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Past Event
Seminar

The Foreign Agents Registration Act in Historical Perspective

Open to the Public

Speaker: Ashley Serpa, Ernest May Fellow in History & Policy, International Security Program

In this seminar, the speaker will discuss the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (FARA)’s history, from its inception as a tool to combat Nazi propaganda in the WWII-era to its use against suspected communists in the early Cold War. She will also discuss the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's investigation on foreign agents in the 1960s, which inspired the last successful FARA amendment, to help scholars and policymakers understand why so many proposed amendments failed and FARA proved ineffective in the decades following.

Everyone is welcome to join us via Zoom! Please register before the event:
https://harvard.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAvdumhrDoqEtIim84pzzBIbyZEKNCAMp42

Date: Time: - Location: Online
The U.S. Government's website for FARA.

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Speaker: Ashley Serpa, Ernest May Fellow in History & Policy, International Security Program

The 2016 election renewed interest in the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (FARA). Both major parties have proposed amendments to modernize FARA and fill gaps in its enforcement in an effort to prevent foreign interference in American institutions.

In this seminar, the speaker will discuss FARA's history, from its inception as a tool to combat Nazi propaganda in the WWII-era to its use against suspected communists in the early Cold War. She will also discuss the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's investigation on foreign agents in the 1960s, which inspired the last successful FARA amendment, to help scholars and policymakers understand why so many proposed amendments failed, and FARA proved ineffective in the decades following.

Everyone is welcome to join us via Zoom! Please register before the event:
https://harvard.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAvdumhrDoqEtIim84pzzBIbyZEKNCAMp42

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