In the third episode of Master Plan, we told you about the Powell Memo, an angry, pro-business screed written by lawyer-turned-U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell. His manifesto paints a scary picture about how big businesses can exert control over elections, the media, the courts, and even universities.
But is there any proof that the Powell Memo was anything more than just… a memo?
In this episode, we definitely answer that question for the very first time. Master Plan lead producer Jared Jacang Maher has uncovered troves of never-before-reported evidence that proves corporate executives and politicians didn’t just read Powell’s memo — they acted on it.
This includes three secret meetings of a “Powell Memo Task Force” — including one at Disney World. These gatherings drew together America’s most powerful businessmen, a future president, and an ambitious young media consultant named Roger Ailes.
By the end of 1974, the Powell Memo had transformed from a set of ideas into an actual master plan — and the pieces were in place to carry out a decades-long assault on American democracy.
The Evidence
The Lever uncovered the true legacy of the Powell Memo for the first time by obtaining never-before-seen evidence, including:
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