The Citizens’ Commission to Investigate the FBI burglarized an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania, and stole classified documents that exposed COINTELPRO—the FBI’s covert and illegal program to surveil, infiltrate, discredit, and disrupt American civil rights organizations and political …
FBIJ. Edgar HooverCitizens' Commission to Investigate the FBIfbi-abusecointelprocivil-rightssurveillancedomestic-spying
On December 4, 1969, at 4:45 a.m., fourteen Chicago police officers raided the apartment of Fred Hampton, 21-year-old chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party. Police fired between 82 and 99 shots into the apartment; the Panthers fired at most one. Hampton was shot twice in the head at …
Fred HamptonJ. Edgar HooverFBIChicago Police DepartmentCook County State's Attorney Edward Hanrahan+2 morefbi-abusecointelprocivil-rightspolice-brutalityinstitutional-corruption+1 more
On August 25, 1967, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover authorized the expansion of the Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO) to create a new initiative targeting “Black Nationalist–Hate Groups.” This program represented a systematic effort by the nation’s premier law enforcement …
J. Edgar HooverFBIMartin Luther King Jr.Black Panther PartyWilliam C. Sullivansurveillancecivil-rightsfbi-abuseinstitutional-corruptiondemocratic-erosion
On October 10, 1963, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy signed an authorization permitting the FBI to wiretap the telephones of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference offices in New York and Atlanta. The authorization, requested by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, …
J. Edgar HooverRobert F. KennedyMartin Luther King Jr.FBIStanley Levisonsurveillancecivil-rightsfbi-abuseinstitutional-corruptiondemocratic-erosion
On August 28, 1956, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover formally established COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program), a covert and illegal program designed to surveil, infiltrate, discredit, and disrupt domestic political organizations. Initially targeting the Communist Party USA, the program would …
J. Edgar HooverFBICommunist Party USAsurveillancefbi-abuseinstitutional-corruptiondemocratic-erosionintelligence-manipulation
On April 12, 1954, the Atomic Energy Commission’s Personnel Security Board commenced hearings against J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American scientist who had directed the Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II as part of the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb. The hearing resulted …
J. Robert OppenheimerLewis StraussGordon GrayJ. Edgar HooverWilliam L. Bordenred-scarepolitical-persecutionsurveillance-statescientific-communityinstitutional-corruption
On June 19, 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed by electric chair at Sing Sing prison, becoming the first American civilians executed for espionage during peacetime and the only Americans executed for Cold War spy activities. Their case remains the most controversial capital punishment in …
Julius RosenbergEthel RosenbergRoy CohnIrving SaypolIrving Kaufman+3 moremccarthyismred-scarecapital-punishmentcivil-libertiespolitical-persecution+1 more
In early 1953, Roy Cohn begins developing a systematic blackmail infrastructure during the McCarthy Senate hearings, leveraging anti-communist hysteria and homophobic tactics to gather compromising information on political and cultural figures. As 24-year-old chief counsel to Senator Joseph …
Roy CohnJoseph McCarthyJ. Edgar HooverFBIGenovese Crime Familyblackmailpolitical-manipulationmccarthy-eraintelligence-operationsorganized-crime+2 more
By 1952, the Hollywood blacklist had reached its peak, with over 300 writers, directors, actors, and other film industry professionals banned from employment. What began with the Hollywood Ten’s 1947 contempt citations expanded through HUAC hearings, private “clearance” systems, …
Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American IdealsStudio executivesHouse Un-American Activities CommitteeAmerican LegionFBI+1 moremccarthyismcivil-libertiesblacklistentertainment-industryfirst-amendment+1 more
In 1950, the State Department revoked the American passport of Paul Robeson—All-American football player, Phi Beta Kappa recipient at Rutgers, Columbia Law School graduate, internationally acclaimed concert performer, actor, and persuasive political speaker. The revocation came in response to …
Paul RobesonState DepartmentJ. Edgar HooverFBIred-scarecivil-libertiespolitical-persecutionsurveillance-stateracial-justice
On January 2, 1920, the Palmer Raids reached their peak with coordinated mass arrests in 33 cities across the United States, targeting alleged radicals, communists, and anarchists. Under the direction of Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer and 24-year-old J. Edgar Hoover, who headed the Justice …
Attorney General A. Mitchell PalmerJ. Edgar HooverDepartment of JusticeActing Secretary of Labor Louis Postpolitical-repressioncivil-libertiesred-scaredeportation
The U.S. Department of Justice began a series of raids on November 7—a date selected to coincide with the anniversary of the Russian Revolution—to capture and arrest suspected socialists, especially anarchists and communists, and deport them from the United States. The Russian Revolution in 1917 and …
A. Mitchell PalmerJ. Edgar HooverU.S. Department of JusticeEmma GoldmanAlexander Berkman+1 morered-scarestate-repressionlabor-suppressionfbideportations
On September 22, 1919, the American Federation of Labor launched a massive strike against the U.S. steel industry after 98 percent of workers voted to walk out, shutting down half the industry including mills in Pueblo, Chicago, Wheeling, Johnstown, Cleveland, Lackawanna, and Youngstown. The AFL had …
American Federation of LaborUnited States Steel CorporationElbert H. GaryAttorney General A. Mitchell PalmerJ. Edgar Hooverlabor-suppressionstate-surveillancepropaganda