J Edgar Hoover: Communists Dis Bankers
on Saturday, October 14, 2017J Edgar Hoover as FBI Director Money Quote saying in 1947 FBI report ‘Communist Infiltration of the Motion Picture Industry’ protective of banks while attacking movie-makers. J Edgar Hoover as FBI Director said:
“It’s a Wonderful Life’… represents a rather obvious attempt to discredit bankers by casting Lionel Barrymore as a Scrooge-type so that he would be the most hated man in the picture. This, according to sources, is a common trick used by Communists” — J Edgar Hoover
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In this quote, J. Edgar Hoover is expressing a skeptical view of the 1946 film “It’s a Wonderful Life” and its portrayal of banker Mr. Potter. Hoover suggests that depicting the banker as a miserly “Scrooge-type” character was a deliberate attempt to turn audiences against businessmen and bankers. He asserts that making such a pivotal figure unlikable was a “trick” commonly used by Communists to discredit capitalism and private enterprise.
Overall, Hoover appears to believe the film had a covert political agenda of generating public disdain for the banking industry, which he implies was inspired by Communist propaganda tactics. Hoover was taking a critical stance that questioned whether the film reflected any hidden ideological messaging beyond simple entertainment.