With a fire crackling in the hearth behind him, Reagan faced the television camera and announced on Jan. 4, 1966, that he would run for governor of California.
To Hoover and other FBI officials who had been frustrated with Brown's and Kerr's failure to end the protests at UC, Reagan was a breath of fresh air.
Over the years, the bureau had taken note as the charismatic actor who wanted to star in "The FBI Story" transformed himself into a leading conservative spokesman.
Reagan had campaigned for Nixon against John F. Kennedy in 1960. The following year, Reagan told a conference of food executives in Chicago that the Communist Party "has ordered once again the infiltration" of the movie industry. "They are crawling out from under the rocks," he declared.
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