Howard Smoot, known as Dan Smoot (October 5, 1913 –July 24, 2003), was a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and a conservative political activist. From 1957 to 1971, he published The Dan Smoot Report, which chronicled alleged communist infiltration in various sectors of American government and society.
Background
Smoot was unsuccessful in his campaign for public office, but he rose to fame as a pundit on radio and television. He initially served as the spokesperson and face of H.L. Hunt's Facts Forum before leaving to create his own.
Spreading his conservative message
In 1962, Smoot wrote The Invisible Government concerning early members of the Council on Foreign Relations. Other books include The Hope of the World; The Business End of Government; and his autobiography, People Along the Way. Additionally he was associated with Robert W. Welch, Jr.'s John Birch Society and wrote for the society's American Opinion bi-monthly magazine.
In 1972, Smoot served as campaign manager for American Independent Party presidential candidate John G. Schmitz.
Books
The Hope of the World (1958) The Invisible Government (1962) The Business End of Government (1973) People Along the Way: The Autobiography of Dan Smoot (1993)
References
Further reading
Hendershot, Heather. What's Fair on the Air? Cold War Right-Wing Broadcasting and the Public Interest (University of Chicago Press; 2011) 260 pages; covers the rise and fall of prominent far-right radio hosts: H. L. Hunt, Dan Smoot, Carl McIntire, and Billy James Hargis.