The Black Vault - Declassified Documents: FBI Boss Planned Arrest Of 12,000 Americans In 1950s

Declassified Documents: FBI Boss Planned Arrest Of 12,000 Americans In 1950s

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Cold-war era declassified documents from 1950-55 revealed that former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) chief director J Edgar Hoover planned the arrest of some 12,000 Americans during the period over allegations of "treason, espionage and sabotage".

The U.S. State Department declassified documents and on Friday confirmed that Hoover sent a proposal to then U.S. President Harry Truman, asking him to "suspend the legal rights of habeas corpus" which protects individuals against unlawful arrest

According to a story posted in New York Times Website on Saturday, the document dated July 7,1950 indicated that the former FBI chief wanted the President to order the mass arrest over fears that these thousands of people posed threat to national security.

"The index now contains approximately 12,000 individuals, of which approximately 97% are citizens of the United States," wrote Hoover in a letter sent to the White House less than two weeks before the Korean War.

There was no evidence however if the White House approved the plan and even the identities of the targets were not known, according to the BBC News report.

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7009530038

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