just a little more IVing...the Red Squad, p. 292

[Mark Kohut]

'worryin about the Red Squad"---Doc

Red Squad
To viewers with the fire of dissent in their heart and a need to question authority, watching this film is the cinematic equivalent of reading Abbie Hoffman’s “Steal This Book,” and then running off to live in a commune and make narcotic-fueled speeches about how the “man,” is keeping us all down. Yeah, it’s that cool. Well, we think so at least. Originally released in 1972, the film takes a long hard look at the surveillance activities of the New York City Police Department’s “Red Squad.” A Red Squad is a U.S. police intelligence unit that specializes in infiltration, harassment and gathering intelligence on political and social groups. During the witch hunts of the McCarthy era, police units such as these were given free reign to seek out and destroy labor union organizers and anti-government dissidents. Such groups were of course seen as being communists, and the special police units soon came to be known, especially in larger areas
 as “Red Squads.” 

More:
http://www.documentarychannel.com/main/content/view/22/28/

Made by pacific street collective; remind of any other fictional film collective you know? 

Takes America's attempt at spying and control of its citizens back to the Senator McCarthy era----as Pynchon does regularly, especially in Vineland.
By ATD, he has located roots in Vienna in one marvelous chapter at least early in the century. 

Betraying others, another deep theme in Pynchon, linked steadily to this time in America when former friends and colleagues 'turned' on each other.
Pynchon was coming of age in America at this time.