Hoover’s office recommended two techniques. The first was the anonymous letter, which could be sent to a party member or friendly press contact to highlight some unflattering aspect of communist policy or experience. The second, more versatile method involved the use of informants to spread rumors and stoke division within party circles. Simply wasting the party’s time—diverting meetings into “non-productive, time-consuming channels”—was a virtue, in Hoover’s view.
