The FBI regarded former Rep. Bella Abzug as a "loud-mouthed" congresswoman who followed the Communist Party line and had suspicious contacts with Soviet officials at the United Nations, according to hundreds of pages of FBI files posted by the public policy group, America's Survival, Inc. (ASI).
Abzug (1920-1998), known for wearing big hats, was one of the most influential and recognizable female politicians of the late 20th century. She was particularly active at the United Nations.
ASI President Cliff Kincaid said the FBI files on Abzug demonstrate that the feminist icon and abortion rights champion had a secret communist agenda. "To Abzug," Kincaid said, "women were another 'exploited' group to be used to further the Marxist agenda here and abroad. Not surprisingly, this 'Red Feminism' has proven to be extremely destructive to the traditional American family."
Highlights of the FBI files, posted at usasurvival.org, include:
Abzug was on the FBI security index for dangerous individuals with communist connections
An informant said she was "Either a communist or one who follows the line of the Communist Party very closely."
Abzug paid tribute to attorneys for the Communist Party.
Surveillance of Abzug's home revealed that a Soviet official had contacted Abzug and that arrangements were made for her to meet the USSR delegation to the United Nations.
A letter to the FBI described Abzug as a member of numerous communist fronts and whose congressional campaign was a "top priority in communist and Soviet diplomatic circles."
