that the combination of secrecy and power poses to democracy, especially during turbulent times.

In his corner office at the FBI's headquarters in Washington, D.C., the director finished reviewing Lynum's report. He saw Reagan's request as a chance to finally quell demonstrations at Berkeley before they ignited even more protests at other campuses.

Hoover's hand moved quickly across the report, scrawling jagged marks in blue ink.

"This," he underscored, "presents the bureau with an opportunity."

Seth Rosenfeld was for many years an investigative reporter for The San Francisco Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle. This essay is adapted from Subversives: The FBI's War on Student Radicals, and Reagan's Rise to Power, to be published next week by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.found that appellant had suffered two relapses during the prior two years, though the last episode had occurred sixteen months prior to the 1993 hearing. The Board found that these relapses constituted evidence of appellant's present chemical dependency, and recommended that appellant be issued a probationary license (the "1993 license") for a period of two years. Appellant's temporary license was revoked, and a probationary license to practice law was issued subject to additional conditions.[1]
Prior to the expiration of his 1993 license, and in accordance with the Board's application procedure, appellant applied for a regular license to practice law in the fall of 1995. The Board notified appellant that a hearing would be held on January 11, 1996 (the "1996 hearing"). In the 1996 hearing the Board sought to