vacation. (Time and again, Gaines simply not being in the office when called upon seemed to confound the FBI.) Agent A. Jones, having exhausted all attempts to reason with these irresponsible anarchists, filed one last memo: Despite assurances, they have continued to publish slurring remarks about the Bureau. In view of this situation, it was deemed useless to protest all such irresponsible remarks to a magazine of this poor judgment and capriciousness … we will have to wait and see if our action will result in increased discretion by this publication. Poor A. Jones was unable to put an end to Mad’s reign of terror. But the magazine redeemed itself somewhat. In the 1970s, when the Bureau was trying to suppress the influence of the Ku Klux Klan, an agent suggested they copy and distribute a sticker from the magazine that read, “Support Mental Illness—Join the Klan!” Hoover said no.
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#1. To: Ada (#0)
(Edited)
Which would seem to confirm that Hoover was at least extremely unprofessional. In a 1960s documentary on Earl Scruggs, one of his sons was shown at high school holding a copy of Masters of Deceit with the S covered so the cover said J. EDGAR HOOVER MASTER OF DECEIT. Mebbe that was more like it. In Mad's masthead, there was always a guy's name listed under "lawsuits", which I took to be mostly a gag. Wonder how much.
He was quite professional at blackmail :-)
It was humorous in itself, but was likely for real. There have been many attempts to sue MAD, so it shouldn't be a surprise if they had a lawyer on retainer. After the other EC titles were banned (eg "Vault of Horror", "Tales From the Crypt"), Gaines spared no effort to buck the system with MAD. The change in MAD from comic book to magazine was their way of getting around the restrictive Comics Code and legacy of Frederick Wertham. John Howard says: There are 4 schools of economics: How to End the Refugee Flood “The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.” ~ H. L. Mencken
Read this en.wikipedia.org/wi ki/The_Vault_of_Horror_(comics) and the whole industry starts looking a lot more like just another attempt by Jues to push the limits and provoke the goyim by whatever means possible. Horror and other violent comics had come under scrutiny by moralizing parents, schoolteachers, clergymen, psychologists, and others who viewed the material as dangerous to the well-being of children and a significant contributor to the juvenile delinquency crisis in America (although the formulaic nature of the books usually resulted in truly immoral characters receiving a well-deserved, if gruesome, comeupance) -- I don't mind a bit that folks got thus exercised. Moralizing parents -- they were the ones that used to back teachers up in doing some real educating. (Well, for the mid-20th century.) Looking back frem this end of the telescope it may appear quaint that people did so, but I really don't think children need to be handling such stuff. They did without it for 50 or 100 thousand years previously, they'd never have missed it. I'm getting all opinionated here. Sure I'd like to have my 1960s MADs back again -- for one afternoon. The humor was actually too adult, but NatLamp doesn't get that:
I remember when this was going on. We had loved and lived the Weavers -- my folks were there for the Carnegie Hall recording -- and suddenly Seeger the Covert Jue was going to jail, which thank God he didn't do after all. He was a strange combination of loveable environmentalist/musician and commie freak, but most of the time far less offensive than most. McCarthyism would have been wonderful if the govt weren't already communist then. Major central documentary does a lot of hilarious/sickening wailing on about it, with footage of the stilted proceedings: www.youtube.com/watch? v=aTXONZN4l24 Cyni! And others at least 75 years old, if any! What do you remember of the McCarthy epoch please? To get off the tired war subject on which some of us are never going to agree.
Most "commies" here are just idealists who have no idea of the dark side of a communist regime.
“The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.” ~ H. L. Mencken
True, and it's almost as much macabre fun reading how some have discovered the reality as it is watching Amurricans slowly (so slowly!) discover that the politicians they keep electing don't keep their promises, even though they knew this full well pulling the lever for them. According to wikid, Seeger did know the reality of life under the red rag and condemned it but went on with the genetically-wired Jue canard that the USSR et al had never tried true communism, blah blah. Yuck!
I hope all who took the "Commie Rat" determination "fold-in" test were able to pass.
antiwar.com/blog/2015/12/...age-obsession-with-peace- activist-pete-seeger/
#2. To: NeoconsNailed (#1)
Hoover was at least extremely unprofessional.
#3. To: NeoconsNailed (#1)
In Mad's masthead, there was always a guy's name listed under "lawsuits", which I took to be mostly a gag. Wonder how much.
Marxism: steal everything
Keynesianism: steal by counterfeiting whenever needed
Chicago school (Milton Friedman): steal by counterfeiting at a steady, predictable rate
Austrians: don't steal
'Wiped off the Map' – The Rumor of the Century
#4. To: Ada (#0)
when the fbi went after Pete Seeger ~
#5. To: Some (#3)
#6. To: Lod (#4)
#7. To: NeoconsNailed (#6)
#8. To: Lod (#7)
#9. To: Lod (#7)
#10. To: Lod (#4)
when the fbi went after Pete Seeger ~
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