1968: Year of Global Protest

The Soviet authorities felt their control being undermined after the appointment of the reformist Alexander Dubcek as first secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party in January 1968…Prague Spring followed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protests_of_1968

Japanese “Vietniks” (anti-war students) stormed Tokyo’s Foreign Ministry in protest against visit of USS Enterprise on 19th January.

On January 21st 1968, a B-52 bomber, codenamed Butterknife V, was flying above Thule when it crashed onto ice in Baffin Bay. 3 of the 4 bombs broke on impact scattering radioactive debris. Each of the bombs was a B28 thermonuclear weapon with a yield of 70 -350 kilotons.

While the US claimed that all the weapons had been accounted for they did not say that they had all been recovered . 237,000 cubic feet of radioactive ice, snow and water were removed to be approved storage area in the US. A leading Danish newspaper, Jyllands Posten, made the claims in 2000.

There was another sharp intensification in the Vietnam War. President Lyndon Johnson (LBJ) put pressure on the UK government over the Vietnam War (15th January, Tony Benn’s diary). Massive media coverage of NVA troops attacking a US airbase on 21st January – beginning a 77 day siege in which 5000 US troops were encircled – at Khe Sanh. LBJ was anxious and sent in marine reinforcements. Heavy B-52 bombardment.

Operation Niagara II was a massive aerial supply effort to the marines and a heavy B-52 bombardment of NVA troop positions. At the peak NVA soldiers are hit round-the-clock every 90 minutes by groups of three B-52s which drop over 110,000 tons of bombsduring the siege, the heaviest bombardment of a small area in the history of warfare.

Turning point of the war came at end of January. 84,000 VC guerrillas aided by NVA troops launched the Tet offensive on 31st of January, attacking a hundred cities and towns throughout South Vietnam. Fighting broke out in Saigon and 3 dozen smaller towns. Fierce gun battle in US embassy and pictures of dead soldiers in their own blood. The US declared the Tet offensive a failure on the 1st of February even though they'd been forced to rush 10,000 more GIs to South Vietnam on emergency flights. CIA lies about a weak VC with falling morale were blown apart. USAF bombed Saigon’s suburbs as VC 'insurgents' struck again.

Part of the Offensive was the battle for Saigon which continued until March 7th.

The battle for Hue ran till March 2nd. VC troops stormed the city, Washington claimed that VC troops executed over 3000 “enemies of the people” including South Vietnamese government officials, officers and catholic priests. Here was the heaviest fighting in the Tet offensive as US Marines counter attacked, house by house and street by street.

But there is a dissident view. US and GVN forces killed thousands in Hue during the offensive. British journalist Philip JonesGriffiths claimed that most victims “were killed by the most hysterical use of American firepower ever seen” and then designated “as the victims of a communist massacre”.

Feb 1st, an execution by SV police chief made the US media the next day. Millions saw Nguyen Ngoc Loan holding a gun to the head of asuspected VC guerilla before shooting.

Another controversy during Tet was caused by the US levelling a small city with bombs. A US officer said “we had to destroy it to save it.”

The VC had suffered devastating losses and never regained their former strength. Consequently NV regulars took over most of the fighting in a conventional war.

While LBJ claimed that the TO was a failure (Feb 2nd) it had succeeded in eroding American grass roots support for an indefinite war. Congress turned against the war too.

On 28th Feb JC Chairman General Wheeler requested extra troops – another 206,000, and mobilisation of reserve units in the US. The new Sec of Defense Clark Clifford and old friend of LBJ decided against escalating the war as there was no concept or overall plan in Washington for achieving victory.

After what became known as the Prague Spring during which Dubcek tried to develop "socialism with a human face", Soviet troops invaded Czechoslovakia on 20 August 1968.

Protests against the Soviet occupation continued after the death of Jan Palach. On the first anniversary of the invasion, there were again violent clashes between police and demonstrators. Soviet tanks entered Prague the following day.

Election

LBJ faced Bobby Kennedy in the Democrat Primary, anti-war sentiment gaining momentum. Johnson could not bear double pressure of war and primary. March 31st he was forced into announcing a halt to the bombing of North Vietnam, his willingness to talk with Hanoi and the withdrawal of his bid for re-election.

LBJ pronounced himself confident of winning the next election. Anti-war intellectual Allen Lowenstein single handedly running on an “LBJ Must Go!” campaign. LBJ  began to lose popularity – known as Lyndon “Bullshit” Johnson, his old college nickname.

