Economics, Espionage, and Exile: The Surveilled Life of David Drucker, Esq. Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

“Economics, Espionage, and Exile: the Surveilled life of David Drucker, esq.” examines the life

of the author's great, great uncle David Drucker. Drucker was a socialist attorney who advocated

tirelessly for economic cooperation between the United States and communist nations, causing

him to be surveilled by the FBI for over 30 years. Drucker eventually moved to Mexico

alongside other political expatriates to evade political scrutiny and government surveillance in

the United States. Upon his return, David filed numerous FOIA requests, seeking to challenge

the government narrative of his life. Investigating personal correspondence and government

surveillance documents, this work provides a rare opportunity for an intimate look at the nature

of espionage, surveillance, and political freedom in the United States. By examining the sources

which remain of David, we observe how government surveillance creates a dominant narrative of

an individual's life. In our current moment in which deportation is used as a political tool,

David’s experience of forced expatriation is particularly worthy of examination.

Table of Contents

• Introduction – 1.

• Chapter 1: Eyes on Amtorg – 4.

• Chapter 2: Trips to China and Escape to Mexico – 22.

• Chapter 3: Life in Mexico and FOIA Requests – 36.

• Chapter 4: The Many David Druckers - 55

About this Honors Thesis

Rights statement

• Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.

School	Emory College
Department	History
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	History, United States
Keyword	oral history Red Scare family surveillance McCarthy Cold War Amtorg archive FBI
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Jonathan Prude, Emory University
Committee Members	Yanna Yannakakis, Emory University Matthew Payne, Emory University

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