Fall

2011

Examining the FBIs COINTELPRO Operation as a form of State Terrorism

Tonya Rapley

Examining the FBIs COINTELPRO Operation as a form of State Terrorism

Tonya Rapley Brooklyn College
As confirmation of US withdrawal from Vietnam hit newsstands in 1974, the New York Times jarred the American public by accusing the CIA of spying at home. This accusation came following the resignation of Richard Nixon, the first-ever resignation of a president. Politicians and the general public were shocked at uneasy. What resulted from the NY Times article was the formation of the Special Select Committee to Investigate Intelligence Activities or for short, the Church Committee, named after its chair Frank Church (D-ID) who served as special assistant over the sixteen-month probe of the Federal Bureau of Investigation activities that took place. The Church Committee investigation found disturbing information regarding the FBI, particularly their Counterintelligence program known as COINTELPRO. Implemented in 1956, the

COINTELPRO operation is said to be a result of Supreme Court frustrations limiting the governments power to proceed overtly against dissident groups (Wolfe, 2002). The program came to a close in 1974 after the NY Times article guaranteed the threat of the programs exposure to the public. Under COINTELPPRO, wartime counterintelligence techniques were adopted and used against domestic subversives, and U.S citizens without discrimination. This paper will explore the concept of state terrorism. I will determine whether the actions of the COINTELPROs five perceived threats: The Communist Party USA, The

Socialist Workers Party Program, White Hate groups, Black Nationalist Hate groups, and the New Left Program justified the covert operations of COINTELPRO. Following that I will then identify acts committed by the United States Government under the Counterintelligence Program and will determine the justness of the means in which COINTELPRO was executed. I will then determine whether COINTELPRO was a form of state terrorism. This paper will question and seek to determine whether the most vigilante nation in the world employed State Terrorism on its own citizens under the auspice of the protection of democracy.

The Concept of State Terrorism

Max Webers definition of the state is a human community that successfully claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a territory (Weber, 1919). Weber continues that, the state is considered the sole source of the 'right' to use violence. Hence, 'politics' for us means striving to share power or striving to influence the distribution of power, either among states or among groups within a state. Terrorism is defined by the fifth edition of Websters Collegiate Dictionary, as a mode of governing or of opposing government, by intimidation. The political origin of the word terror comes from the French Revolution in the sense of terror by the state. However, P. A. Sebastian noted in a 1996 article contemporary usage of the term by the state and mainstream media has doctored the term to suit the ruling coteries and restricted it to terror being something employed by rebel or opposition groups, absolving governments of the terrorist crimes committed by them. In attempt to return responsibility to the state, the term state terrorism is employed to define violence

directed at a states own civilian population or another states civilian population. Nazi Germany used terror and genocide as an instrument of governance (Sebastian, 1996). During the German Occupation of Poland between 1939 and 1944, German authorities instated the death penalty for all criminal offences, including misdemeanors. A clear recount of the situation by Zygmunt Zaramba, leader of the Polish Socialist Party illiterates the terror experienced by the civilian population at the hands of the Nazi government, I was calculating ones chances of surviving the occupation. The calculation was simple: there are about 30,000,000 Poles and everyday the Germans take about 3,000 people. The German government was arresting individuals and executing them regardless of whether or not they had been engaged in subversive activities or not. Another example of state terrorism was the actions of the Soviet Army during their occupation of Afghanistan. During the occupation, the Soviet army lacked adequate information to identify guerilla supporters individually so they slaughtered entire villages (Herreors, 2006), reighning terror throughout Afghanistan. What made the acts committed by the FBI different from the Nazis and the Soviets was that the acts of COINTELPRO were targeted at individuals believed to have an affiliation or membership to a group that was connected to the opposition. While the definition of affiliation was remarkably vague, everyday citizens who did not interact with one of the target groups or speak in favor of leftist ideology had little to fear. During the events of January 2,1920, known as the Red Raids, the Bureau of Investigation (now known as the Federal Bureau of Investigation or FBI) arrested 10,000

members of the Communist and Communist Labor parties simultaneously throughout the country. Following these events, red hysteria gripped the country. In a state of terror, Americans began to argue that the national emergency, which was the threat of communism, justified the temporary suspension of constitutional rights of radical aliens (Williams, 1981). According to Raskin, the national security state emerged from war, from the fear of revolution and change, from the economic instability of capitalism, and from nuclear weapons and military technology. State terrorism had found a possible channel to become an accepted way of life.