North Korea sailors boarded and captured the USS Pueblo when it strayed too near the territorial waters of North Korea.

Lennon on NBC “Tonight Show” called US involvement in Vietnam “insanity” and called for the US ‘to change the establishment’. “Two Virgins” with Yoko One was released.

Holland Dozier Holland set up Invictus and Hot Wax labels when they left Motown in 1968.

Brian, Eddie and Lamont Dozier wrote 3 or 4 songs a day at Motown, by their own reckoning.

Louis Armstrong – “Wonderful World”

On the 7th of March Bobby Kennedy gave the Senate a scorching speech demanding to know if the USA had the right to kill tens of thousands of people purely in the cause of a ‘commitment to the South Vientamese people?’ Eugene McCarthy defeated LBJ in the Wisconsin primary.
March 12th, LBJ defeated anti-war Eugene McCarthy in New Hampshire Democratic primary, by 300 votes. LBJ’s support is shown to be crumbling.

14th, Bobby Kennedy agreed to stay out of presidential race if LBJ renounced his earlier Vietnam strategy, and appointed a committee including Kennedy for charting a new course;

On the 16th, Kennedy announced that he would stand for president.

At the end of March Johnson announced suspension of US bombing against North Vietnamese forces and said ‘I shall not seek and will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as president.’ .   

Over 300 civilians killed in My Lai by US Army – Charlie Company. Helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson lands to evacuate civilians after realising that a massacre was being carried out.

28th, King leads march of 6000 protesters in support of strikers in Memphis – violence. Report by My Lai participants does not mention civilians dead. It was to take another year for this event to come known to public. My Lai was part of Operation Wheeler Wallawa which killed nobody knows how many 10s of 1000s of people in real massacres – “chronicles of dissent” chomsky and David Barsamian, page 322.

Protests occurred around the world
On 22 March in Paris far-left groups, along with 150 students, invaded an administration building at Nanterre University.

Was named the "Movement of 22 March".
a one-day general strike and demonstration for Monday, 13 May.

Well over a million marched through Paris that day. Prime Minister Georges Pompidou personally announced demands would be met.

In the following days, workers began occupying factories...by 16 May, workers had occupied roughly fifty factories, and by 17 May, 200,000 were on strike. That figure snowballed to two million workers on strike the following day and then ten million, or roughly two-thirds of the French workforce, on strike the following week.

These strikes were not led by the union movement; on the contrary, the CGT tried to contain this spontaneous outbreak of militancy by channeling it into a struggle for higher wages and other economic demands. When the trade union leadership negotiated a 35% increase in the minimum wage, a 7% wage increase for other workers, and half normal pay for the time on strike with the major employers' associations, the workers occupying their factories refused to return to work and jeered their union leaders.

Grenelle agreements signed. 

While the government appeared to be close to collapse, de Gaulle remained firm, though he had to go into hiding. After ensuring that he had sufficient loyal military units mobilized to back him if push came to shove, he went on the radio the following day (the national television service was on strike) to announce the dissolution of the National Assembly, with elections to follow on 23 June. He ordered workers to return to work, threatening to institute a state of emergency if they did not.

From that point, the revolutionary feeling of the students and workers faded away. Workers gradually returned to work or were ousted from their plants by the police. The national student union called off street demonstrations. The government banned a number of leftist organizations. The police retook the Sorbonne on 16 June. De Gaulle triumphed in the legislative elections held in June, and the crisis came to an end.

wikipedia

Events in 1968 from Paris to global protests -

http://libcom.org/history/articles/france-1968/

Military Coup in Panama

 from www.onwar.com/aced/data/papa/panama1968.htm

Election on May 12th 1968, as scheduled, and tensions mounted over the succeeding 18 days as the Election Board and the Electoral Tribunal delayed announcing the results. Finally the Election Board declared that Arias had carried the election by 175,432 votes to 133,887 for Samudio and 11,371 for Gonzalez Revilla. The Electoral Tribunal, senior to the Board and still loyal to Robles, protest, but the commander of the National Guard, Brigadier General Bolivar Vallarino, despite past animosity toward Arias, supported the conclusion of the board.

