I Was a Communist for the FBI

I Was a Communist for the FBI is the name of a series of stories written by Matt Cvetic that appeared in the Saturday Evening Post. The stories were later turned into a best-selling book, an American espionage thriller radio series and motion picture in the early 1950s.

The story follows Cvetic, who infiltrated a local Communist Party cell for nine years and reported back to the Federal Bureau of Investigation on their activities.

The film and radio show are, in part, artifacts of the McCarthy era, as well as a time capsule of American society during the Second Red Scare. The purpose of both are partly to warn people about the threat of Communist subversion of American society. The tone of the show is ultra-patriotic, with Communists portrayed as racist, vindictive, and tools of a totalitarian foreign power, the Soviet Union.

Film

I Was a Communist for the FBI is a 1951 American film adaptation. Frank Lovejoy portrayed Cvetic. The film was directed by Gordon Douglas and written by Crane Wilbur.

This dramatic film was nominated for an Academy Award as the Best Documentary of the year.

Cast

• Frank Lovejoy as...... ...
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