Is Clarence Darrow Dead?: A Reflection on the FBI, Surveillance, and Hoarded Information

Abstract

A Freedom of Information Act Request for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s files on famed twentieth-century civil rights attorney Clarence Darrow yielded a number of letters from curious writers asking the FBI for basic biographical details about Darrow, including whether or not he was still alive. This brief reflection considers how the FBI’s notorious surveillance programs and resulting stockpile of information became understood in the public’s imagination as a consultable reference library about notable figures.