Ramparts-magazine

Ramparts Magazine [1962-1975]
Preeminent Catholic magazine of the New Left, Ramparts was notable for its graphic sophistication and hard hitting (sometimes controversial) reporting. Launched in Silicon Valley, Ramparts was an early opponent of the Vietnam War ¹ and published graphic photos of South Asian children killed and maimed in the conflict ².

Throughout its tenure, the magazine raised a de facto war on the surveillance community, publishing a series of exposés on links between the [[error|CIA] and the National Student Association (NSA), Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, and the Asia Foundation. Ramparts also received acclaim for featuring the extended diaries of both Che Guevara and Eldridge Cleaver ³. Ramparts engaged in intentional obfuscation of its finances - it was widely speculated to operate at a significant loss owing to its glossy production and extensive reporting costs. In the late 1960's, the CIA launched an investigation of the magazine, citing both suspicious financial activity and reported (but later debunked) Soviet ties ⁴ . In 1972 Ramparts was sued by Ma Bell after publishing schematics for construction of a " [[cybernetics|black box] " enabling free long distance calls, resulting in the magazine's bankruptcy.

¹ A photo series commonly credited as leading various leaders in the Black Power Movement to speak out extensively against the war.

² As exemplified by the December 1967 cover featured the burning of clearly marked draft cards by the acting editors.

³ Later published externally as Soul on ICE , Cleaver's writing dates from his time in prison resulting from the FBI's covert and illegal [[error|COINTELPRO] initiative.

⁴ Marking the CIA's first investigation into a domestic publication - a clear violation of the National Security Act of 1947.

Ref# Cleaver, Eldridge :: Soul on ICE