TLDR;

  • Event: On March 8-9, 1971, a group called the Citizens’ Commission to Investigate the FBI broke into an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania, and stole files revealing the COINTELPRO program.
  • Significance: The stolen documents exposed the FBI’s surveillance and disruption of political and civil rights groups, leading to public outrage and congressional investigations.
  • Impact: The initial media coverage was limited, but over time, the revelations forced a reevaluation of the FBI’s domestic activities and its accountability.
  • Legacy: The break-in highlighted the potential for citizen activism to effect significant governmental change, with lasting implications for transparency and oversight.

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Story

In the dead of night, under the cover of darkness, a group of eight activists crept toward the FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania. Their hearts raced with a mix of fear and determination. They were about to commit a crime that would shake the foundations of American trust in its government.

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The year was 1971, a time of great social upheaval in the United States. The Vietnam War raged on, and the civil rights movement was in full swing. Amidst this turmoil, a clandestine FBI program known as COINTELPRO operated in the shadows, targeting political organizations deemed subversive. Few knew of its existence, and fewer still understood its reach.

The activists, calling themselves the Citizens’ Commission to Investigate the FBI, had a singular goal: to expose the truth. While the group was composed of eight members, only five participated in the actual break-in. On the night of March 8, they broke into the FBI office, rifling through cabinets and drawers, gathering files that detailed the agency’s covert operations. The break-in continued into the early hours of March 9. These documents revealed a shocking pattern of surveillance, infiltration, and disruption of political groups, including civil rights organizations.

The turning point came when the stolen files were sent to major newspapers. While the public was indeed outraged, the immediate reaction was not as widespread as implied. Only a few newspapers, like The Washington Post, initially published stories about them. It took time for the full impact to be realized and for broader media coverage to follow. The revelations eventually led to congressional investigations and a reevaluation of the FBI’s role in domestic affairs. The break-in at Media was a catalyst for change, forcing the government to confront its own abuses of power.

The impact of that night in 1971 still resonates today, a reminder of the power of ordinary citizens to hold their government accountable.

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Would you have risked everything to expose the truth about COINTELPRO?