What was Cointelpro?
Some people have heard of the Cointelpro operation, but many are either unaware or misinformed as to what the purpose of the program was or what it accomplished in destroying many revolutionary groups.
From the F.B.I. directly; " The FBI began COINTELPRO—short for Counterintelligence Program—in 1956 to disrupt the activities of the Communist Party of the United States. In the 1960s, it was expanded to include a number of other domestic groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan, the Socialist Workers Party, and the Black Panther Party."
Officially, according to the FBI, the Cointelpro was ended in 1971 and consumed about 20% of the agency's workload from 1956 until 1971.
Cointelpro was used to target and infiltrate groups such as The Black Panther Party for Self-Defence, The Brown Berets, Puerto Rican independence groups, and even the Cuban Government.
Agents were sent as moles into these groups, and they were able to gain C.I.'s (confidential informants) through blackmail, plea deals, or moving into position of trust. Through these tactics, groups were controlled, destroyed and subverted. If J. Edgar Hoover considered you an enemy of the state, you or your group were targeted for observation and elimination.
The hyper paranoia of Hoover and his FBI peaked under the New Left investigations of Cointelpro. From Alexandria, VA to Sacramento, CA the FBI was investigation a wide range of groups. Under this New Left section of the Cointelpro operation Groups from local communist parties to the W.E.B Dubois Clubs of America.
Hoover in many ways saw himself as being above the law. He was infamous for bugging Presidents and other people in high positions, then using those tapes or photos to blackmail them. Because of this, Cointelpro was able to subvert individual's rights and blatantly break the law. Even on the FBI's page they admit wrongdoing in this program.
"COINTELPRO was later rightfully criticized by Congress and the American people for abridging first amendment rights and for other reasons."
Many still speculate if this program ever really ended or just "re-branded." In this current political climate, with the rise of the anti-fascist (Antifa) groups and a resurgence of activism in the Black, Native and Latino communities, many remember the destruction caused by Cointelpro.
Many of the leaders of groups such as the Black Panthers, the American Indian Movement, and Brown Berets are still incarcerated or have died in prison.
We must remember the past or we will allow it to repeat itself. With the data mining of the NSA and the violation of privacy of the Patriot Act, no one is completely safe from government targeting or new cointelpro type investigations.
(Article by Jaimes Campbell)