On 2nd June Surveyor 1 – lived for 6 weeks after landing and took more than 11000 pictures. Surveyor 2 crashed. Surveyor 3 successfully deployed a robot arm to take lunar samples; 4 “died” before landing; 5 analysed lunar soil; 6 confrimed 5’s results elsewhere and took off again; 7 a resounding success on Jan 10th 1968.

Czechoslovakia is invaded by Russia and Warsaw Pact forces to crush liberal regime (Aug. 20).

Nixon corruption 1968

Hughes (Who he?) passed $50,000 to Nixon through Governor Laxalt (who he?) and a second $50,000 to Humphrey  through Dwayne Andreas (who he?), a long-time backer who had no official role in the campaign but handled the “sensitive” contributions. “citizen Hughes” micheal Drosnin. Page 265.

Martin Luther King - killed 1968

28th March King led a march of 6000 protesters in support of striking sanitation workers in Memphis. Once the violence starts King is whisked away.

April 3rd, King returned to Memphis to hold peaceful March and delivers “I’ve been to the mountaintop” speech.

Martin Luther King was killed on 4th of April. 21,000 soldiers were deployed in the cities to prevent the inevitable riots.

April xxth King’s funeral.

Dead Kennedy # 4 1968

It was Bobby’s turn to die. I turned to

 http://homepages.tcp.co.uk/~dlewis/crime.htm

The official version:

As put forward by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the LA District Attourney’s office (LADA). On 5th June 1968, 12.15 am, Senator Robert F Kennedy was making his way from a press conference, after winning the California Primary. The pre-arranged route went through a food service pantry. While making his way through this area, a Palestinian Arab, Sirhan Sirhan, stepped forward and fired a .22 revolver at the senator. Although Sirhan was quickly subdued, Kennedy and five others were wounded, although only Kennedy was fatally wounded. Sirhan was arrested at the scene, charged and convicted of first degree murder. He was to have been executed, but the US Supreme Court voided the constitutionality of the death sentence before the sentence could be carried out. Sirhan has been incarcerated at Corcoran State Prison, California, since then. Under California law he should have been automatically scheduled for release in 1984, but this was not the case. – last update 6th April 1998.

Many had doubted LHO’s role in firing shots that killed JFK. That was because not a single witness saw him shoot. Those behind Bobby’s assassination had learned a valuable lesson. This time they made sure many people saw the shots being fired by the assassin. But they weren't too clever, as more shots were actually fired than Sirhan had in his gun. [needs verification]

The autopsy also showed that RFK was shot from behind at point blank range – but an autopsy carried out by LA Chief ME Thomas Noguchi (his memoir “coroner to the stars” [Corgi, 1984]) “all seemed to indicate a second gunman”.

The physical evidence and eyewitness reports seem to show that Sirhan was incapable of inflicting the wounds attributed to him.

The autopsy carried out by Coroner Thomas Noguchi showed that Kennedy had been shot three times.

One shot entered the head behind the right ear, a second near the right armpit and a third roughly one and a half inches below the second. All shots entered the body at a sharply upward angle, moving slightly right to left. These shots are incompatible with eyewitness reports of the shooting which put SS in front of and several feet away from RFK.

Sirhan had no access to the Senator’s rear, and Kennedy never turned more than sideways to Sirhan. In addition Sirhan fired with his arm parallel to the floor, ie, straight ahead. Maitre d’ Karl Uecker, who had been leading Kennedy forward by the right hand at the time the shooting started, grappled with Sirhan after his second shot and pushed the gun away. All these points, as well as the fact that the gun was one and a half to six feet from Kennedy, prove that Sirhan could not have inflicted the fatal wounds to the Senator.

RFK took three bullets, the 4th ripped his clothes. Five other people were hit. Two bullets ended up in door frames. That’s at least 11.

Sirhan’s .22 revolver contained 8 bullets and he had no chance to reload. This caused a problem for the official version of the assassination as all bullets had been accounted for, except for one which was lost in the ceiling space. Reports indicated that a wooden door jamb contained two bullets. This frame and as many as five or six ceiling tiles were removed from the crime scene for tests. Photgraphs of the crime scene show at least this many tiles missing and more besides. LAPD criminologist De Wayne Wolfer was quoted as saying “it’s unbelievable how many holes there are in the kitchen ceiling.” This suggests that LAPD found more bullets or traces of bullets, than could be accounted for by Sirhan’s eight shot revolver, at least seven and probably more.

