My house was bugged. They couldn’t find any information on me being a subversive because I happen to love America I just don’t like some of the things the government is doing.

Eartha Kitt made remarks like this in connection with the backlash she faced after publicly criticizing U.S. policy in the Vietnam War era. In January 1968, at a White House luncheon hosted by Lady Bird Johnson on youth issues, Kitt spoke bluntly about the war’s effects on young people, a moment widely reported and often cited as a turning point in her U.S. career. In the years that followed, Kitt said she was surveilled and effectively blacklisted, pushing her to work more extensively abroad. The quote reflects her claim that her home was monitored and that authorities sought evidence of “subversive” activity but found only a patriotic dissenter.

Kitt draws a sharp line between dissent and disloyalty. By insisting she “love[s] America” while objecting to “some of the things the government is doing,” she frames criticism as a civic act rather than a betrayal. The mention of her house being “bugged” underscores the climate of suspicion that often treated outspoken artists and activists as security threats, especially during the Cold War and Vietnam years. The quote’s force lies in its moral claim: patriotism is not obedience to the state, but commitment to the country’s ideals—so questioning government actions can be an expression of loyalty, not subversion.