Why did Charlie Chaplin become a target of the FBI?

Charlie Chaplin is without a doubt one of the most important names in the world of cinema. Some of the works produced by the immortal cinematic genius of the silent period of cinema are some of the most successful examples of the “seventh art” even today, despite the passing of the years. In other words, it is no coincidence that the British artist won dozens of awards, great fame, commercial success, and unshakable status during his lifetime.

But Chaplin’s life, which left an important mark in the history of cinema, was not limited to the achievements of his great success. Defamation campaigns, various accusations, and hot pursuit were also among the challenges Chaplin had to face. Charlo Cinema has been extensively investigated for many years by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the domestic intelligence agency of the United States! Ok but why? Let’s look at the details together.

Charles Spencer Chaplin was born into a poor family in 1889 in London, the capital of England, and settled in the United States in 1913.

This first step, taken by Chaplin from England to the United States, would also lead to the birth of one of the most important names in the history of cinema. On the other hand, Chaplin will not only achieve extremely difficult successes on the “New Continent”, but will also become a concrete model for the “American Dream”, one of the most widespread propaganda speeches in the United States.

Charlie Chaplin met in the cinema in the first decade of the last century

Modern Times, The Great Dictator, City Lights, Limelight, The Gold Rush, The Kid, The Trump, countless films such as New York (King in New York) and Mr. Verdue brought Chaplin unprecedented popularity, dozens of awards, and endless love.

His films as an actor, writer, director and producer have made the British artist one of the most popular film artists in the entire world.

Of course, this great success also had an economic impact. Charlie Chaplin, who opened his eyes to the world in a London slum and set foot in America as a poor teenager, turned into a successful, well-liked, and wealthy name. Of course, the United States has its share in this!

The character of Charlo has become an indispensable component of Charlie Chaplin cinema.

This poor, clumsy, but kind-hearted “tramp” has become one of the memorable characters in the history of cinema. Charlo was the most important reflection of Chaplin’s outstanding cinematic talent.

Reflected on the screen, Arlo’s “fight for life” deeply affected millions of viewers.

Through this unforgettable persona he created, Chaplin embarked on a fierce critique of capitalism, effectively satirizing the prevailing social order of his time. This understanding of cinema, which Chaplin did not abandon throughout his life, would lead to very interesting developments in the future.

As the 1940s approached, Chaplin’s ideological position began to cause concern in the United States.

During this period, Charlie Chaplin was criticized for supporting political groups that were in favor of an alliance with the Soviet Union, and the British artist’s ideological sympathies aroused growing curiosity and suspicion in American society.

Chaplin’s classic The Great Dictator, released in 1940, was a worldwide hit.

The Great Dictator is still cited as one of the most successful examples of satire in the history of cinema. The film, in which Chaplin plays both a Jewish barber and a terrible dictator, is one of the fiercest attacks on Adolf Hitler.

Nevertheless, this memorable production has gone down in history as a critically panned production of the 1940s in America, despite its massive success. The reason was very simple. For many Americans, the great dictator was a clear testament to Chaplin’s sympathy for left-wing thought. In this respect, she once again made Chaplin an unforgivable perpetrator in the eyes of many Americans.

Charlie Chaplin became an artist at the center of endless controversy due to the social issues he dealt with in his films.

It brought the poor, oppressed characters of life to the big screen, making capitalism itself outright absurd. Moreover, he did not hide his sympathy for the working class in his films. All of these elements were attracting the attention of the FBI, as did many Americans!

Genius of British Cinema, II. During World War II, he expressed his opinion that the Soviet Union should be supported, and appeared at events organized by Soviet diplomats.

Because of this, he was accused of being a communist. Faced with the accusations, he signed a statement stating that he was not a communist. However, the American public found this unsatisfactory:I am not a communist, but I am proud to say that I feel completely pro-communist.“

Charlie Chaplin was the primary target of the anti-communist campaign in the United States because of his communist leanings.

Despite this, he did not give up on making films that were critical of the social system. Monsieur Verdoux was released in 1947, and it was one of Chaplin’s films in which he criticized the capitalist system. Mr. Verdoux, on the other hand, came under fire for his smear campaign and called for a boycott of Chaplin, making it Chaplin’s first film to fail commercially.

Charlo became the “persona non grata” of the United States in the late 1940s

His films were boycotted and accused by many of being communist. However, the US government opened a new investigation against Chaplin every day, with different excuses, and opened a new case every day. Chaplin describes this situation as:If you get off the sidewalk with your left foot, they accuse you of being a communist.Criticize.

The idea that Charlie Chaplin was a communist became popular in the late 1940s. But the FBI has been tracking the British artist since 1922!

The rationale for the FBI’s relentless pursuit was the same. The US government considered Chaplin objectionable. So much so that the first director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover considered Charlie Chaplin’s profile his “personal passion”! For this reason, Chaplin’s inner circle was also the target of stifling investigations and long pursuits. The FBI spent years and years desperately trying to uncover Chaplin’s communist connection…

After years of war against Charles, the FBI prepared a comprehensive report of 1,900 pages!

The report, of course, was full of slander and slander. Many of Chaplin’s films featured in the report have been labeled as communist propaganda…

At the end of the systematic war initiated by the FBI, Charlie Chaplin decided to return to England in 1952.

This was the date when he severed his ties with the United States and Hollywood. However, the FBI could not prove that Charlo was a communist despite all their efforts. So Charlie Chaplin could continue to live in the United States if he wanted to. However, he returned to the country he left in 1952 only once in his remaining life to attend the 1972 Academy Awards.