COINTELPRO Quiz
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Questions and Answers

What was COINTELPRO?

  • A secret program run by the CIA to disrupt and discredit political dissidents
  • A program designed to increase factionalism, cause disruption and win defections inside the Communist Party USA
  • An anti-terrorism program implemented by the US government
  • A series of covert and illegal projects conducted by the FBI from 1956 to 1971 aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting domestic American political organizations deemed subversive (correct)

    • Who were some of the groups targeted by COINTELPRO?

  • Churches, Mosques, Synagogues, Temples
  • Democratic Party, Republican Party, Libertarian Party, Green Party
  • Feminist organizations, the Communist Party USA, anti–Vietnam War organizers, civil rights and Black power movements, environmentalist and animal rights organizations, Chicano and Mexican-American groups, independence movements, and white supremacist groups (correct)
  • Big corporations, banks, and Wall Street

    • What were some of the tactics used by COINTELPRO?

  • Lobbying, fundraising, and petitioning
  • Peaceful protests, sit-ins, and civil disobedience
  • Social media campaigns, online petitions, and crowdfunding
  • Discrediting targets through psychological warfare, smearing individuals and groups using forged documents and false reports in the media, harassment, wrongful imprisonment, illegal violence, and assassination (correct)

    • Who were some of the leaders targeted by COINTELPRO?

    <p>Leaders of the Black Panther Party</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When was COINTELPRO officially terminated?

    <p>1971</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI?

    <p>A group that burgled an FBI field office in Media, Pennsylvania, and exposed the COINTELPRO program by passing this material to news agencies</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the Church Committee?

    <p>A committee that launched a major investigation of the FBI and COINTELPRO in 1976</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the legacy of COINTELPRO?

    <p>Many activists and organizations still feeling the effects of government surveillance and harassment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the main goal of COINTELPRO?

    <p>To surveil, infiltrate, discredit, and disrupt domestic American political organizations deemed subversive.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which groups were targeted by COINTELPRO?

    <p>Feminist organizations, the Communist Party USA, anti–Vietnam War organizers, civil rights and Black power movements, environmentalist and animal rights organizations, Chicano and Mexican-American groups, independence movements, and white supremacist groups.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What tactics did COINTELPRO use to discredit targets?

    <p>Psychological warfare, smearing individuals and groups using forged documents and false reports in the media, harassment, wrongful imprisonment, illegal violence, and assassination.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who were among the leaders targeted by COINTELPRO?

    <p>Leaders of the Black Panther Party.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When was COINTELPRO officially terminated?

    <ol start="1971"> <li></li> </ol> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the FBI's motivation for COINTELPRO?

    <p>'Protecting national security, preventing violence, and maintaining the existing social and political order.'</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did the Church Committee investigate?

    <p>The conduct of the intelligence community in its domestic operations, including COINTELPRO.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the legacy of COINTELPRO?

    <p>Many activists and organizations still feel the effects of government surveillance and harassment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    COINTELPRO: FBI's Covert and Illegal Operations Against American Political Organizations

    • COINTELPRO was a series of covert and illegal projects conducted by the FBI from 1956 to 1971 aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting domestic American political organizations deemed subversive.

    • The FBI targeted various groups and individuals, including feminist organizations, the Communist Party USA, anti–Vietnam War organizers, civil rights and Black power movements, environmentalist and animal rights organizations, Chicano and Mexican-American groups, independence movements, and white supremacist groups.

    • In 1971, the FBI financed, armed, and controlled an extreme right-wing group called the Secret Army Organization that targeted groups and leaders involved in the Anti-War Movement using intimidation and violent acts.

    • COINTELPRO tactics included discrediting targets through psychological warfare, smearing individuals and groups using forged documents and false reports in the media, harassment, wrongful imprisonment, illegal violence, and assassination.

    • The FBI's motivation was "protecting national security, preventing violence, and maintaining the existing social and political order."

    • Leaders of the Black Panther Party were targeted by COINTELPRO and "neutralized" by being assassinated, imprisoned, publicly humiliated, or falsely charged with crimes.

    • FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover issued directives governing COINTELPRO, ordering FBI agents to "expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize" the activities of these movements and especially their leaders.

    • COINTELPRO officially began in August 1956 with a program designed to "increase factionalism, cause disruption and win defections" inside the Communist Party USA.

    • The program was secret until March 8, 1971, when the Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI burgled an FBI field office in Media, Pennsylvania, and exposed the program by passing this material to news agencies.

    • In 1976, the Church Committee launched a major investigation of the FBI and COINTELPRO. The Final Report of the Select Committee castigated the conduct of the intelligence community in its domestic operations, including COINTELPRO, in no uncertain terms.

    • The FBI specifically developed tactics intended to heighten tension and hostility between various factions in the black power movement, resulting in numerous deaths.

    • The FBI has said that it no longer undertakes COINTELPRO or COINTELPRO-like operations, but critics have claimed that agency programs in the spirit of COINTELPRO targeted groups such as the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, the American Indian Movement, Earth First!, and the anti-globalization movement.COINTELPRO: FBI's Secret Program to Disrupt Political Dissent

    • COINTELPRO was a secret program run by the FBI from 1956 to 1971 to disrupt and discredit political dissidents, particularly those involved in civil rights, anti-war, and socialist movements.

    • COINTELPRO used illegal surveillance, infiltration, wiretapping, blackmail, and other covert tactics to disrupt and discredit political groups and their leaders.

    • The FBI targeted prominent Black leaders and organizations, including the Black Panther Party, by spreading false rumors, inciting violence, and encouraging police raids that often resulted in the deaths of Black Panther members.

    • The FBI also targeted Native American activists, anti-war activists, and environmentalists, among others, with similar tactics.

    • COINTELPRO was officially terminated in 1971, but similar tactics have been used by the FBI and other government agencies against political dissidents in recent years.

    • The FBI has a history of working with right-wing groups and individuals, including the Ku Klux Klan, to disrupt and discredit political dissidents.

    • The FBI has also been implicated in the murder of civil rights workers and other political dissidents, including Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton.

    • Many COINTELPRO victims were falsely accused of crimes and imprisoned, often for years, before being exonerated.

    • COINTELPRO was part of a larger effort by the U.S. government to suppress political dissent and maintain the status quo.

    • COINTELPRO has had a lasting impact on American politics and civil liberties, with many activists and organizations still feeling the effects of government surveillance and harassment.

    • The FBI continues to monitor and disrupt political dissidents, particularly those involved in anti-racism and anti-police brutality movements.

    • The legacy of COINTELPRO underscores the need for strong protections of civil liberties and the right to dissent in a democratic society.

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    Description

    Test your knowledge about COINTELPRO, the FBI's covert and illegal operations against American political organizations from 1956 to 1971. This quiz will cover the history, tactics, and impact of COINTELPRO on various political movements, including civil rights, anti-war, socialist, environmental, and Black power organizations. Challenge yourself and discover how the U.S. government violated civil liberties and suppressed political dissent in the name of national security and social order.

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