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FBI COINTELPRO Documents(1)

Congressman Don Edwards (D-California), said of COINTELPRO in 1975 after Congressional inquiry revealed its activities: "Regardless of the unattractiveness or noisy militancy of some private citizens or organizations, the Constitution does not permit federal interference with their activities except through the criminal justice system, armed with its ancient safeguards. There are no exceptions. No federal agency, the CIA, the IRS, the FBI, can be at the same time policeman, prosecutor, judge and jury. That is what constitutionally guaranteed due process is all about. It may sometimes be disorderly and unsatisfactory to some, but it is the essence of freedom. . . . I suggest that the philosophy supporting COINTELPRO is the subversive notion that any public official, the President or a policeman, possesses a kind of inherent power to set aside the Constitution whenever he thinks the public interest, or 'national security' warrants it. That notion is postulate of tyranny."

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT /
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
Memorandum

Date: 5/9/68

To: Mr. W.C. Sullivan

From: C.D. Brennan

Subject: COUNTERINTELLIGENCE PROGRAM
INTERNAL SECURITY
DISRUPTION FROM THE NEW LEFT

Our Nation is undergoing an era of disruption and violence caused to a large extent by various individuals generally connected with the New Left. Some of these activists urge revolution in America and call for the defeat of the United States in Vietnam. They continually and falsely allege police brutality and do not hesitate to utilize unlawful acts to further their so-called causes. The New Left has on many occasions viciously and scurrilously attacked the Director and the Bureau in an attempt to hamper our investigation of it and to drive us off the college campuses. With this in mind, it is our recommendation that a new Counterintelligence Program [COINTELPRO] be designed to neutralize the New Left and the Key Activists. The Key Activists are those individuals who are the moving forces behind the New Left and on whom we have intensified our investigations.

The purpose of this program is to expose, disrupt and otherwise neutralize the activities of this group and persons connected with it. It is hoped that with this new program their violent and illegal activities may be reduced if not curtailed.

General instructions are being furnished to all offices relating to the purpose and administration of this new program. Briefly, these instructions require all offices to submit an analysis of possible counterintelligence operations on the New Left and on the Key Activists on or before 6/1/68, including any specific recommendations for action. Thereafter, all offices will submit a 90-day status letter setting forth a summary of their accomplishments and future plans. Each office will maintain a pending case and assign experienced personnel to this program. All proposed counterintelligence action must be approved at the Seat of Government* prior to instituting it. This new program will be supervised at the Seat of Government by a Special Agent supervisor in the Internal Security Section.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1)  That the Domestic Intelligence Division be authorized to immediately initiate a coordinated Counterintelligence Program directed at exposing, disrupting, and other neutralizing the New Left and Key Activists.

2)  That the attached letter setting forth instructions for the administration and immediate enactment of the program be forwarded to all offices.

Enclosure

EPG/BAW: jms
(9)
1 - Mr. Felt
1 - Mr. DeLoach
1 - Mr. W.C. Sullivan
1 - [deleted]
1 - [deleted]
1 - [deleted]

(*Note: "Seat of Government" refers to the
  office of J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI.)