Those of us who are old enough know the song.
M-I-C. See you real soon.
K-E-Y. Why? Because we like you.
M-O-U-S-E.
The ears. The cute red shorts. That winning smile.
Does Mickey really like us? And what are those two big white buttons really for?
I only ask because, on this day, November 10, 1941, Walt Disney secretly began serving as an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Yes, indeed. Good old Uncle Walt. An informant.
How do they say? “You can’t tell a book by its cover?”
I mean, who would imagine that the Disney Magic could ever be associated with gathering dirty secrets on our fellow Americans? But it is true. From 1941 until his death in 1966, Walt Disney secretly served in the FBI.
As magical as Walt Disney was, he couldn’t be everywhere. So he was recruited to work for the Bureau’s Los Angeles office. His main task was reporting on the activities of Hollywood. That would include the “actors, writers, producers, directors, technicians and union activists suspected of political subversion.” So, if you worked in Hollywood, and everyone did back then, Mickey and Minnie had a happy eye on you. Don’t let those cute high-pitched voices fool you. There was probably some G-Man inside that big rat-head costume.
Apparently, at that time in history, interest in communism was on the rise around the world. So American “officials” were quite concerned about these ideals spreading here.
I must add this. It is well known that since the 1970s, the Directors of the FBI have tried to maintain a discrete distance from the President. This is for good reason. This tradition resulted from reforms. All because of the often questionable behavior of former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, who served from 1924 to 1972. And wouldn’t you know? This story took place in 1941.
Hoover. Hoover. Over this long period, his relationships with six different presidents often became dangerously close. Ethical and legal lines were crossed. Until recently, every director has understood this need for separation. This history can help us understand Comey’s concerns about Trump’s behavior concerning the FBI.
Anyway, back to the story. All this information about Disney’s role as an informant came forward in 1993 because of the Freedom of Information Act.
Over 570 pages were released about Disney’s involvement with the FBI. However, many of the details were blacked out. Redacted. Because of this, it’s impossible to know exactly which celebrity names were leaked to federal agents by Disney. Walt reportedly stated that he was more than happy to assist the FBI in finding troublemakers in Hollywood.
Some of it seems ridiculous to me, the trading back and forth of the information and the “you scratch my back” operations. Hoover often intervened in Disney films, shows, and characters.
One amusing story comes in the way of a Disney movie. It was the film “That Darn Cat,” produced in 1965. A memorandum from the bureau points out the main character in the story, a cat who is an undercover FBI agent known as D. C. (short for “Darn Cat”), “happily forages in garbage cans every night.”
Hoover didn’t like this. He said it ridiculed the FBI agent persona. This memo went on to say, “The Crimes Records Division will continue to follow this matter closely through the Los Angeles Office to ensure that if the proposed movie is made, the Bureau’s interests are protected.”
It escalated slightly, right up the scratching post. The bureau complained to Disney, but no changes were made to the characters. The bureau was unhappy with the film. But those screenwriters, Mildred and Gordon Gordon were pleased by the success of “That Darn Cat,” According to a memorandum in the Disney file, they went on to set up their own company, called Meow Inc.
So there it is. Walt Disney, FBI Agent. In return for his cooperation and the information he shared, he was eventually promoted to a full Special Agent role. Throughout the 1950s, the FBI also assisted Disney in acquiring permits and building Disneyland in Los Angeles.
We will probably never know to what extent the bureau influenced Walt Disney or how many communists he helped them find — as the Freedom of Information Act is only as good as someone’s black Sharpie Marker.
The mouse takes the cheese.
The mouse takes the cheese.
Hi-Ho the Dairy-O.
The mouse takes the cheese.
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“Spy’ is such a short ugly word. I prefer ‘espionage.’ Those extra three syllables really say something.”
― Howard Tayler, Emperor Pius Dei
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“Good neighbors always spy on you to make sure you are doing well.”
― Pawan Mishra, Coinman: An Untold Conspiracy
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“I could admire his skills, and be relieved when he was on my side in a fight. But for a rat to like the cat? That scenario ended only one way. With one dead rat.”
― Maria V. Snyder, Poison Study
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The secret life of Walter. A really mickey.
