documented 1960s COINTELPRO psyops tactics

[robertdreed]

The Art of the FBI<br><br>Fake Letters and Bad Poetry: Highlights from the FBI's Secret War on Dissent<br><br>C. McLaren & Brian Bolning | Issue #19<br><br> <!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.stayfreemagazine.org/archives/19/fbi.html">www.stayfreemagazine.org/...9/fbi.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>An example I hadn't known of previously:<br><br>"...The Siberian Beetle<br><br>The FBI believed that many New Left leaders had a weakness for spiritualist mumbo-jumbo, so a 1968 memo suggested mailing them anonymous cartoons such as the one pictured here. Subsequent mailings (from increasingly closer locations) could say "The Siberian Beetle is Black" or "The Siberian Beetle Can Talk." Other proposed characters included "The Chinese Scorpion" and "The Egyptian Cobra"–anything with a sinister meaning open to mystical interpretation. According to FBI documents, the messages were intended to cause concern, mental anguish, suspicion, and distrust among their recipients. –Brian Boling..." <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=robertdreed>robertdreed</A> at: 2/19/06 1:08 am<br></i>

[chiggerbit]

Great post, robert. This would make a great data dump, especially in Alternative Forms of Warfare. Or on its own. Or is there one for Psy Ops? <p></p><i></i>

[sunny]

The media serves the purposes of Cointelpro today in a massive way.<br>But I worry about some blogs. (That I won't name)<br>What do you guys think- what are some of the tactics a supposedly left-wing blog would use today to sow dissention among the ranks? <p></p><i></i>

[Qutb]

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>What do you guys think- what are some of the tactics a supposedly left-wing blog would use today to sow dissention among the ranks? <hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br>An exaggerated focus on "Zionism"/Israel works very well, IMO.<br><br>And I suspect promoting untrue and over-the-top conspiracy theories is also quite effective. <p></p><i></i>

[sunny]

Qutb, I ignore sites that focus on Zionism- don't you think all real, thinking leftist do the same? I'm thinking of tactics that wouldn't automatically repulse people, like your suggestion of conspiracies- I don't automatically dismiss those.(except of the reptilian, holographic planes variety)<br>Surely they have learned a thing or two since the sixties and seventies and wouldn't play too heavy a hand.<br>Btw, I do agree that anti-zionist sites may peel a small % off otherwise sympathetic individuals. <p></p><i></i>

[Qutb]

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>I'm thinking of tactics that wouldn't automatically repulse people<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br>Of course, a blatant holocaust-denial site like judicial-inc.biz will repulse most people who are even remotely sympathetic to the left, but anti-Zionism á la Xymphora, Whatreallyhappened etc has become very fashionable in radical left circles. This goes way beyond opposition to current Israeli policies (which most leftists would agree with) when for instance the Bush administration is described as "Zionist", echoing far right notions of the "ZOG". Quite a lot of people fall for this, while others are driven away by it (most notably Jews, of course, who have traditionally been majoritarily left-leaning, but also non-Jewish "traditional" leftists). I think this is very divisive, as we've seen on this very board. I can't prove, of course, that there are cointelpro tactics behind some of this flirtation with anti-Semitism, but if there are - mission accomplished.<br><br>As for CTs, it's the oldest trick in the book. Miles Copeland, the CIA agent, wrote in his memoirs that a part of the preparation for covert political action (he was referring to a planned CIA counter-revolution in Iran after the revolution) is to spread lots of conflicting theories through word-of-mouth and controlled opposition sources in the target country that pin the blame on several different culprits - everyone but the real culprits. Everyone will have a theory, no one will have a clue.<br><br>Today, many/most leftists won't have anything to do with alternative theories of 9/11, mainly because the field is so contaminated that the real information is likely to be lost in misinfo and disinfo (and who can really claim to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff?), and because they are loathe to be associated with the more outlandish theories that have come to characterize the "Truth Movement". Again, I think, mission accomplished. <p></p><i></i>

[sunny]

