Talk:Dan Smoot

This article was nominated for deletion on 2005 November 17. The result of the discussion was keep. An archived record of this discussion can be found here.

Author comment

I am the author of the article on Dan Smoot which was proposed for deletion [and now has been deleted]. The reasons for deletion proposed by reviewers seem ill-informed to me.

First, my article is based upon many years of research, including obtaining, for the first time, several FBI headquarters and field office files about Dan Smoot and his newsletter, Dan Smoot Report, and his book, The Invisible Government.

Second, contrary to one reviewer's assertion, Dan Smoot was a very "notable" figure in right-wing conspiracy circles. He represented the "best and the brightest" of his era. He successfully completed bachelor's and master's degrees and was close to achieving his doctoral degree in American Civilization at Harvard University when he decided, instead, to seek employment with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. During his 9+ year career with the FBI, he worked at 4 FBI field offices as well as at FBI Headquarters where he served, for a time, as a Supervisor in the section which reviewed CIA applicants as well as a speaker and writer for the FBI.

After leaving the FBI, Smoot associated himself with multi-millionaire H.L. Hunt's organization, Facts Forum. He subsequently published his own weekly newsletter [Dan Smoot Report] which started out with 3000 subscribers (1956) and grew to 16,639 in 1961 and 33,289 in its peak year, 1965.

Dan was also a radio and TV commentator which, at the peak, was seen or heard on more than 350 radio and TV stations. In 1971, Dan merged his newsletter into the John Birch Society's weekly newsmagazine, Review of the News

Many of the controversies which inflamed local communities around the U.S. during the 1960's were the direct result of articles written by Smoot. Such controversies included purported "Communist plots" and "subversives" in such matters as fluoridation of water, mental health legislation, the civil rights movement, the United Nations, rock music, Council on Foreign Relations, the National Council of Churches, the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, and numerous other subjects. Dan became embroiled in several noteworthy libel lawsuits, one of which involved the League of Women Voters.

The complete text of my 12-page article may be found at:

http://dan-smoot.blogspot.com/

My research into right-wing conspiracy arguments and their proponents has been cited in numerous books and doctoral dissertations because I often have been the first person to request and receive FBI (and other government agency) files and documents pertaining to this subject area.

The FBI told me several years ago that I was their single largest requester (5% of all requests received). I have received over 200,000 pages of documents obtained via FOIA requests to government agencies. I also have many thousands of pages of private correspondence from college and university archives as well as newspaper/magazine articles, congressional hearings, radio/tv broadcast transcripts, etc.

More details available from: ernie1241@aol.com

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by Ernie1241 (talk • contribs) 08:11, November 25, 2005 (UTC)

Sources

Aren't the sources indicated in this comment adequate if they are integrated into the article to delete the "sources" template at the top?

Rlquall 17:24, 29 March 2006 (UTC)