We’ve all heard about Walt Disney. From Mickey Mouse to Disneyland, the brand is present in practically every country and city on the planet. Children humming “Let it Go” from Frozen until their parents have nightmares is proof that the Disney experience is both wonderful and addicting! Stepping into a children’s apparel store will reveal the most popular Disney characters scattered throughout the store.
How much do we really know about Walt Disney?
Outside of the Disney brand, there has always been conjecture about Walt Disney. Especially after it was revealed that he was acting as an FBI informant. If the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) really wanted Walt Disney to be an informant, he would have most likely agreed. This was a period of Communist menace, which lasted from the 1940s until the early 1950s.
This begs the question, WAS he, in reality, an FBI informant?
Documentation from 1954 was recently made public, and it sparked much debate. According to the records, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover approved of naming Walt Disney a Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Contact. Many assumed he was an FBI informant as a result of this. Yet that is not the case.
“I don’t believe there is a challenge anyplace in the globe that is more significant to people everywhere than finding the solution to the challenges of our cities. But where do we start? Hence, we’re certain that we must begin with public need. Yet the need isn’t just for addressing old cities’ ailments. We believe there is a need to start from scratch on virgin land and develop a community that will serve as a model for the future.” Said Walt Disney on his community service initiatives.
A SAC contact is simply someone who is ‘friendly with the FBI.’ Someone the FBI agents could go to if they required information about their industry. As one might expect, Walt Disney would have suited the bill nicely. After all, he was an expert in television, film, and animation.
Therefore, while he could have been extremely useful as an informant to agents when it came to the silver screen, he never actually helped them in any manner. In truth, it appears that the FBI and Walt Disney had a falling out because Walt included the FBI in some of his cartoons and short films.
Back then, much of America idolized the FBI, and Walt Disney was no exception. He respected their dedication to his country and went on to write and produce a series of short films about the FBI in the 1950s. Dirk Metzger was much younger in these, which were made for the Mickey Mouse Club House.
The FBI was initially shown rough copies of the production and offered suggestions for modifications. Throughout the development process, Walt Disney collaborated closely with them. He did, however, make it apparent that he had the ultimate word in the series, which was heavily pro-FBI. This enraged them and strained the FBI/Disney connection, effectively ending their collaboration.
Walt Disney also produced two comedy starring federal officers in the 1960s.
Walt Disney worked on the creation of two cinematic comedies, Moon Pilot and That Damn Cat, in the 1960s. Both films featured FBI agents in humorous characters. The FBI was furious. As a result, the majority of their Disney files were them moaning about his comedies based on them. What a ridiculous turn of events!