________________________________________<br><br>spread lots of conflicting theories through word-of-mouth and controlled opposition sources in the target country that pin the blame on several different culprits - everyone but the real culprits. Everyone will have a theory, no one will have a clue.<br>________________________________________<br><br>This happened with JFK as well, lots of red herrings. But I think we can follow the money to the culprits in that conspiracy;the same can be said of 9/11. <p></p><i></i>

[smithtalk]

this might upset and offend,<br>but i think that the recent incident involving GDN01 would hypothetically be a very effective psy-op, <br>let me make it clear that i am not saying i think that is what was happening,<br>but to create likeable identitys on blogs and then fuck around with them would be effective,<br>the result of doro222's sudden appearance with 'inside knowledge' was trauma, interference, vulnerability,<br>pretty effective, no? <p></p><i></i>

[Gouda]

Sorry Robert, if this is going off track, but I just wanted to say that for those truly concerned about justice and fascist trends, let's not confuse "Anti-Zionism" with "Anti-Semitism". Let's not conflate racist "Anti-Zionism” (Anti-Semitism) with honest, critical "Anti-Zionism" which is consistent in its condemnation of all oppressive occupations or regimes and concerned about regular people, everywhere. <br><br>Such labeling can be used both ways. Those who cry “Anti-Semite!” too loosely can just as easily be considered “Anti-Palestinian!” and thus by definition “Anti-Semitic” in turn. Furthermore, real Anti-Semites masquerading as critics of Israel and complaining about being labeled “Anti-Semite” truly are “Anti-Semite” because you can bet they do not really care about the Palestinians either. <br><br>Qutb is very right to point out how dangerous it is when left-baiting critique of Israel is used to sow racist memes, mask a racist agenda, and serve to unite fascists with a naive left. But this, at least for me, is also very tricky. I do not consider political anti-Zionism, in itself, or a historical critique of Israel (vis-à-vis indigenous Palestinians), to be a racist position. How it is used, though, can and has served racist agendas - yes, this is clear. <br><br>Conversely: honest anti-Zionist/anti-Israeli Govt critique, hopefully delivered in the context and spirit of constructive <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>dialogue</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, should not be tarred as "Anti-Semitic" serving to shoo people away from thinking about the problems in Israel/Palestine as a part of a wider movement against corporate-occult-military regimes. <br> <br>I am not a reader of xymphora or whatreallyhappened, but Qutb, you contend they are anti-zionist/anti-semitic because they place an exaggerated focus on the issue? That could indeed be a red flag, a honey pot for real racists. I usually distrust one-issue fanaticism (unless the issue is Hungarian jazz, or conspiracy literature). For example, Pure Pro-Palestinian activists can be divisive in that they neglect the plight of Israelis subjugated to their own regime’s cynical brutality, or those Israelis potentially at the wrong place at the wrong time. But how then can a universally anti-empire, anti-occupation, anti-racist, anti-fascist activist avoid contamination when she/he rightly turns their activism against Israeli occupation and war crimes against Palestinians? How much criticism is too much? The problem is the fact that this conflict has been, real or perceived, one of the lynchpins of an elite multi-national, multi-ethnic agenda to propel the world into a Long War between "civilizations". Israel/Palestine looms so large in this context, and so it is very difficult to avoid labels and nefarious agendas when focusing on this issue. How much time, effort is one allowed to spend on it without coming off as "anti-semitic"? <br><br>Too much critcism can be a red flag - but too little can also be suspicious. While the focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be exaggerated, the issue itself is no exaggeration.<br> <p></p><i></i>

[Qutb]

