A Childhood in a Family Pursued by the FBI

An account of growing up in a family pursued by the FBI offers a glimpse into a radical response to the Vietnam War: the belief that bringing violence onto American streets could awaken the public to what their country was doing abroad.

The recollection describes a slogan used at the time: “Bring the war home.” Behind it was an intention to take the violence witnessed in Vietnam and reproduce it within the United States.

The stated aim was to confront Americans with the consequences of their country’s actions overseas. In that view, violence at home would force people to acknowledge a war being fought far from their daily lives.

The account places a childhood against that backdrop of militancy and federal pursuit. The available details do not identify the family or a political organization, or explain the circumstances of the FBI’s pursuit.