SF Chronicle: Where's the evidence Aoki was an FBI informant?

Diane Fujino (author of SAMURAI AMONG PANTHERS) responds to allegations in new book that claim Richard Aoki was an FBI informant.

Fujino_Samurai coverSeth Rosenfeld's dramatic announcement that Richard Aoki was an FBI informant provoked an enormous response from Chronicle readers. Could it be true? Or was this a "snitch-jacketing," a classic FBI tactic used to cast suspicion on a legitimate activist by spreading rumors and manufacturing evidence?

As a scholar, I insist on seeing evidence before concluding any "truth." But as I read Rosenfeld's work and cross-checked sources from my biography on Aoki, I realized Rosenfeld had not met the burden of proof. He made definitive conclusions based on inconclusive evidence.

If Aoki was an informant, when was he informing? How did he help the FBI disrupt political movements? What were his motivations?

Published in: San Francisco Chronicle
By: Diane Fujino