Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
The FBI trailed outlaw journalist Hunter S. Thompson during his eclectic career, interviewing those close to him and gathering information on his whereabouts, RT.com reports.
It’s unclear why the bureau was interested in Thompson, but a journalism professor suggested the FBI wanted to know more about his time with biker gang, the Hell’s Angels, and his affiliation with the Communist Party.
Some of the files have since been destroyed, according to RT.com.
Records obtained by the newspaper, the Argus Leader, show the FBI had a deep interest in Thompson, who was outspoken about his hatred of former president Richard Nixon and who unsuccessfully ran for sheriff in Aspen, Colorado, on the “Freak Party” ticket.
“The intrusiveness of FBI domestic security investigations is on display here,” South Dakota State University journalism professor Matt Cecil said. “An agent just barged into Woody Creek, Colorado and started asking questions. Obviously, the FBI didn’t care much what conclusions people drew from that. Thompson probably didn’t either. Imagine, however, that you were the subject of a 1960s domestic security investigation and agents came into Sioux Falls and started asking questions about you. What inference would people make?”
Thompson committed suicide in 2005.
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