The Dark History of COINTELPRO

Описание: This video explores the dark history of COINTELPRO, the secret FBI program that targeted political dissent in the United States from the 1950s through the early 1970s. Through declassified documents, historical records, and the words of those who were watched, infiltrated, and disrupted, we look at how the program focused on civil rights leaders, Black liberation movements, anti-war organizers, socialist and communist groups, and other activists who challenged the status quo. The documentary-style narrative traces how J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI used surveillance, informants, and psychological warfare to undermine groups such as the Black Panther Party, the American Indian Movement, and organizations linked to figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

Placing COINTELPRO in the wider context of Cold War politics and the long history of state repression in America, the video examines how the language of “national security” and “domestic subversion” was used to justify extraordinary measures against citizens engaged in protest and organizing. It highlights key operations, turning points, and lesser-known episodes that reveal how far the government went to control public opinion and limit radical change, and reflects on what this period of political policing tells us about democracy, power, and dissent in modern U.S. history.