Thread by @stschrader1

In 1970, the NY Times published a piece purporting to expose Jewish fears that anti-zionism was the new antisemitism within Black Power and New Left groups. The FBI took notice and turned the article into a pamphlet as part of its Counterintelligence Program or COINTELPRO. 1/13

FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had 25 copies of this pamphlet sent to each of 20 of its field offices. He then instructed the field offices to begin "anonymous mailing to selected individuals or organizations" to "capitalize" on the "embarrassing anti-Semitic stigma." 2/13

In Baltimore, which my students have been researching, an FBI special agent compiled a list of 21 synagogues and Hebrew schools, including particular rabbis or other leaders of them. The FBI mailed the pamphlet to all twenty-one. 3/13

Although the article discussed a number of Black organizations (etc.), Hoover singled out the Black Panther Party for discrediting: "Article highlights fear of Jews to anti-Zionism of New Left and Black Panther Party (BPP)." 4/13

"This fear," Hoover continued, "is reportedly based on increasing concern that claim of both that their anti-Zionism represents only hostility to Israel as imperialistic partner of this country, is but terrifying sham for actual, abusive, hateful anti-Semitism." 5/13

Anonymous mailings were a common COINTELPRO tactic, both individual letters and more mass-produced publications like this. Hoover made sure to say: "Insure mailing cannot be traced to Bureau and under no circumstance is Bureau to be acknowledged as source of enclosure." 6/13

A few months later, after a similar campaign using an article arguing that labor unions should refuse to handle shipments of the Black Panther Party newspaper, the Baltimore Special Agent in Charge reported, "No tangible results from operation of this program at this time." 7/13

Nevertheless, the goals here were clear: decontextualize anti-war, anti-imperialist, and int'l solidarity arguments from the New Left; amplify simplistic readings, particularly of their most provocative, ignorant, or actually antisemitic bits, as if they were representative. 8/13

And use this narrow reading to drive a wedge between the Black Panthers, in particular, and progressive or liberal groups or individuals. This was supposed to hurt fundraising by the Panthers, as well as make their ideas seem outrageous and beyond the pale. 9/13

The goal was neither eliminating antisemitism nor even affecting U.S. policy or attitudes toward Israel. And the tactic came amid ongoing efforts to create fractures within the Black Panther Party, discredit it, and otherwise foment or cause violence toward members (etc). 10/13

At this time, the same FBI field office was also pursuing COINTELPRO ops against the Klan & Nat States' Rights Party in MD, however w/ less alacrity. Despite a major rally, the FBI consistently minimized Klan activity and focused it disruption on alerts re marital infidelity. 11/

In fact, when the local leader of the virulently racist NSRP ran for sheriff (!), the FBI considered mailing NSRP literature to local Black orgs to alert them of the danger (as if they didn't know) but then ultimately declined to do so. 12/13

All I will say about the present is that the original NYT article, highlighting fears of antisemitism and misreading demands for peace, is a lot like the articles about today's young activists, only the FBI got its wish and the Black Panther Party is long gone. /end