Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI
Encyclopedia
The Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI was a leftist activist group operational during the early 1970s. Their only known action was breaking into a two-man Media, Pennsylvania
FBI
office, and stealing over 1000 classified documents. They then mailed these documents anonymously to several American newspapers. Several news outlets refused to publish the information, as it related to ongoing operations and disclosure may have threatened the lives of agents or informants. "The complete collection of political documents ripped-off from the F.B.I. office in Media, Pa., March 8, 1971" was published for the first time as the March, 1972 issue of WIN Magazine ("Peace and freedom thru nonviolent action"), a journal associated with the War Resisters League
. The documents revealed the COINTELPRO
operation, and led to the cessation of this operation by the FBI. No member of the group has ever been publicly identified, or apprehended, though noted Yippie organizer Abbie Hoffman
has been linked on several occasions including a suggestion dropped by the character portraying his lawyer in the 2000 film "Steal This Movie".
Though highly under-emphasized, the theft resulted in the exposure of some of the FBI's most self-incriminating documents, including several documents detailing the FBI's use of postman, switchboard operators, etc., in order to spy on black college students and various non-violent black activist groups.
Media, Pennsylvania
The borough of Media is the county seat of Delaware County, Pennsylvania and is located west of Philadelphia. Media was incorporated in 1850 at the same time that it was named the county seat. The population was 5,533 at the 2000 census. Its school district is the Rose Tree Media School District...
FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
office, and stealing over 1000 classified documents. They then mailed these documents anonymously to several American newspapers. Several news outlets refused to publish the information, as it related to ongoing operations and disclosure may have threatened the lives of agents or informants. "The complete collection of political documents ripped-off from the F.B.I. office in Media, Pa., March 8, 1971" was published for the first time as the March, 1972 issue of WIN Magazine ("Peace and freedom thru nonviolent action"), a journal associated with the War Resisters League
War Resisters League
The War Resisters League was formed in 1923 by men and women who had opposed World War I. It is a section of the London-based War Resisters' International.Many of the founders had been jailed during World War I for refusing military service...
. The documents revealed the COINTELPRO
COINTELPRO
COINTELPRO was a series of covert, and often illegal, projects conducted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting domestic political organizations.COINTELPRO tactics included discrediting targets through psychological...
operation, and led to the cessation of this operation by the FBI. No member of the group has ever been publicly identified, or apprehended, though noted Yippie organizer Abbie Hoffman
Abbie Hoffman
Abbot Howard "Abbie" Hoffman was a political and social activist who co-founded the Youth International Party ....
has been linked on several occasions including a suggestion dropped by the character portraying his lawyer in the 2000 film "Steal This Movie".
- "According to its analysis of the documents in this FBI office, 1 percent were devoted to organized crime, mostly gambling; 30 percent were "manuals, routine forms, and similar procedural matter"; 40 percent were devoted to political surveillance and the like, including two cases involving right-wing groups, ten concerning immigrants, and over 200 on left or liberal groups. Another 14 percent of the documents concerned draft resistance and "leaving the military without government permission." The remainder concerned bank robberies, murder, rape, and interstate theft."
Though highly under-emphasized, the theft resulted in the exposure of some of the FBI's most self-incriminating documents, including several documents detailing the FBI's use of postman, switchboard operators, etc., in order to spy on black college students and various non-violent black activist groups.