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<font size=3>Greetings!<br><br>
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:<br><br>
<a href="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</a>
<br><br>
</font><h2><font size=4><b>J. Edgar Hoover orders Omaha FBI to be
imaginative against Black Panther leaders</b></font></h2>
<ul>
<li><font size=3>By
<a href="http://www.examiner.com/user-richardsonreports">Michael
Richardson</a>, COINTELPRO Examiner
<li>March 20th, 2011 3:21 pm ET
</ul><b>Omaha Two story: Dec. 10, 1969<br><br>
</b>After the killing of Illinois Black Panther leaders
<a href="http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/nebraskans-for-justice-host-talk-on-fred-hampton-s-murder-by-police-chicago">
Fred Hampton</a> and Mark Clark on December 4th in Chicago in a pre-dawn
raid,
<a href="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 </a>grew impatient with less effective measures to
destroy the Black Panthers.<br><br>
Before a week had passed since Hampton’s death, the director of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation sent a
<a href="http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/j-edgar-hoover-directs-cointelpro-plot-against-omaha-chapter-of-black-panthers">
COINTELPRO</a> memo to Paul Young, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the
Omaha FBI office complaining about a lack of action against the Black
Panthers.<br><br>
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.<br><br>
On December 10, 1969, Hoover sent Young a critical memorandum.
Hoover wrote, “You stated…the
<a href="http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/j-edgar-hoover-informed-of-united-front-against-fascism-omaha">
United Front Against Fascism</a> (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.”<br><br>
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.”<br><br>
The FBI director told the Omaha office to target the leaders of the UFAF
for counter-intelligence action.
<a href="http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/prison-interview-with-ed-poindexter-on-cointelpro-and-the-omaha-police">
Ed Poindexter</a> and
<a href="http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/prison-interview-with-mondo-we-langa-on-cointelpro-and-omaha-two-case">
Mondo we Langa</a>, 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.<br><br>
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.”<br><br>
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.”<br><br>
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.”<br><br>
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.”<br><br>
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.<br><br>
Paul Young knew he had to deliver results to Hoover or face the
consequences for inaction.<br><br>
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
<a href="http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/omaha-police-officer-kills-14-year-old-vivian-strong-triggering-race-riot-1">
outbreak of rioting</a> in the Midwestern city that was rocked with
rioting three times within three years.<br><br>
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.<br><br>
<b>To view all of the Omaha Two story articles click
<a href="http://www.examiner.com/omaha-two-story-in-national">HERE<br><br>
</a></b><i>Permission granted to reprint<br><br>
</i>Michael Richardson<br>
COINTELPRO Examiner<br>
Examiner.com<br><br>
<br>
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