Spies of Mississippi (2014)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spies of Mississippi is a documentary film which premiered on US television (PBS) in 2014. 

 

It is an episode of the long-running program Independent Lens (season 15 episode 12).

 

The topic is the history of civil rights in Mississippi in the 1950s and the 1960s with special focus on a secret government agency whose existence and activities are not well-known in the general public: the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission.

 

The purpose of the secret agency was to monitor, infiltrate and eventually destroy the civil rights movement in the state.

 

Here is some basic information about this film:

 

** Producer and director: Dawn Porter

** Writer: Rick Bowers

** Available on Amazon Prime Video and on DVD

** Subtitles: English (turn on-turn off)

** Run time: 53 minutes

 

Several persons are interviewed in the film. Here are the names of the participants (listed in alphabetical order):

 

** Margaret Block – civil rights activist

 

** R. L. Bolden – Agent X

 

** Rick Bowers – author of the book Spies of Mississippi (2010) (2011)

 

** Ralph Eubanks – author of the book Ever Is a Long Time (2003) (2005)

 

** Laurence Guyut – civil rights activist

 

** Horace H. Harned, Jr. – former member of the MSC

 

** Reverend Ed King – civil rights activist

 

** Robert Luckett – Assistant professor of History, Jackson State University

 

** Neil R. McMillen – Professor Emeritus, University of Southern Mississippi

 

** Jerry Mitchell – investigative reporter, The Clarion-Ledger – author of the book Race against Time (2020)

 

** Bob and Janet Moses – civil rights activists

 

** Bennie Thompson – politician – member of US Congress – House of representatives (since 1993) (Democrat)

 

** Hollis Watkins – civil rights activist

 

** William Winter (1923-2020) – politician – governor of Mississippi 1980-1984

 

Archive footage is used between the talking heads. Archive footage is used to support and supplement the statements made by the talking heads.

 

Archive footage makes it possible for the viewer to meet some of the people whose actions and lives are discussed in the film, including the following persons:

 

** Lyndon B. Johnson – US President 1963-1969

** James P. Coleman – governor of Mississippi 1956-1960

** Ross Barnett – governor of Mississippi 1960-1964

** Martin Luther King, Jr. – civil rights activist

** Clyde Kennard – civil rights activist

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

This film is divided into seven chapters. Here are the headlines:

 

# 1. Introduction

# 2. The Mississippi way of life

# 3. The birth of a spy network

# 4. The invasion from the north

# 5. Freedom Summer

# 6. Agent X

# 7. The beginning of the end

 

THE PLOT

The Mississippi Sovereignty Commission was created in 1956. At first, the purpose was merely to monitor the civil rights movement which was beginning to make spectacular operations in the southern states.

 

In the beginning, only white agents were hired. An agency which was established to support and preserve white supremacy was not going to hire black agents. But soon, the white agents realized that they were too conspicuous when they tried to monitor what was happening in a black neighborhood.

 

The commission had to find some black persons who were willing to work for the them. Black agents were asked to attend meetings in the black community and later report back to the commission.

 

It was not easy to find suitable candidates, but when the commission offered money to poor persons, they were often willing to say yes. In this way, some black agents were hired to spy on legal activities in their own community.

 

As time went by, the civil rights movement became larger and more influential. Now it was regarded as a serious threat. Now the commission decided to escalate its operations.

 

Now the commission decided to infiltrate the movement, hoping to disrupt and eventually destroy it. The southern way of life (white supremacy) had to be preserved.

 

All members of the civil rights movement knew that they were up against hostile and powerful forces.

 

They knew that white police officers were watching them, ready to beat them up and arrest them at any time, but they did not know that the state of Mississippi had established a secret agency whose ultimate aim was to prevent them from winning equality and freedom for all Americans.

 

Several cases are covered in this film.

 

Perhaps the worst – certainly the most heart-breaking – of all cases is the story of Clyde Kennard who was targeted, just because he wanted to study at a white college.

 

When he refused to give up and when he refused to be silent, he was framed by the police and sent to prison for a crime he did not commit.

 

While the commission was powerful, it was fighting a losing battle. In the 1970s, it was running out of money and steam. In 1977, it was finally closed down.

 

During a life of more than 20 years, the secret agency had produced thousands of secret documents. What was going to happen to them?

 

Several options were discussed. One option was to burn everything, because the documents contained information which would be highly embarrassing to politicians in high positions.

 

Fortunately, this option was rejected.

 

In the end, it was decided that all documents should be stored in a separate archive and that they should be sealed for 50 years. In other words: no public access until 2027.

 

Investigative reporter Jerry Mitchell did not think this option was fair. In the 1980s, while he was working on a story about civil rights in the deep south, he applied to see some of the secret documents.

 

He suspected that the secret archive might contain documents which were relevant to his story. He was allowed access, but only to documents relating to his case.

 

General access was still denied, but now the seal had been broken. Other people applied as well. And in 1998, the seal was removed. General access was allowed.  

 

No need to wait until 2027.

 

RATINGS AND REVIEWS

What do reviewers say about this film? 

 

** On IMDb it has a rating of 73 percent, which corresponds to 3.7 stars on Amazon.

 

There are three user reviews on IMDb. Two offer a rating that is higher than the average rating on IMDb. The third review offers only 30 percent, apparently because civil rights activist Medgar Evers is not mentioned in the film!

 

** On Amazon there are at the moment 92 global ratings and 39 global reviews. The average rating is 4.6 stars which corresponds to a rating of 92 percent.

 

CONCLUSION

If you ask me, the rating on IMDb is too low. I think the rating on Amazon is much more appropriate.

 

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).  

 

REFERENCES

 

** Ever Is a Long time: A Journey into Mississippi’s Past, A Memoir by Ralph Eubanks (2003) (2005)

 

** Spies of Mississippi by Rick Bowers (2010) (2011) (this volume is written for young readers, age 12-18)

 

** The Life and Times of Clyde Kennard by Derek R. King (2018)

 

** Race Against Time: A Reporter Reopens the Unsolved Murder Cases of the Civil Rights Era by Jerry Mitchell (2020)

 

*****

 

Dawn Porter

Producer and director

 

*****

 

Rick Bowers

Writer

*****