We could debate whether Zionism is inherently racist or not, and whether or not "anti-Zionism"/not recognizing Israel's right to exist is a legitimate position to take today (as opposed to in 1947), but that would perhaps be better left for another thread. <br><br>Please don't misunderstand my point - I don't want to echo Daniel Pipes talking points and I'd rather avoid using the over-used term "anti-Semitism". I don't think it applies anyway, in most cases. But I think some on the "left" (say Xymphora, and many who linger between the left and the libertarian right) are playing into the hands of folks like Pipes by talking about "Zionism", "Zionists" in much the same way as the more polite among the far-right anti-Semites (and radical Islamists, for that matter). Criticizing Zionism in the context of the Israel-Palestine situation is one thing, but for Xymphora and many others, Zionism is the force behind the war in Iraq, the "War on Terror", the Bush administration, etc. <br><br>This blanket use of the words "Zionist", "Zionism" to me evokes the notion of the "Jews behind the scenes".<br><br>As an example, Xymphora wrote that Saudi financing of terrorism was "Zionist propaganda". Interesting statement.<br><br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>How much criticism is too much?<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br>No amount of criticism is too much when something is worth criticizing. Again, I'm not saying "we shouldn't criticize Israel/Jews too much". I'm not talking about criticizing the policies of the Israeli government, but exaggerating the role of Israel/Jews in the world and especially their supposed sway over the US government. <p></p><i></i>

[professorpan]

I've watched the anti-Semitic content of left-leaning, conspiracy-oriented sites rise steadily since 9/11. It troubles me deeply. Just look at a graphic Rense has featured on his main page for a couple of years now -- an octopus with a Star of David wrapping its tentacles around the globe... <p></p><i></i>

[Gouda]

qutb, thanks, those are important distinctions. It's not the quantity/frequency of heat on political zionism/israeli policies etc, but the qualit(ies)/utility with which the term "Zionism" is loaded and blamed for our myriad of problems; it's not in terms of exaggerated importance of the issue of the conflict, but in terms of exaggerated role of the actors (especially when all the actors just so happen to fall into a historically scapegoated ethnic/religious/racial group). <br><br>If one can discuss things in perspective, engage in honest dialogue, and refrain from scapegoating while clearly showing that one has no common ground with fascists or racists, then one's mindset is already inclined contra totalitarian, fascist simplifications - a head start against disinfo campaigns. To stay ahead, get to know exactly what these things are, and how they move: totalitarianism, fascism, racism, scapegoating. <br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>on edit: pronoun clarification</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=gouda@rigorousintuition>Gouda</A> at: 2/20/06 10:29 am<br></i>

[Dreams End]

