FBI file on Sacco/Vanzetti

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Summary

The case of Italian-born anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, from their conviction in July 1921 for the April 1920 armed robbery and murder of a shoe factory payroll manager to their e...

The case of Italian-born anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, from their conviction in July 1921 for the April 1920 armed robbery and murder of a shoe factory payroll manager to their execution by the state of Massachusetts on August 23, 1927, created a public debate about the appropriate role of federal entities in local cases and the possibility of justice for those with unpopular political views. This collection features a line of internal discussion among FBI and Department of Justice leadership regarding a request by supporters of Sacco and Vanzetti's legal defense (the Defense Committee) to share evidence and the government's rationale for refusing. In an internal memo regarding an item in the New York Times concerning the Defense Committee's request for files on the Sacco and Vanzetti case, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover records that he asked acting attorney general George Farnum to issue a statement to the press that the Sacco-Vanzetti conviction involved only the State of Massachusetts and that any FBI files on the case have virtually no bearing on the original case, but go to establishing legal grounds for deporting various members of the Defense Committee. Included is also a selection of news clippings pertaining to the case.

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