COINTELPRO
COINTELPRO, or Counter Intelligence Program, was a covert initiative initiated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1956 aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, and disrupting various political organizations deemed radical in the United States. Initially focused on the Communist Party, the program expanded throughout the 1960s to include a range of groups such as the Black Panther Party, civil rights organizations, feminist groups, and various anti-war factions. COINTELPRO employed a variety of controversial tactics, including misinformation, illegal break-ins, and harassment, to discredit and undermine these organizations and their leaders.
The program raised significant legal and ethical questions regarding the balance between national security and civil liberties within a democratic society. Many techniques used by COINTELPRO were criticized for their illegality and ethical implications, as they often targeted individuals engaged in lawful political activities. COINTELPRO's activities came to light in 1971 when documents were stolen from an FBI office, prompting public outrage and leading to the program's discontinuation. In 1974, the FBI issued a formal apology for its actions against domestic targets, acknowledging the harmful impact of the program on individuals and communities. COINTELPRO remains a significant topic of discussion regarding government overreach and the protection of civil rights in the United States.
COINTELPRO
IDENTIFICATION: Secret federal government counterintelligence programs designed to neutralize radical political organizations in the United States
SIGNIFICANCE: The utilization of intelligence techniques as part of a criminal investigation is generally considered a legitimate police function. However, the COINTELPRO program’s use of counterintelligence techniques to disrupt and repress the ability of groups and individuals to act legally raises both legal and ethical questions in a democratic society.
COINTELPRO was a covert program initiated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to “misdirect, discredit, disrupt and otherwise neutralize” specific individuals and groups within the United States. The first program, initiated in 1956, targeted the Communist Party of the USA. During the 1960’s, additional programs were created that targeted Groups Seeking Independence for Puerto Rico (1960-1971), the Socialist Workers Party (1961-1971), white hate groups (1964-1971), black nationalist hate groups (1967-1971); and the New Left (1968-1971). White hate groups included the Ku Klux Klan and the American Nazi Party . Black nationalist groups included many civil rights groups as well as organizations such as the Black Panther Party. New Left groups included organizations opposed to the Vietnam War, feminist groups, and student organizations including the Students for a Democratic Society .
COINTELPRO activities were subject to the approval through FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. Many techniques, some of which were illegal and unethical, were employed to disrupt and discredit the targeted groups and individuals. False statements were issued, correspondence was forged, and anonymous letters and phone calls were widely used. Members of the targeted organizations were subject to break-ins, false arrests, and loss of jobs.
In March, 1971, COINTELPRO operations were publicly exposed after files were stolen from an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania, and released to the news media. Shortly thereafter, the FBI discontinued COINTELPRO. In November, 1974, the FBI formally apologized for its actions against domestic targets.
Bibliography
Churchill, Ward, and Jim Vander Wall. The COINTELPRO Papers: Documents from the FBI’s Secret Wars Against Dissent in the United States. 2d ed. Cambridge, Mass.: South End Press, 2002.
Conner, Frank J. The Age of Surveillance: The Aims and Methods of America’s Political Intelligence System. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1980.
Cunningham, David. There’s Something Happening Here: The New Left, the Klan, and FBI Counterintelligence. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004.
Kessler, Ronald. The Bureau: The Secret History of the FBI. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2002.
"More about FBI Spying." ACLU. Amer. Civil Liberties Union, 2016. Web. 24 May 2016.
Tolle, Yeshua G. B. "Friendship in the Time of COINTELPRO: Clarence Major and Dingane Joe Goncalves." MELUS, vol. 47, no. 3, 2022, pp. 153 -- 170. DOI: 10.1093/melus/mlac059. Accessed 24 June 2024.