On March 8, 1971, citizens peacefully broke into the FBI office opposite the Media Court House and removed files that disclosed numerous criminal acts the FBI had committed under Hoover’s direction. The majority of their files were politically focused on liberal and left wing groups and draft resistance, while relatively few concerned traditional criminals who might pose a threat to human lives or livelihood (forget about Bonnie and Clyde). One notorious item was a copy of a blackmail letter that the FBI anonymously sent to Martin Luther King suggesting that he commit suicide or else the author would reveal evidence of sexual indiscretions. The documents revealed the COINTELPRO operation and led to a Senate investigation headed by Senator Church (the Church Committee) which reported as follows: “The Committee finds that the domestic activities of the intelligence community at times violated specific statutory prohibitions and infringed the constitutional rights of American citizens. The legal questions involved in intelligence programs were often not considered. (more…)March 8, 2021
50th ANNIVERSRY OF THE FBI BREAK-IN OF THEIR MEDIA, PA OFFICE
On March 8, 1971, citizens peacefully broke into the FBI office opposite the Media Court House and removed files that disclosed numerous criminal acts the FBI had committed under Hoover’s direction. The majority of their files were politically focused on liberal and left wing groups and draft resistance, while relatively few concerned traditional criminals who might pose a threat to human lives or livelihood (forget about Bonnie and Clyde). One notorious item was a copy of a blackmail letter that the FBI anonymously sent to Martin Luther King suggesting that he commit suicide or else the author would reveal evidence of sexual indiscretions. The documents revealed the COINTELPRO operation and led to a Senate investigation headed by Senator Church (the Church Committee) which reported as follows: “The Committee finds that the domestic activities of the intelligence community at times violated specific statutory prohibitions and infringed the constitutional rights of American citizens. The legal questions involved in intelligence programs were often not considered. (more…)