NADER'S RAIDERS

NADER'S RAIDERS. In 1968, the consumer advocate Ralph Nader and seven law students began investigating the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The Washington Post dubbed this group "Nader's Raiders" after they testified before an FTC hearing. For the next several years, Nader recruited hundreds of idealistic college students and lawyers to work with his Center for Study of Responsive Law. This organization criticized the INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION and FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION and focused national attention on a variety of issues, such as elder care, occupational safety, and the misuse of natural resources. "Nader's Raiders" stimulated important reforms, particularly in the FTC, and spearheaded the American consumer movement during the 1970s.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Nader, Ralph. The Ralph Nader Reader. New York: Seven Stories Press, 2000.

Richard R. Benert/E. M.

See also Automobile Industry; Consumer Protection; Distribution of Goods and Services; Lebanese Americans; Trusts.