There were also reports of suspicious people in the area at the time of the assassination. The first policeman on the scene, Sgt Paul Schraga, was approached by a couple who told him that they had encountered a young man and woman fleeing the Ambassador Hotel shouting “we shot him! We shot him!” When asked who they had shot, the young woman joyously replied, “Senator Kennedy”. Schraga sent out an APB on the two suspects. This was the start of the “polka dot dress girl” controversy. In one of the most intuitive pieces of police deduction since the JFK assassination, LAPD declared that Sirhan was the sole assassin within minutes of the crime. Schraga was asked to cancel his APB. When he refused, it was cancelled by his superiors.

The couple’s story was explained by the LAPD as a case of mishearing, stating that the young woman must have said “They shot him!” However, a young woman sitting on a staircase outside the Ambassador Hotel, Sandra Serrano, corroborated the couple’s story.

Two witnesses in the pantry also saw armed men, aside from Sirhan and security guard Thane Eugene Cesar. Lisa Urso noticed a blond haired man in a grey suit putting a gun into a holster. A second, unnamed witness saw a tall dark-haired wearing a black suit fire two shots and run out of the pantry.

Witnesses stated that Sirhan was in a trance and continued firing despite being beaten by 6 people.

Polka dot dress girl – an Iranian whose father was linked to US intelligence and a young man. LAPD browbeat the two ‘polka dot’ witness into withdrawing their testimonies.

RFK’s autopsy report was withheld from the defence team until trial had already started.

Dan Molden devoted most of the book to the case for conspiracy and concluded that if RFK was shot from behind at point blank range, the man who pulled the trigger was probably a security guard, Thane Cesar, who had been standing right behind him.

When shot RFK whirled round and grabbed at Cesar pulling off his clip-on tie.

Further Reading

This case hasn’t captured the imagination of conspiracy theorists like JFK’s murder did, and there are few books on the subject.

“The Killing of Robert F Kennedy” (WW Norton, 1995) James Earl Ray flew to England. Hoover’s ‘friend’ Clyde Tolson sent in a memo a request for a ‘friendly capable author’ to ‘proceed with a book on the case’. Eventually George McMillan’s “Making of an Assassin” was written. Jeremiah O’Leary gave it a rave review – he was on the CIA payroll.

Ray’s alias – Eric S Galt – and there were two of him too.

Strongman and Parker page 91

A little more than two months after King's death, on June 8, 1968, Ray, an escaped convict who had broken out of the Missouri State Penitentiary a year before the assassination, was captured at London's Heathrow Airport while trying to leave the United Kingdom on a false Canadian passport in the name of Ramon George Sneyd. Ray was quickly extradited to Tennessee and charged with King's murder, confessing to the assassination on March 10, 1969, (though he recanted this confession three days later) and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. On the advice of his attorney Percy Foreman, Ray took a guilty plea to avoid a trial conviction and therefore the possibility of receiving the death penalty.

Ray later fired Foreman as his attorney (from then on derisively calling him "Percy Fourflusher") claiming that a man he met in Montreal, Canada, using the alias "Raoul" had been deeply involved, as was his brother Johnny, but not himself, further asserting that although he didn't "personally shoot Dr. King," he may have been "partially responsible without knowing it," hinting at a conspiracy. He spent the remainder of his life attempting (unsuccessfully) to withdraw his guilty plea and secure the trial he never had

Ray began to proclaim his innocence and questions were asked about a Ray lookalike seen in Memphis in the days before King’s death. On June 11, 1977 Ray made his second appearance, this time as the 351st entry, on the FBI Most Wanted Fugitives list. He and six other convicts had just escaped from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Petros, Tennessee on June 10, 1977. Shortly after, Ray testified that he did not shoot King to the House Select Committee on Assassinations. They were recaptured on June 13, of the same year, and returned to prison.[1] One more year was added to his previous sentence to total 100 years.

In 1997 Martin Luther King's son Dexter King met with Ray, and publicly supported Ray's efforts to obtain a retrial. Loyd Jowers, a restaurant owner in Memphis, was brought to civil court and sued as being part of a conspiracy to murder Martin Luther King; Jowers was found liable, and the King family was awarded $100 in retribution as a sign that they were not following the case for monetary reasons.

