Episode 26 – COINTELPRO

This episode is about the historical reality of COINTELPRO (the federal counter intelligence program that from 1956-1971) that assumed that America was under attack by forces like The Black Panther Party, the American Indian Movement, and other groups that were organized against the Vietnam War. This Counter Intelligence Program discrediting targets through psychological warfare; smearing individuals and groups using forged documents and by planting false reports in the media; harassment; wrongful imprisonment; and illegal violence, including assassination. The FBI’s stated motivation was “protecting national security, preventing violence, and maintaining the existing social and political order”

This is not an episode about history. There have been excellent histories about COINTELPRO and I’d recommend Ward Churchils (The COINTELPRO Papers: Documents from the FBI’s Secret Wars Against Dissent in the United States). This is about the particular spook in our head called the omniscient government or negative biopolitics, aka COINTELPRO. How do those of us who would destroy the existing order if given the opportunity, handle the spectrum of tools and resources state agents have to fuck you up? How do we even begin that conversation?