Thread by @davetroy

1/For a deeper understanding of the networks that led to January 6th, it's worth reading these comprehensive FBI primary source files on the "I AM" movement and on Robert LeFevre's "Freedom School". LeFevre helped lead the "I AM" movement and was indicted in 1940 for his role.

2/Koch Industries was connected to both movements and provided substantial funding to LeFevre, along with Roger Milliken. Here's 215 (truly fascinating) pages on the Freedom School that provide background on the early days of American 'libertarianism.' documents.theblackvault.com/documents/fbif…

3/And here are 750+ pages on the so-called "Mighty I AM" movement which was truly the QAnon of its day, was seen as a major threat to the war effort — and went on to provide underpinnings for QAnon itself.
documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/fbif…

4/There is a straight line between "I AM," the Freedom School, the John Birch Society, the Council for National Policy, and the foundations of January 6th. The letters from concerned citizens to the FBI about LeFevre and "I AM" read like contemporary reports about QAnon.

5/It's worth taking a moment to remember that in history, networks of interests are the protagonists, and that while they shift and morph over time, worldviews are irreducible. This conflict of worldviews will continue until we arrive at some new synthesis.

6/We mustn't view January 6th as an isolated incident, but as a recurrence of the many previous occurrences of the same conflict, and we must think about how we are going to prevent it from happening again. Which requires a deep understanding of what it's actually about.

7/I've covered this in great detail in my "Big History" essay series, as many of you know. More on that soon. But for now, it's striking how much these ~1,000 pages of primary source materials illuminate these themes.
davetroy.medium.com/the-big-histor…

8/This book, "Psychic Dictatorship in America," published in 1940 by Gerald Bryan, offers an in-depth look at the "I AM" movement, its connections to Pelley's Silvershirts, and also the obsession with gold.
tyob.info/public/pdf/psy…