To commemorate Women’s History Month, Pearl S. Buck International will release a new virtual exhibit on its website, “Top Secret: The Pearl S. Buck FBI File,” on March 29, followed by a complimentary virtual evening discussion and Q & A with curator Samantha Freise.
Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, humanitarian, and activist Pearl S. Buck was an outspoken public figure in a time of racial, social, and political tension and upheaval.
She was critical of government, war, and the treatment of people who were different. Her writings and actions drew the attention of the Federal Bureau Investigation and its director, J. Edgar Hoover. The FBI, suspicious of communist propaganda and leanings, began compiling files on well-known personalities including, over the course of decades, a massive file on Pearl Buck.
“Top Secret” takes you through this journey of the FBI’s tracking of Buck’s writings, activities, and associations. Their files contain information on her involvement with the NAACP and other “organizations of concern”; her writings advocating for racial justice and democracy; her opinions on military segregation; relief work for China; advocacy for India’s independence; and more.
“Top Secret” reveals not just the public essays and works of Buck that drew suspicion to her, but the private letters and memos written by Buck, Hoover, Winston Churchill, and more.
At 7 p.m. March 29, join Samantha Freise, Pearl S. Buck House curator, as she talks about the content of the exhibit, goes more in-depth into the history and details of Pearl Buck’s FBI file, and answers your questions about this fascinating and troubling time in Pearl Buck’s life and in the history of the FBI.
“Top Secret: The Pearl S. Buck File” will be available to view on the Pearl S. Buck International website March 29. To register for the virtual discussion, go to: https://pearlsbuck.org/exhibit-discussion.
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