In the 1960s and 1970s one of the most controversial policies of the American
government was its intervention in the Vietnam War. A whole nation was divided into so
called doves and hawks, the former were fighting and demonstrating for peace whereas
the latter supported the government’s policies concerning Vietnam.
A very influential and large group of the Antiwar Movement was the New Left, the main
platform of the white students.
In the following, the author will give some information about this group and examine the
actions of the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) taken to harm or even destroy that
part of the Antiwar Movement. These actions were manifested in the so called
Counterintelligence Program, which was shortened to the abbreviation Cointelpro.
As there is just one source on which all the literature concerning this topic is based its not
that easy to evaluate in how far all the published material is really true or just serves some
conspiracy theories, which were very common in that time. Especially in the Sixties, when
the Cold War reached its climax in the Cuban Missiles Crises in 1963 and the
assassination of famous people like John F. Kennedy in the same year and Martin Luther
King five years later supported the offspring of many conspiracy theories. So in the
aftermath of that turbulent decade these theories continued to spread and were seen as true
by the majority of the American people because of the Watergate Affaire in 1972 and
other revelations of scandals by the press. Even today after September, 11th 2001 a lot of
conspiracy theories arose. [...]
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- What was Cointelpro?
- General aspects about the New Left
- Means taken by the FBI to weaken and destroy the New Left Antiwar Movement
- Summary
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This work aims to examine the FBI's secret counterintelligence program, Cointelpro, against the New Left antiwar movement in the 1960s and 1970s. It delves into the motivations behind Cointelpro and the various methods employed to disrupt and dismantle the movement.
- The origins and development of Cointelpro
- The nature and characteristics of the New Left antiwar movement
- The FBI's tactics and strategies to counter the New Left
- The impact of Cointelpro on the New Left and the antiwar movement
- The ethical and legal implications of Cointelpro
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter introduces the topic of the FBI's Cointelpro against the New Left antiwar movement in the context of the Vietnam War. It outlines the divisions within American society over the war, highlighting the influence of the New Left as a key player in the antiwar movement. The chapter also touches upon the challenges of evaluating the historical accuracy of Cointelpro due to its clandestine nature and the prevalence of conspiracy theories during the period.
- What was Cointelpro?: This chapter provides an overview of the origins and development of the FBI's Cointelpro, starting with its initial focus on countering communist activities. It traces the evolution of the program to include other groups perceived as subversive, such as socialists, white hate groups, and Black Nationalist groups. The chapter also explores the various techniques employed by the FBI to infiltrate, disrupt, and neutralize these groups, highlighting the use of surveillance, disinformation, and intimidation.
- General aspects about the New Left: This chapter examines the New Left antiwar movement, contrasting it with the more traditional "Old Left" represented by communist and socialist parties. It explores the origins of the New Left, primarily within the student movement of the early 1960s, and its key ideas as outlined in the Port Huron Statement. The chapter discusses the New Left's involvement in the Civil Rights Movement and its growing radicalization in response to the escalation of the Vietnam War.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The primary keywords and focus topics of this work are the FBI's Cointelpro, the New Left antiwar movement, the Vietnam War, the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the counterculture, surveillance, disinformation, intimidation, and the impact of Cointelpro on political dissent and social movements.
- Quote paper
- Bettina Nolde (Author), 2003, The FBI's secret counterintelligence program against the New Left Antiwar Movement, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/15367