The FBIs Counter Intelligence Program- COINTELPRO

Amidst the drama created by the Red Raids, J. Edgar Hoover, then Director of the Bureau of Investigations, recognized the need to respect due process of the law and the importance of secrecy and confidentiality. He realized that if the Bureau of Investigations engaged in constitutionally questionable activities, these investigations had to remain secret. As a result, the Bureau of Investigations domestic intelligence responsibilities grew dramatically during the first red scare and by 1924 the foundation of a permanent surveillance apparatus was in place (Williams, 1981). The FBIs COINTELPRO program was instated to protect national security, prevent violence, and maintain the existing social and political order by disrupting and neutralizing groups and individuals perceived as threats. According to Paul Wolf, counterintelligence is defined as those actions by an agency intended to protect its own security and to undermine hostile intelligence operations. COINTELPRO implemented

techniques used against foreign espionage agency to target domestic threats. The Bureaus aimed it covert action programs at five target groups perceived to pose a threat to domestic tranquility. These groups were: the Communist Party USA, the Socialist Workers Party, White Hate-Groups, the Black Nationalist Hate-Groups, and the New Left program (Wolf, 2002). These group titles were loosely adhered to and several sub-groups within the target groups did not posses characteristics implied by the group labeling they were assigned to. The COINTELPRO Communism program established in August of 1956 was the first formal program to be implemented. The communist program was created under the belief that communism challenged the sanctity of American democracy and that democracy must be protected at all costs. The Red Raids of the 1920s served as ammunition for this program and was continuously referenced despite the presence of an actual threat to the US government. Although active in spreading information and recruitment, the communist party remained relatively non-violent. The real threat they posed to the U.S government was described as a conspiracy to overthrow the government of the United States. Given only this threat and the absence of any violent activity carried out by the Community Party USA, the actions of the FBI COINTELPRO Communist Party USA programs were not justified. The second COINTELPRO program was established in 1961 and was aimed at the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), despite the fact that the socialist demonstrated hostility towards the Communist Party and was rival groups. The party became a target because

of their decision to sponsor anti-Vietnam war marches. Over time, the SWP program proved not to be a high priority with only 45 covert actions being approved that targeting members of the party. It was discovered that the Socialist Party had never engaged in organizational violence and had never taken criminal steps towards disrupting the democratic authority of the country and the program was discontinued in 1969. This finding proves that the implementation of the COINTELPRO SWP program was not justified. The third program established was the White-Hate Group program. Prior to the 1960s the Ku Klux Klan assumed that the FBI was an ally, engaged in a battle against communist subversion. However after a Klansmen murdered three civil rights workers in Neshoba County, Mississippi, in June of 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson challenged the FBI to prevent terror by suppressing Klan activity (Drabble, 2007). Other acts of Klan violence such as murders and bombings prompted the creation of the White-Hate Program in 1964. Because of the delicate nature of race relations in namely the south, COINTELPRO enabled the FBI to act without interference from justice department lawyers and corrupt law enforcement officials. Based on the violent history and frequently utilized terror tactics of White- Hate groups, the implementation of the COINTELPRO White Hate Group program was justified.

The fourth program of COINTELPRO was the Black Nationalist-Hate groups program was established in 1967. Previous bureau investigation in negro matters was limited to communist affiliations with civil rights groups and monitoring civil rights

