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The FBI Feared Communist Infiltration of EPCOT (muckrock.com)

Posted by timothy on from the whereas-I-mostly-feared-bombs dept.

v3rgEz writes: In 1981, Walt Disney World was getting ready to unveil a new gem in its crown of amusement parks, the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, or EPCOT. Revolving around a massive sphere called "Spaceship Earth" and a lagoon that initially called for cultural installations from nine countries, EPCOT was intended to be the ultimate harmonious international village, a shining example of global unity. Naturally the FBI had a problem with it. FOIA'd documents recently released to MuckRock show that as early as December 1979, almost three full years before the October 1, 1982 opening of EPCOT, the bureau was concerned with possible Soviet involvement in the endeavor. And even after Soviet involvement was ruled out, the FBI began to worry about Chinese influences.

2 of 112 comments (clear)

  1. So what? by Jiro · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This doesn't indicate that the FBI listened in on any private conversations, blacklisted anyone, tried to get anyone fired, spread lies about anyone, or otherwise did the bad things that people usually think of when they complain about the FBI. And they feared the Soviets and Chinese would infiltrate because, you know, EPCOT has national pavilions run by those countries and staffed by their citizens. And when they found out that pavilions were not allowed to be political, they then decided the Soviets were not a threat. They don't seem to have thought the Chinese were a threat for very long, either.

    Basically, this whole thing is just a complaint about the FBI doing their job.

  2. Re: EPCOT is anything but harmonious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It used to be very nice. It's the last park designed mostly by Walt's personally hired staff who remained with the company after he died. Sure, it's pro corporate but that was always one of Walt's minor character flaws. Then again, in his day American companies actually produced useful things and weren't necessarily run by sociopaths.

    There were all kinds of interactive science exhibits, previews of new technologies, museum quality cultural displays, and it was bright, open, and you could hang out there all day and find stuff to see and do in every corner. It was a place to go to be very optimistic about the future.

    Naturally something like that couldn't exist for long, so the people who mismanage the company these days took out most of the science stuff, most anything designed to make you think, remodeled educational things into character-laden sound byte style 'attractions' with no real meaning to them, closed or severely closed off parts of whole buildings and removed lots of the little things to do. Gotta appeal to the churro eating, Starbucks swilling masses who never want to use their brains ever.

    Most of the sweeping vistas are cluttered with outdoor vending and kiosks trying to sell you garbage, and of course the optimism is gone just like the rest of the country. With metal detectors, bag searches, and the requisite fences involved in our national obsession with security theater the beautiful expansive plaza at the front entrance looks like a prison now.

    I'd sarcastically say Epcot has been remade into a perfect representation of the US actually, but I do miss it from when it was really quite great.