A&E Takes Down Film on U.S. Government's Assassination Plot to Kill U.S. Journalist

The American cable network A&E recently took down its 1994 made-for-television documentary titled “FBI Chief’s Plot to Kill Reporter” (originally “Jack Anderson: The Fall of J. Edgar Hoover”) from its own YouTube channel.

---

The film documents how reporter Jack Anderson exposed the FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover’s many cases of abuse of power, and how Anderson later became a target for assassination. It was originally titled, “Jack Anderson: The Fall of J. Edgar Hoover” as part of A&E’s Investigative Reports series. A&E uploaded it to their YouTube channel on March 19, 2023, but it was removed recently without explanation.

Although A&E’s YouTube title called it the “FBI Chief’s Plot to Kill…”, Hoover is not accused of the assassination plot. Former FBI agent Gordon Liddy and others in Nixon’s inner circle plotted to assassinate Anderson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. Stories Anderson revealed include the Nixon administration’s investigation and harassment of The Beatles frontman John Lennon; the CIA’s plot to assassinate Fidel Castro; and Nixon’s secret arming of Pakistan, despite his White House claiming the U.S. government would remain neutral.

In addition to two Nixon administration conspirators admitting to the assassination plot under oath, recordings were later found of Nixon and his Attorney General John Mitchell discussing the desire to “hang” Anderson.

“I would just like to get a hold of this Anderson and hang him,” said Mitchell.

“God damn it, yes,” Nixon replied. “So listen, the day after the election, win or lose, we’ve got to do something with this son of a bitch.”

The plot to kill Anderson was ultimately called off, reportedly because handling the Watergate break-in scandal became the administration’s priority.

I asked A&E on X why the documentary was taken down but got no response.