On this day, January 2, in 1920

The Palmer Raids were at their peak in America. The Palmer Raids were a series of controversial raids by the U.S. Justice and Immigration Departments that lasted from 1918 until 1921. The raids, which were a direct attack on the communist party and the radical left in the US, involved illegal means of gaining information, illegal searches and seizures, mass arrests, deportation, and torture. J Edgar Hoover, the Chief of the Justice Department's Radical Division, actually organized the raids. No wonder he went on to a 48-year career as director of the FBI; the perfect candidate.