[Ppnews] Omaha Two story: (Part 8) - United Front Against Fascism targeted

[Political Prisoner News]

Greetings!

When the Omaha Black Panthers became the United 
Front Against Fascism the FBI director ordered 
"imaginative" counter-intelligence actions taken 
against the leadership, the Omaha Two:

<http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/j-edgar-hoover-orders-omaha-fbi-to-be-imaginative-against-black-panther-leaders>http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/j-edgar-hoover-orders-omaha-fbi-to-be-imaginative-against-black-panther-leaders


J. Edgar Hoover orders Omaha FBI to be 
imaginative against Black Panther leaders

    * By 
<http://www.examiner.com/user-richardsonreports>Michael 
Richardson, COINTELPRO Examiner
    * March 20th, 2011 3:21 pm ET
Omaha Two story: Dec. 10, 1969

After the killing of Illinois Black Panther 
leaders 
<http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/nebraskans-for-justice-host-talk-on-fred-hampton-s-murder-by-police-chicago>Fred 
Hampton and Mark Clark on December 4th in Chicago 
in a pre-dawn raid, 
<http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/fbi-s-director-hoover-let-killer-of-omaha-policeman-get-away-with-murder-40-years-ago>J. 
Edgar Hoover grew impatient with less effective 
measures to destroy the Black Panthers.

Before a week had passed since Hampton’s death, 
the director of the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation sent a 
<http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/j-edgar-hoover-directs-cointelpro-plot-against-omaha-chapter-of-black-panthers>COINTELPRO 
memo to Paul Young, the Special Agent-in-Charge 
of the Omaha FBI office complaining about a lack 
of action against the Black Panthers.

COINTELPRO was a secret, illegal operation that 
targeted political activists for 
counter-intelligence measures ordered by 
Hoover.  The Black Panthers were Hoover’s primary 
target and considerable resources of the Bureau 
were used in the clandestine operation.

On December 10, 1969, Hoover sent Young a 
critical memorandum.  Hoover wrote, “You 
stated
the 
<http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/j-edgar-hoover-informed-of-united-front-against-fascism-omaha>United 
Front Against Fascism (UFAF), the successor to 
the Black Panther Party (BPP) in Omaha, is 
composed of approximately eight to twelve 
members, and their only activities have been to 
sell “The Black Panther”, BPP newspaper, and publication of a UFAF newsletter.”

Hoover continued:  “While the activities appear 
to be limited in the Omaha area, it does not 
follow that effective counterintelligence 
measures cannot be taken.  As long as there are 
BPP activities, you should be giving 
consideration that type of counterintelligence 
measure which would best disrupt existing 
activities.  It would appear that some type of 
counterintelligence aimed at the disruption and 
publication of their literature would be in order.”

The FBI director told the Omaha office to target 
the leaders of the UFAF for counter-intelligence 
action. 
<http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/prison-interview-with-ed-poindexter-on-cointelpro-and-the-omaha-police>Ed 
Poindexter and 
<http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/prison-interview-with-mondo-we-langa-on-cointelpro-and-omaha-two-case>Mondo 
we Langa, then David Rice, had stepped up to lead 
the affiliate Black Panther chapter in the 
Nebraska city and were now the focus of Hoover’s attention.

Hoover wrote to the Special Agent-in-Charge:  “It 
is also assumed that of eight to twelve members, 
one or two must certainly be in a position of 
leadership.  You should give consideration to 
counterintelligence measures directed against 
these leaders in an effort to weaken or destroy 
their positions.  Bureau has noted you have not 
submitted any concrete counterintelligence 
proposals in recent months.  Evaluate your 
approach to this program and insure that it is 
given the imaginative attention necessary to 
produce effective results.  Handle promptly and 
submit your proposals to the Bureau for approval.”

Paul Young got the message.  Young replied to 
Hoover within days by registered mail promising 
to go after the UFAF newsletter and the leaders 
of the Omaha chapter.  Young wrote to Hoover, “In 
addition to this information, indications are 
that the UFAF is planning to start a liberation 
school at its headquarters in Omaha in the near future.”

Young continued:  “In response to the referenced 
Bureau letter, the identities of the UFAF 
leadership are known to the Omaha office.  Omaha 
is presently giving consideration to some type of 
counter-intelligence activity aimed at disruption 
of the UFAF newsletter or its distribution and 
counter-intelligence measures directed against 
the leaders of this organization.”

Young said:  “Close attention will be afforded 
this matter in order to produce effective 
results.  Proposals for counter-intelligence 
activity will be submitted to the Bureau by 
appropriate communications in the very near future.”

While Paul Young scrambled to hatch a plot 
against the United Front Against Fascism in Omaha 
to please J. Edgar Hoover, other FBI offices 
around the country were in competition to curry 
Hoover’s favor with aggressive COINTELPRO 
actions.  In January 1970, the San Diego FBI 
office would claim credit for instigating 
“shootings, beatings, and a high degree of 
unrest” within the Black Panthers.   The San 
Francisco FBI office was one of the busiest in 
the country because the Panthers were 
headquartered in the Bay area 
counter-intelligence proposals were regularly 
sent to FBI headquarters.  Field offices that 
were not producing results against the Black 
Panthers stood out against those with active COINTELPRO campaigns.

Paul Young knew he had to deliver results to 
Hoover or face the consequences for inaction.

Ed Poindexter and Mondo we Langa were faced with 
more local problems of building a chapter without 
many resources and under constant pressure from 
the Omaha police, leery of another 
<http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/omaha-police-officer-kills-14-year-old-vivian-strong-triggering-race-riot-1>outbreak 
of rioting in the Midwestern city that was rocked 
with rioting three times within three years.

Hoover's directive to Young to be imaginative put 
the local FBI office hard at work scheming 
against the Omaha Two.  A tragic event the 
following summer would give Young the opportunity to act.

To view all of the Omaha Two story articles click 
<http://www.examiner.com/omaha-two-story-in-national>HERE

Permission granted to reprint

Michael Richardson
COINTELPRO Examiner
Examiner.com



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