protests. However upon the implementation of the Black Nationalist-Hate group program, the COINTELPRO program sought to expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or neutralize the activities of Black Nationalist, hate-type organizations, and groupings, their leadership, spokesmen, membership, and supporters, and to counter their propensity for violence and civil disorder (FBI, 1967). A target group in particular, the Black Panther Party, gained the attention of the FBI because of their militant approach. This group took heed to the constitutional right to bear arms and patrolled the police in their communities. For example, on one occasion, Oakland Black Panther Party members witnessed an officer stop and search a young male. The Panthers went over to the scene and watched the process with their guns in view. As, the policeman began to question them, Black Panther Party founder, Huey P. Newton stood firm with a law book in one hand and a gun in the other and informed the officers about his constitutional right to carry a weapon as long as it was not concealed. He also reminded them about the law that reinforced every citizens right to observe a police officer carry out his duty as long as they stood a reasonable distance away, informing the officer of the Supreme Court ruling and defined that distance. Some members of the black panther party are documented to have committed violence and aggression towards individuals and political authority, therefore justifying the FBIs decision to open a COINTELPRO operation on their activities because of the potential for the Black Nationalist Hate groups to cause a domestic disturbance.

The final COINTELPRO program implemented was the New Left program. Triggered precisely by a 1968 disturbance on the campus of Columbia University, the

new left program is one of the more controversial COINTELPRO programs for its lack of specificity. The New Left program was targeted at uncovering false allegations of police brutality, diminishing immorality, and monitoring the actions of college administrators. The FBI admitted that the instatements of the New Left Program was solely based on perceived threat, public outcries, and law enforcement frustration (Wolf, 2002). Based on the actions of the programs target, the COINTELPRO New Left program was not justified.

Tactics or Terror? The methods implemented under COINTELPRO

COINTELPRO activities ranged from mischievous to fatal. By assessing their activities that we are able to assess the justness in which COINTELPRO was implemented and to ultimately determine whether it was state terrorism. Of the mischievous COINTELPRO activities was a plan to inject activists oranges with a powerful laxative (Garrow, 1988). COINTELPRO programs also utilized violations of federal and state statues such as mail fraud and extortion. Internal FBI documents revealed that the bureau had carried out smear campaigns against individuals and groups across the country (Johnson, 2004). For example, under the Communist Party USA program, Dr. Anatol Rappaport was targeted. Rappaport was a professor at the University of Michigan whom was living and working in the United States legally after he emigrated from Russia. Because Rappaport criticized the U.S War in Indochina the FBI pinpointed him as a communist. The FBI began mailing anonymous letters to administrators at the University of Michigan, calling Rapapport a communist and stating that he was a

troublemaker. After continued pressure Rappaport resigned from the University of Michigan and took a teaching positions at the University of Toronto. Under the White Hate-program, the FBI took advantage on the secret nature of the Ku Klux Klan and provided information to politicians, journalist, and other public figures in effort to discredit the Klan. They identified Klan members in cartoon postcards, which were sent to homes and places of employment, costing some Klan members their jobs. The FBI also mailed fake letters depicting embezzlement and other allegations such as a letter in southern slang to the wife of a KKK member, incriminating her husband in an affair with another woman (Johnson, 2004). The FBI also disrupted white supremacist publication, organization finances, and public meetings (Drabble, 2007). One of the FBIs preferred practices was illegal surveillance. They would install wiretaps or bug hotel rooms to catch prominent figures in compromising personal moments. With regard to their Black Nationalist Hate-Group program, the FBI attempted to blackmail Martin Luther King with information of compromising romantic situations they caught him in. They also blocked King him from receiving honorary degrees. While it is a widely shared notion that the FBI played a role in the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, no documents or credible evidence to support this claim have been found. Claims that COINTELPRO actions led to a violent confrontation between the Black Panther Party and a rival group were made, however I have been unsuccessfully in locating sufficient evidence was not located to support this claim. The last tactic employed by the FBI that we will explore if the informant. It is said that the FBI had over 1,500 informants in the Communist Party USA, approximately

