Spies of Mississippi (2014)

Spies of Mississippi tells the story of a secret spy agency formed by the state of Mississippi to preserve segregation and maintain white supremacy. The anti-civil rights organization was ... See full summary »

Director:

Dawn Porter

Writer:

Rick Bowers

Stars:

Ross Barnett, Margaret Block, R.L. Bolden

Cast

Credited cast:
Ross Barnett	...	Self - Mississippi Governor 1960-1964 (archive footage)
Margaret Block	...	Self - Civil Rights Activist
R.L. Bolden	...	Self - Investigator, Day Detective Agency
Rick Bowers	...	Self - Author, 'Spies of Mississippi'
Fannie Chaney	...	Self - Mother of James Chaney (archive footage) (as Fannie Lee)
James P. Coleman	...	Self - Mississippi Governor 1956-1960 (archive footage)
Ralph Eubanks	...	Self - Mississippi Native / Author, 'Ever Is a Long Time'
Percy Greene	...	Self (archive footage)
Lawrence Guyot	...	Self - Civil Rights Activist
Horace H. Harned Jr.	...	Self - Member, Mississippi Sovereignty Commission
Lyndon B. Johnson	...	Self - President of the USA 1963-1969 (archive footage)
Paul Johnson	...	Self - Mississippi Governor 1964-1968 (archive footage)
Robert F. Kennedy	...	Self - United States Attorney General 1961-1964 (archive footage)
Edwin King	...	Self - Civil Rights Activist (as Rev. Ed King)
Martin Luther King	...	Self - Civil Rights Activist (archive footage) (as Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.)

Storyline

Spies of Mississippi tells the story of a secret spy agency formed by the state of Mississippi to preserve segregation and maintain white supremacy. The anti-civil rights organization was hidden in plain sight in an unassuming office in the Mississippi State Capitol. Funded with taxpayer dollars and granted extraordinary latitude to carry out its mission, the Commission evolved from a propaganda machine into a full blown spy operation. How do we know this is true? The Commission itself tells us in more than 146,000 pages of files preserved by the State. This wealth of first person primary historical material guides us through one of the most fascinating and yet little known stories of America's quest for Civil Rights.

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Plot Keywords:

spy | commission | rights | civil | racism | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

TV-PG

User Reviews

It sure offered ONE big surprise....

"Spies of Mississippi" is an unusual new documentary. While films about the civil rights era of the 1950s and 60s are not uncommon, one like this one sure are! The film is about a secret state government organization, the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission--a group dedicated to preventing a change in the racist class system in the state. While the existence of this organization didn't surprise me, the fact that many black men helped them did! Yep, some of the Commission's most ardent supporters were blacks who were either afraid of change, greedy for their 40 pieces of silver or were just freaking insane!! All in all, a very informative and strange look at the times--one that surely will shock a few folks!

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 February 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Les espions du Mississippi: Des traîtres dans le mouvement pour les droits civiques

Company Credits

Production Co:

LOOKSfilm, Trilogy Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

53 min

Color:

Black and White Color