WAR AT HOME
Covert Action Against U.S. Activists
And What We Can Do About It
by Brian Glick
Government harassment of U.S. political activists clearly exists today, violating
our fundamental Constitutional rights and creating a climate of fear and
distrust which undermines our efforts to challenge official policy. Similar
attacks on social justice movements came to light during the 1960s. Only
years later did we learn that these had been merely the visible tip of
an iceberg. Largely hidden at the time was a vast government program to
neutralize domestic political opposition through "covert action" (political
repression carried out secretly or under the guise of legitimate law enforcement).
The 1960s program, coordinated by the FBI under the code name "COINTELPRO,"
was exposed in the 1970s and supposedly stopped. But covert operations
against domestic dissidents did not end. They have persisted and become
an integral part of government activity. This book is designed to help
today's activists learn from the history of COINTELPRO, so that future
movements can better fight this war at home.
The opening section reviews what we know about COINTELPRO. It explains
how the program was uncovered when the FBI and police were compelled to
release previously secret documents. It outlines COlNTELPRO's methods and
targets and assesses its contribution to the decline of the movements of
the 1960s. The next section shows that domestic covert action did not end
when COINTELPRO was officially disbanded. It remained in effect under other
names and it continues to be a serious threat today. Persisting under Democratic
as well as Republican administrations, it has become a permanent feature
of U.S. politics.
The final section discusses what we can do about this danger. It analyzes
the specific methods used in COINTELPRO - infiltration, psychological warfare,
harassment through the legal system, and extralegal force and violence
- and proposes steps to limit or deflect their impact on our movements.
It shows that these methods do not protect "national security" or combat
terrorism, as claimed by the government, but actually serve to foment violence
and subvert democracy. Various tactics are suggested for publicly exposing
the reality of domestic covert action and mobilizing broad-based protest
against its continued use.
1989, 5½ x 8½, 96 pp, Illustrated,
soft cover.
WAR AT HOME: $5.00
(ORDER NUMBER 58060)
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