J. Edgar Hoover viewed the New Left as a threat to the American way of life, so in an enormous effort of questionable legality, the FBI implemented some 285 counterintelligence (COINTELPRO) actions against the New Left. The purpose of COINTELPRO was to "infiltrate, disrupt, and otherwise neutralize" the entire movement. In truth, the FBI intended to wage war on the antiwar movement.

In this real-life spy story - J. Edgar Hoover and his G-Men, wiretaps, burglaries, misinformation campaigns, informants, and plants - Davis offers a glimpse into the endlessly fascinating world of the Sixties. Kent State, Columbia University, Vietnam Moratorium Day, the 1968 Democratic National Convention, the Cambodian invasion and March Against Death are all examined in this riveting account of the longest youth protest movement in American history.