Thanks, Qutb. The other aspect of "anti-Semitic" "anti-Zionist" theory that should be of concern is that often those "Zionist behind every plot in the world" memes are little warnings that you are getting some really crappy information. And believe it or not, that has been my primary interest in anti-Semitic theory on this site...one doesn't have to "hate Jews" or really hate any group to still fall victim to such theories. And well meaning people fall victim to them all the time. I actually used to read whatreallyhappened and Rense and just sort of ignore all the "your kids died for Israel" comments on so many of the links. Now I see there is some other agenda at work here.<br><br>But back to the topic of this thread...and while this was posted by rdr, no raving leftist he, I would say that his post is of particular interest to the left as it has been a victim of so much of this. LEARN YOUR HISTORY, I would say. Understand how far these guys will go to get what they want. How elaborate. Phony opposition, seeding the field with misinformation. I could do a very long post on the things I have personally experienced...which I won't...but I have to mention this one:<br><br>I was involved in an anti-war coalition in the first Gulf War when I lived in L.A. There was SO much of this kinda stuff that it was mind boggling. But I just wanted to relate the one revelation that came way AFTER the damage had been done. One veteran activist...in fact it was Tony Russo, who aided Daniel Ellsberg in copying the Pentagon Papers (and sure, a question or two about Ellsberg is certainly in order) did not reveal until WAAAAY too late that one of the people behind all the disruption had approached him early on with offers to provide guns and drugs if he needed them. Seriously. This was BEFORE the overall coalition put this agent in charge of finances...had he mentioned it.<br><br>And while I come off sounding like I think I know everything around here, it's hard won experience. So here's an embarrassing factoid. When I first got to LA I wanted to do something against the war and I called up this coalition and said "What can I do?" No one HAD anything for me to do except the wife of this guy I mentioned. Should I have thought it odd that both of them, though part of no particular subculture stylistically (goth or whatever) always wore black? That her alleged profession was criminologist, as it stated on her business card next to her "Glamour Shot" photograph? That the man had bragged of having done work ad a mercenary? That her resume consisted entirely of work with police and prisons? <br><br>Well, some of this wasn't apparent yet, but I went to her house and guess what I helped her do. I helped her gather information for a "speaker's bureau". We put information on every single member of this coalition on index cards. Just so, you know, in case some group wanted a speaker about the war. Needless to say, the speaker's bureau was never put to use, but I'm sure the LAPD (I'm pretty sure they were working primarily only with the local cops...but LAPD was one of the worst with their "red squads", always infiltrating and disrupting. Hey, wasn't Mike Ruppert...but I digress.<br><br>Anyway, I'm basically saying that there are files on many of the folks I worked with in that coalition and I, PERSONALLY HELPED CREATE THOSE FILES!!! <br><br>I'd also add that therir disruptive tactics were rather varied but some should provide clues. First off, the woman tried to be the head of almost every committee, especially ones dealing with money and membership lists. No one even knew this couple and they entrusted them with BOTH. In fact, my involvement with the leadership of this group came about when some poor teenager living with them (we won't even GO into that) told me he'd seen the husband dipping into the collection plate and threatening, with a smile and a wink, to "kill" him if he told anyone.<br><br>The "speakers' bureau" was another little tactic.<br><br>But mainly they disrupted. Meetings turned into shouting matches with "point of order" echoing in the room. Just plain folks stopped coming. Also, they gathered a collection of lunatics and cryptofascists around them to do their disrupting. And some of them were genuinely mentally ill. And yes some of them were from the Christic Institute, which is where my "interest" in Danny Sheehan came from...though he personally was not involved. <br><br>The coalition didn't stand a chance. With genuine yet sectarian leftists like SWP (nevermind the acronyms...all inside baseball) to crypto-fascists like Christic and later Larouche, with overt agents who claimed no political experience save working in prisons and with the police...it was a mess. I stilldon't know who was and who wasn't...you know. And I hate to say it...that was my last real foray into organized activism. <br><br>(I'm just remembering this other guy who got into that orbit. At one point he told me he had all kinds of pornography if I wanted any and would even provide a television to view it on. Uhh...no thanks there buddy. Though the Russian prostitute (or agent?) he kept bringing around was stunningly beautiful. What a freakin' circus...memories all coming back.)<br><br>When I got involved with the local peace group here in Nashville I wanted to help organize the march and rally they were planning. They told me to work with this particular woman on press and I actually wrote the talking points for them. This woman told me I was not to talk to the press myself but that she and I would only be connecting the press with the appointed spokespeople. This seemed like a principled, professional approach. Till the march came and she, herself, went up to speak on stage. And threatened to slap my wife over some trifle and generally pissed me off. Okay, people can be weird without being agents.<br><br>But I wrote her and copied to the leadership of the group. The email was extremely specific about what she'd done..and it got worse...she'd actually gone on her own to a local councilmember and pissed him off so bad he refused to speak at the rally as he'd promised to do. (Moving her, potentiall at least, into the "agent" camp in my opinion...I think our local police have been active in this way for decades.)<br><br>A little later, the main staff person of this group wrote me and in passing told me the woman was still around and still involved but was "better". Yeah...fuck that. I had enough of that in L.A. If you don't learn to recognize disruptive tactics (whether of agents or just the mentally unstable...I realize that does happen to) you will just get eaten alive.<br><br>And now I learned that the umbrella group of activist groups here gets grant money from the Frist foundaton. Frist...as in Senator. The irony is that the Frist foundation gets its money from the Frist family (duh) who got their money privatizing hospitals with "Hospital Corporation of America." This is ironic since the PRIMARY issue this group is addressing is the destruction of the state healthcare program. So, see, taking money from Frist would....ah...screw it.<br><br>Went a bit far afield there, but I guess the main point is in there somewhere. This stuff is very real and far more elaborate and deep than we often know. I don't mean to give up hope and assume they are all powerful, but just to recognize how these things work. <br><br>Could there be actual disinfo agents on this board? I suppose. I've been called one...whatever. The people I've objected to most strongly on this board I don't think are agents, but I do think they are buying into disinfo put out by intel/cult Larouchians and the like. But who knows. Once an idea gets put out there from whatever source it takes on a life of its own. <br><br>Okay...wasted WAY too much time on that one. For all my friends here who want to spend some time complaining about ME being an agent or whatever, please do so in a separate thread as this one is quite good. <br><br><br><br><br><br> <p></p><i></i>

