The FBI letter that opened COINTELPRO against black nationalist groups (1967)

FOJPA COVER SHEET FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND PRIVACY ACTS SUBJECT: (COINTELPRO) BLACK EXTREMIST 100-448006 SECTION 1 le % eee se: pea ae eds ane FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

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SAC, Albany em "August 25, ~1967-— PERSONAL ATTENTION TO ALL- 1 Mr. ennanb Va. COUNTERINTELLIGENCE PROGRAM 1 BLACK NATIONALIST HATE GROUPS 1 “ENTERNAL SECURITY Offices receiving copies of er are instructed to immediately establish a control file, captioned as above, and to assign responsibility for following and coordinating this new counterintelligence program to an experienced and imaginative Special Agent well versed in investigations relating to black nationalist, hate-type organizations, The field office control file used under this program may be maintained in a pending ‘inactive status until such time as a specific operation or technique is placed under consideration for implementation, Direttor, FBI 4s to expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize the activities of black nationalist, hate~type organizations and groupings, their leadership, spbkesmen, membership, and supporters, and to counter their propensity for ‘violence and civil disorder. The activities of all such groups of intelligence interest to this Bureau must be followed on a continuous basis so we will be in a position to promptly take ‘advantage’of all opportunities for counterintelligence and to inspire action in instances where circumstances warrant. The pernicious background of such groupe, their duplicity, and devious yc maneuvers must be exposed to public scrufiny whore such publicity will have a neutralizing “NC 3g Effpr Via the various The purpose of this new counterintelligence endeavor Wi G4800G 2 Atlanta Vs 2 Philadelphia iat L’ (2 Baltimore Phoenix nn MO Oe fc, 2 Boston 2 Pittsburgh 3 4 2 Buffalo 2 2 Bichnond 18 AUG 29 1967 2 Charlotte 1s Ze uis a a K 2 Chicago 2-- San Francisco. mae 2 Cincinnati TRE Washington Field Office 2 Cleveland ws oy aver SB 2 fos Angele BI 7 J falter. Memphis ee TO! ee il AF ev vored —————" 2 ow Newark Fel: AINED Gale TION cont Nee ae 2 New lore j ALD ir ORMAT! euASSTFIED ah ra ben New York nt HETETE 13 Ue {> 5 4 except wirne ise 6; SEPE: 495 7(59), wi) a EE ERWISE- Zan STP wateaoow revere oo be. RYAN cee

7 one. 53 ae wh LT. eer Letter to SAC, Albany RE: COUNTERINTELUIGENCE PROGRAM BLACK NATIONALIBT HATE GROUPS — to_consolidate their forces or to recruit new or youthful] adherents must be frustrated. No opportunity should be sed to exploit through counterintelligence techniques the — OFganizational and personal conflicts of the leaderships of the groups and where possible an effort should be made to capitalize upon existing conflicts between competing black nationalist organizations, When an opportunity is apparent to disrupt or neutralize black nationalist, hate-type organizations through the cooperation of established local news media contacts or through such contact with sources available to the Beat of Government, in every instance careful attention must be given to the proposal to insure the targeted group is disrupted, ridiculed, or discredited through the publicity and not merely publicized. Consideration should be given to techniques to preclude violence- prone or rabble-rouser leaders of hate groups fron spreading their philosophy publicly or through various mass communication modia, Many individuals currently active in black nationalist organizations have backgrounds of immorality, subversive activity, and criminal records, Through your investigation of key agitators, you should endeavor to establish their unsavory backgrounds, Be alert to determine evidence of misappropriation of funds or other types of personal misconduct on the part of militant nationalist leaders so any practical or warranted counter= intelligence may be instituted. Intensified attention under this program should be afforded to the activities of such groups as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Revolutionary Action Movement, the Deacons for Defense and Justice, Congress of Racial Equality, and the Nation of Islam, Particular emphasis should be given to extremists who direct the activities and policies of revolutionary or militant groups such as Stokely Carmichael, H. "Rap" Brown, Blijah Mohammad, and Maxwell Stanford. At this time the Bureau is setting up no requirement for etatus letters to be periodically submitted under this program. It will be incumbent upon you to insure the program ia being afforded necessary and continuing attention and that no opportunities will be overlooked, for counterintelligence action. Lo. cpl This program should not be confused with the program. gentitled “Communist Party, USA, Counterintelligence Progras, jtoternal Security Cc," (Bufile 100-3-104), which is directed teh re ares ve oor eepre tere

Letter to BAC, Albany RE: COUNTERINTELLIGENCE PROGRAM BLACK NATIONALIST HATE GROUPS against. the Communist Party and related organizations,or program entitled "Counterintelligence Progran, Internal Security, _Disruption-of:> Hate. Groups,” _(Bufile. 157-0),. which is directed against Klan and hate-type groups primarily consisting of white menberships,. All Special Agent personnel responsible for the investigation of black nationalist, hate-type organizations and their memberships should be alerted to our counterintelligence interect and each investigative Agent has a responsibility to call totthe attention of the counterintelligence coordinator suggestions and possibilities for implementing the progran. You are also cautioned that the nature of this new endeavor is such that under no circumstances should the existenee of se the program be made known outside the Bureau and appropriate a within-office security should be afforded to sensitive operations and techniques considered under the prograz, No by the Field vithout action under this program may be initiated by the without specific prior Bureau authorization, You are urged to take an enthusiastic and imaginative approach to thie new counterintelligence endeavor and the Bureau will be pleased to entertain any suggestions or techniques you may recommend,