Why was Charlie Chaplin targeted by the FBI?

Charlie Chaplin is undoubtedly one of the most important names in the world of cinema. Some of the works created by the immortal cinematic genius in the era of silent cinema, and today, despite the past years, are one of the most successful examples of the “seventh art”. In other words, it is no coincidence that the British artist won dozens of awards, great fame, commercial success and an unshakable position during his lifetime.

However, Chaplin’s life, which left an important mark on the history of cinema, was not limited to the achievements of his great success. Smear campaigns, various accusations, and relentless persecution were also among the problems Chaplin had to deal with. Cinema Charlo has been heavily investigated for years by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the domestic intelligence agency of the United States! Okay, but why? Let’s look at the details together.

Born into a poor family in 1889 in London, the capital of England, “Charles Spencer Chaplin” settled in the United States in 1913.

This first step, taken by Chaplin from England to the USA, also led to the birth of one of the most important names in the history of cinema. On the other hand, Chaplin would not only achieve extremely difficult successes on the “new continent”, but also become a concrete model of the “American dream”, one of the most broadcast propaganda discourses in the United States.

Charlie Chaplin was introduced to cinema in the 1910s.

Modern Times, The Great Dictator, City Lights, Spotlight, Gold Rush, The Kid, Tramp, The King Countless movies like In New York ( “The King in New York”) and “Monsieur Verdu”, brought Chaplin unprecedented popularity, dozens of awards. and endless love.

His films as an actor, screenwriter, director and producer have made the British artist one of the most popular film artists in the world.

Of course, this great success also had economic consequences. Charlie Chaplin, who opened his eyes to the world in a poor area of ​​London and set foot in America as a poor teenager, became a successful, beloved and rich man. Of course, the United States also had its share in this!

The character of Charlo has become an indispensable element of Charlie Chaplin’s cinematography.

This poor, clumsy, but good-natured “tramp” has become one of the unforgettable characters in the history of cinema. Charlo was the most important reflection of Chaplin’s outstanding cinematic talent.

“The struggle for life” Charlot, reflected on the screen, deeply affected millions of viewers.

Through this unforgettable character he created, Chaplin embarked on an extremely harsh critique of capitalism, effectively ridiculing the dominant social order of his time. This understanding of cinema, from which Chaplin did not refuse throughout his life, would lead to very interesting events in the future.

As the 1940s approached, Chaplin’s ideological stance began to cause concern in the United States.

During this period, Charlie Chaplin was criticized for supporting political groups that favored an alliance with the Soviet Union, and the British artist’s ideological sympathies aroused growing curiosity and suspicion in American society.

Chaplin’s classic film, The Great Dictator, released in 1940, was a huge success around the world.

The Great Dictator is still called one of the most successful examples of satire in the history of cinema. The film, in which Chaplin plays a Jewish barber and a terrible dictator at the same time, is one of the heaviest attacks on Adolf Hitler.

However, this memorable production went down in history as a highly panned production in 1940s America despite its huge success. The reason was pretty simple. The great dictator was for many Americans clear evidence of Chaplin’s sympathy for leftist thought. In this respect, it again made Chaplin the perpetrator of an unforgivable crime in the eyes of many Americans.

Charlie Chaplin became an artist at the center of endless controversy due to the social issues he covered in his films.

He brought the poor and oppressed characters from life to the big screen, directly making capitalism itself ridiculous. Moreover, he never concealed his sympathy for the working class in his films. All these elements attracted the attention of the FBI, as well as many Americans!

The Genius of British Cinema, II. During World War II, he expressed the opinion that the Soviet Union should be supported and appeared at events organized by Soviet diplomats.

For this reason, he was accused of being a communist. In the face of accusations, he signed a declaration that he was not a communist. However, this did not satisfy the American public: “I am not a communist, but I pride myself on feeling quite pro-communist.”

Charlie Chaplin was the main target of the anti-communist campaign in the United States because of his communist views.

Despite this, he did not stop making films that criticized the social order. Monsieur Verdoux, released in 1947, was one of Chaplin’s films in which he criticized the capitalist order. Monsieur Verdoux, on the other hand, was heavily criticized for his smear campaign and calls for a Chaplin boycott, making it the first Chaplin film to fail commercially.

Charlo became “persona non grata” of the United States in the late 1940s.

His films were boycotted and were accused by many of being communist. However, the American government started a new investigation against Chaplin every day, under various pretexts, and opened a new case every day. Chaplin describes this situation as “If you step off the sidewalk with your left foot, you will be accused of being a communist.he criticized.

The idea that Charlie Chaplin was a communist became popular in the late 1940s. But the FBI has been following the British artist since 1922!

The reason for the FBI’s relentless pursuit was the same. The American government considered Chaplin undesirable. So much so that the first director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, considered the Charlie Chaplin case his “personal affair”! For this reason, Chaplin’s inner circle also became the subject of stifling investigations and lengthy checks. The FBI spent years and years trying to uncover Chaplin’s connection to the communists…

After years of war against Charles, the FBI has produced a definitive 1900 page report!

The report, of course, was full of slander and slander. Many of Chaplin’s films featured in the report were called communist propaganda…

Tired of the end of the systematic war initiated by the FBI, Charlie Chaplin decided to return to England in 1952.

This was the date he severed his ties with the United States and Hollywood. However, the FBI was unable to prove that Charlo was a communist despite their best efforts. So Charlie Chaplin could still live in the United States if he wanted to. However, he returned to the country he left in 1952 only once in the rest of his life to attend the 1972 Academy Awards.

Source: 1