[chiggerbit]

Wow, makes me wonder if anything like that happened in that peace group down in Florida recently--I think it was the Friends group, Quaker group that was being spied on by the NSA, I think it was. All I can remember right now is that the group members became so distrustful of each other once they found out that there had been spies amongst them that they kind of fell apart.<br><br>Just tried to Google for the article I had in mind, didn't find it, but did this cached one(see link for entire article):<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://64.233.179.104/search?">64.233.179.104/search?</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br>q=cache:<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START 8o --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/nerd.gif ALT="8o"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> ac9W2uVooJ:www.sun-<br>sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-<br>aspy21jan21,0,5917023.story+Florida+Quakers%<br>2BNSA&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=5<br><br><br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr><br>Richard Hersh, of Boca Raton, director of Truth Project Inc. of Palm Beach County, told an ad hoc panel of House Democrats that his group and others in South Florida have been infiltrated and spied upon despite having no connections to terrorists.<br><br> "Agents rummaged through the trash, snooped into e-mails, packed websites and listened in on phone conversations," Hersh charged. "We know that address books and activist meeting lists have disappeared."<br><br>The Truth Project gained national attention when NBC News reported last month that it was described as a "credible threat" in a database of suspicious activity compiled by the Pentagon's Talon program. The listing cited the group's gathering a year ago at a Quaker meeting house in Lake Worth to talk about ways to counter military recruitment at high schools.....<br><br>......The Defense Department's Talon program collects data from a wide variety of sources, including military personnel and private citizens, Pentagon spokesman Greg Hicks said.<br><br>"They are unfiltered dots of information about perceived threats," Hicks said. " ... And what we are trying to do is connect the dots before the next major attack."......<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br> <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=chiggerbit@rigorousintuition>chiggerbit</A> at: 2/20/06 12:29 pm<br></i>

[chiggerbit]

Yikes, seems they have no shortage of manpower(emphasis mine):<br><br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article">www.washingtonpost.com/wp...nt/article</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br>/2005/12/18/AR2005121801006_pf.html<br><br>CIFA is a three-year-old agency whose size and budget remain secret. It has grown from an agency that coordinated policy and oversaw the counterintelligence activities of units within the military services and Pentagon agencies to an analytic and operational organization with nine directorates and ever-widening authority.<br><br>Its Directorate of Field Activities (DX) "assists in preserving the most critical defense assets, disrupting adversaries and helping control the intelligence domain," the fact sheet said. Those roles can range from running roving patrols around military bases and facilities <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>to surveillance of potentially threatening people or organizations inside the United States......</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br><br><br>.......<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>.A third CIFA directorate, Behavioral Sciences, "has 20 psychologists and a multimillion-dollar budget," and supports both "offensive and defensive counterintelligence efforts,"</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> according to a government biography of its director, S. Scott Shumate. Shumate was the chief operational psychologist for the CIA's counterterrorism center until 2003......<br><br><br><br>........CIFA's authority is still growing. In a new move to centralize all counterterrorism intelligence collection inside the United States, the Defense Department this month gave CIFA authority to task domestic investigations and operations by the counterintelligence units of the military services......<br><br>........CIFA's new authority will give the agency the ability to propose missions to Army, Navy and Air Force units, which combined have about <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>4,000 trained active, reserve and civilian investigators in the United States and abroad</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->. For example, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) has 1,935 "federally credentialed special agents," according to its Web site. The military service agents investigate crime and terrorism.<br> <p></p><i></i>