Michael Billington (activist)

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Michael O Billington is an activist in the LaRouche Movement, Asia editor for the Executive Intelligence Review, and author of Reflections of an American Political Prisoner: the Repression and Promise of the LaRouche Movement (ISBN 0943235170.)

Billington graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut in 1967. He then joined the Peace Corps, where he taught Mathematics and Music, first in Guyana, then in Thailand. Upon returning to the US he joined the LaRouche movement in 1972, in the early stages of the movement's history. His book provides an "insider" look at the history of this highly controversial movement.

In the latter part of the 1980s there were numerous criminal trials of LaRouche movement leaders (see United States v. LaRouche,) which were alleged by LaRouche supporters to be political Show trials. Billington received the longest sentence of all, 77 years for the crime of "conspiracy to be an unregistered securities broker." He served two years in Federal prison and eight years in Virginia State prison before being paroled.

During his time in maximum security prison, he trained himself to sleep during the day, so that he could study at night, undisturbed by the constant noise of prison life. He taught himself to read and write Chinese, and became knowledgable about the history of Chinese philosophy. After being paroled, he resumed his political activity.

His book, written in prison, was released in 2000.[1]