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. Written by Dawn Porter
"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!