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<a href="http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/prosecution-rested-its-case-without-fbi-testimony-about-cointelpro-measures">
http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/prosecution-rested-its-case-without-fbi-testimony-about-cointelpro-measures</a>
<br><br>
</font><h2><font size=4><b>Prosecution rested its case without FBI
testimony about COINTELPRO measures</b></font></h2>
<ul>
<li><font size=3>By
<a href="http://www.examiner.com/user-richardsonreports">Michael
Richardson</a>, COINTELPRO Examiner
<li>April 8th, 2011 12:46 pm ET
</ul><br>
<b>Omaha Two story: April 8, 1971<br><br>
</b>The trial of the Omaha Two,
<a href="http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/prison-interview-with-ed-poindexter-on-cointelpro-and-the-omaha-police">
Edward 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, for the murder of a police officer
was in its second week, forty years ago. The two men were leaders
of the National Committee to Combat Fascism, a Black Panther affiliate,
and became targets of
<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>.<br><br>
Hoover got personally involved in the case, by withholding a laboratory
report on the identity of the policeman’s killer, as part of his
clandestine
<a href="http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/crimes-of-cointelpro-heard-at-northeastern-law-school-seminar">
COINTELPRO</a> operation. Hoover had been telling
<a href="http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/j-edgar-hoover-orders-omaha-fbi-to-be-imaginative-against-black-panther-leaders">
Paul Young</a>, the Omaha FBI Special Agent-in-Charge to “destroy” the
leadership of the group in a series of confidential COINTELPRO
memorandums for over a year.<br><br>
Since Hoover took care of the recording of the 911 caller that lured
Larry Minard, Sr. to his death by squelching a report on the analysis of
the killer’s voice it fell upon the FBI’s rival federal agency to handle
the explosives evidence.<br><br>
A
<a href="http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/atf-agents-compete-with-fbi-summer-1970-to-arrest-black-panthers-omaha">
Division of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms</a> chemist, Kenneth Snow,
testified Thursday that dynamite particles found in the clothing of Ed
Poindexter and Mondo we Langa were the same type as the dynamite found
August 17, 1970, at the scene of the bomb slaying of Patrolman Larry
Minard, Sr.<br><br>
The chemist also testified that metal particles found in the cutting
edges of a pair of pliers taken from Mondo’s home were the “same type of
wire” as a piece found at the crime scene.<br><br>
On cross-examination, Public Defender Frank B. Morrison asked the ATF
witness, whether the type of dynamite Snow said was involved was
common. Snow identified the explosive as “ammonia dynamite"
and said it was widely used in the construction industry.<br><br>
Snow testified he has analyzed evidence from more than 100 bombings
around the nation and said that various items he analyzed by chemical,
microscopic and other means all tested positive for particles of ammonia
dynamite.<br><br>
He said these included particles taken from Mondo’s trousers and
Poindexter’s jacket pocket at the time of their arrests.<br>
Advertisement <br><br>
Items also found to include ammonia dynamite, Snow testified, were
particles taken from remnants of Minard’s uniform, from fragments of what
Snow said appeared to be suitcase material, and from two samples of
material in vials sent to Washington by Omaha detectives.<br><br>
Earlier witnesses testified that the uniform and suitcase evidence was
found at the bombing site where Minard died in a booby trap explosion;
the material in the vials was from 14 sticks of dynamite police
purportedly found in an August 22, 1970 raid at 2816 Parker Street,
Mondo’s home.<br><br>
Kenneth Snow testified that swab tests of Poindexter’s hands revealed no
trace of dynamite.<br><br>
Snow said the particles of dynamite found in Poindexter’s pocket could
have been there “two or three months” or “longer.”<br><br>
It was later revealed that Snow’s dynamite tests were general enough that
a variety of substances tested positive including common kitchen
matches. The defense attorneys did not hire any expert witnesses
and the scientific evidence went unchallenged.<br><br>
Judge Hamilton, over objections by defense attorneys, admitted into
evidence the items Snow testified about. Mondos black and white
striped trousers, Poindexter’s camouflage jacket, suitcase fragments, the
samples of dynamite purportedly found at Mondo’s house, pliers, and a
piece of copper wire.<br><br>
A police sergeant testified he found the piece of copper wire in the
basement of 2875 Ohio Street, a residence next door to the vacant house.
The explosion caved in part of the basement wall. <br><br>
The prosecution rested its case after calling thirty-two witnesses since
testimony began on April 1, 1971. <br><br>
Not once was COINTELPRO mentioned to the jury. None of the FBI
agents who had targeted the two defendants for a planned ambush coming
back to town from Eppley Airport, an anonymous phone call campaign, and
anonymous letters testified.<br><br>
Paul Young, the FBI Special Agent-in-Charge in Omaha, never testified
about his role in withholding evidence from the jury about the identity
of Larry Minard’s killer, the unknown 911 caller. Young had the
Omaha Police Department give him the recording of the fatal phone message
and sent it to the FBI Laboratory with instructions to not issue a
report.<br><br>
The jury never heard J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI, testify that
on August 19, 1970, two days after the bombing, he gave the command to
withhold a lab report on the identity of Minard’s killer.<br><br>
Judge Donald Hamilton adjourned the jury for Good Friday. <br><br>
On Monday morning, Ed Poindexter would take the stand in his own
defense.<br><br>
<b>To view all of the Omaha Two story articles click</b>
<a href="http://www.examiner.com/omaha-two-story-in-national"><b>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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