1,666 informants working in the Social Workers Party, and over 100,000 informants nationally that were utilized in the White Hate, Black Nationalist, and New Left programs. Of the methods used to attract and retain informers, one in particular is very controversial. The controversy lies within the bureau coercing certain persons to aid in FBI investigations because the person informing is of legal or practical vulnerability. The FBI would threaten an individual with the possibility of jail time if they failed to cooperate with Federal authorities. Another disturbing finding of COINTELPRO

informant activities is that FBI informants who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan took part in numerous acts of racist terrorism and violence, including the killing of a civil rights activist. In Michael Walzers Just and Unjust Wars he proclaims that no war can be just on both sides, however a war can be just on neither side. However, in analyzing the cases of each of COINTELPRO target groups by Walzers guidelines, both the government and the target groups have justifiable causes. The target groups either seek better treatment and the enforcement of their desires by their government or an overall change in the government to a system, which they believe best, suits the American public. According to FBI figures, the Ku Klux Klan, a target of its White Hate program suffered a significant membership loss, from 15,000 members in 1967 to 4,300 in 1971. COINTELPRO led to resignation, frustration, and fear of being exposed as Klan members led to the membership losses and the disbanding of local Klan chapters. The government believes it is protecting the safety of the American public and preserving democratic values. In examining the activities and events discussed in this paper, the FBI did not execute their

case against their perceived threats in a justifiable manner. The case of the informants participating in the death of a civil rights activist is an example of the abuses of power and poor judgment on behalf of the FBI. By adopting a stance that the enemy was sinister and lawless so the United States would have to become that way too (Johnson, 2004), the FBI engaged in illegal activities that violated the constitutional rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens discrediting any claims to justness they might have held.

Was COINTELPRO a case of State Terrorism?

The second aim of this paper is to determine whether the actions committed by the FBI under the COINTELPRO program was a form of terrorism waged by the U. S government against its citizens. The answer to this question is no. COINTELPRO was not state Terrorism. COINTELPRO was a bureaucratic machine that lacked appropriate checks and balances to prevent injustices. According to P. A Sebastian, the contemporary states capacity committing such crimes is most often far superior than that of other social units. The powers of modern stats are deliberately used to suppress or eliminate systematically members of distinct national or political groups. J. Edgar Hoover capitalized on the covert nature of COINTELPRO and utilized the valid fears of the American public to commit civil injustices. While the injustices were seemingly evenhanded and non-discriminate, it is true that COINTELPRO committed significant violations. The wrongdoing of the COINTELPRO are not limited to the United States, the FBI is also found to have ill involvement in the following countries Puerto Rico, Russia, Cuba, El Salvador, and Vietnam. COINTELPRO was extremely effective in neutralizing target groups and reducing the perceived threat to domestic tranquility, however when

considering the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany, and Soviet occupied Afghanistan discussed in the opening of this paper, it becomes clear that COINTELPRO was not case of state terrorism. CONCLUSION COINTELPRO chilled the expression of dissent, distorted public perceptions through the implantation of Cold War ideology, changed the nature of public debate, influenced the outcome of national elections, and helped shape national policies (Criley 1984). As a result of the Church Committee hearings, 96 proposals were made to reform the United States domestic intelligence program. The most significant of the proposals being to instate the creation of a permanent senate select committee on intelligence. This would help guarantee that no other intelligence agency would have the unchecked authority that once belonged to the J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI. The FBIs covert activities did not just target everyday citizens and leaders of anti-American groups. Hoover collected private material on Presidents and their wives, entertainers, worldrenowned educators, and several more. COINTELPRO evokes negative sentiment whenever discussed and this perhaps is largely attributed to the covert nature of the program. The origins of COINTELPRO do not indicate an authoritarian repressive military state, but a government of individuals paranoid about the loss of the freedoms they valued. Due to the destruction of numerous documents by Hoovers closest aides, COINTELPROs darkest activities will never be uncovered. This information could have made a case for COINTELPRO being a form of State Terrorism, as it is rumored to have included assassinations and other fatal activities, which would have evoked terror in the

lives and minds of American citizens. Since COINTELPRO the political climate has changed domestically and abroad. American citizens are clinging to their freedoms in light of the Patriot Act, and the US is under attack again. This time not for democracy, but for the western ideas they are imposing on the remainder of the global economy. It will be interesting to see if there is another covert operation just waiting to be exposed.

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Wolfe, P. (2002) COINTELPRO: The FBIs Covert action Programs Against Americans accessed on November 21, 2011 from http://www.icdc.com/~paulwolf/cointelpro/churchfinalreportIIIa.htm