The last week of April 1971 and the first week of May that year saw the streets of Washington, DC filled with antiwar protesters. From antiwar Democrats like Bella Abzug to Vietnam Veterans Against the War and the Mayday Tribe, tens of thousands of protesters kept the heat on the Nixon administration and its apparatchiks. Cops, narcs and undercover agents from various federal agencies were part of the mix. This is the story of a former military interrogator/torturer who went undercover for the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (the DEA's predecessor). He thinks he's some kind of hero. He's also wrong about the success of the direct action part of the protest that took place May 4th. It was not considered a bust. It may not have succeeded in shutting down the government, but it certainly caused a lot of disruption. Otherwise, why would the Nixon administration have arrested over 12,000 demonstrators after declaring what was essentially martial law in the District?https://www.historynet.com/operation-bent-penny-working-undercover-at-the-1971-may-day-protest.htm