Dr. William Pepper remained James Earl Ray's attorney until Ray's death and then carried on, on behalf of the King family. The King family does not believe Ray had anything to do with the murder of Martin Luther King.[2]

Ray died in prison on April 23, 1998, at the age of 70 from complications related to kidney disease, caused by hepatitis C probably contracted as a result of a blood transfusion given after a stabbing.  Wikipedia

Further reading

Ray, James Earl, "Who Killed Martin Luther King?: The True Story by the Alleged Assassin," Washington D.C.: National Press Books, 1992, ISBN 0915765934

Pepper, William, "An Act of State: The Execution of Martin Luther King"

Posner, Gerald, "Killing the Dream: James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr."

Ray, James Earl with Saussy, Tupper, "Tennessee Waltz: The Making of a Political Prisoner"

McMillan, George, "The Making of an Assassin"

Heathrow, John, "Why Did He Do It?"

Melanson, Dr. Phillip H., "The Martin Luther King Assassination: New Revelations on the Conspiracy and Cover-Up, 1968-1991"

Green, Jim, "Blood and Dishonor on a Badge of Honor"

Military Coup in Panama

 from www.onwar.com/aced/data/papa/panama1968.htm

Arias took office on October 1st, demanding the immediate return of the Canal Zone to Panamanian jurisdiction and announcing a change in the leadership of the National Guard. He attempted to remove the two most senior officers, Vallarino and Col Jose Maria Pinilla, and appoint Col Bolivar Urrutia to command the force. October 11th, the Guard removed Arias from the presdiency (for 3rd time). With 7 of his 8 ministers and 24 members of the National Assembly, Arias took refuge in the Canal Zone.

The overthrow of Arias provoked student demonstrations and rioting in some of the slum areas of Panama City. The peasants in Chiriqui Province battled guardsmen sporadically for several months, but the Guard retained control. Urrutia was initially arrested but was later persuaded to join in the two man provisional junta headed by Pinilla. Vallarino remained in retirement. The original cabinet appointed by the junta was rather broad based and included several Samudio supporters and one Arias supporter. After the first three months, however, five civilian cabinet members resigned accusing the new government of dictatorial practices.

The provisional junta moved swiftly to consolidate government control. Several hundred actual or potential political leaders were arrested on charges of corruption or subversion. Others went into voluntary or imposed exile, and property owners were threatened with expropriation. The National Assembly and all political parties were disbanded, and the University of Panama was closed for several months while its faculty and student body were purged. The communications media were brought under control through censorship, intervention in management, or expropriation.

Pinilla, who assumed the title of President, had declared that his government was provisional and that free elections were to be scheduled.

The CNN Website offers the following account of the above events:

“In 1968, Arnulfo Arias was elected again to the presidency after a tumultuous campaign. As soon as he took office he called for the immediate transfer of the Canal Zone to Panamanian jurisdiction, but he was deposed 11 days later when he tried to change the National Guard’s leadership.

In the coup’s aftermath, military strongmen Omar Torrijos Herrera took charge. While he worked to solidify power, Torrijos put canal issues or the back burner, but eventually turned his attention to obtaining a new treaty.” ?????

Arias is to run again in 1984…

Jimi Hendrix had broken away from playing back line with Little Richard and the Isley Brothers, and went to NYC in the mid 60s, came into contact with Dylan and the jazz scene. Chas Chandler whisked him to England. Monterey made him a hero. Hendrix had launched in 67 from “swinging” London, with “Hey Joe” and “Purple Haze”.

he took part in a recruitment drive for the army. 
Hendrix moved back to the USA for the start of his first proper tour there. 
During the recording of the album Jimi fell out with Chas and Noel.

Electric Ladyland was first released in the U.S. in October 1968 and became Hendrix's only #1 album. The Hendrix's letter to Reprise describing exactly what he wanted for the cover, was mostly ignored. He expressly asked for a colour photo by Linda Eastman of the group sitting with children on a sculpture from Alice In Wonderland in Central Park NY, even drawing a picture of it for them, instead receiving a blurred red yellow photo of his head by Karl Ferris. Track Records had their own art department and produced a cover of naked women lounging in front of a black background that was issued in its place.

A similar event nearly happened with the album's title. In the final stages of the album's production, a studio technician renamed the album "Electric Landlady" ... until Hendrix noticed it. wikipedia

Night of The Living Dead

Released October 1st 1968

The lead role of Ben was played by unknown black stage actor Duane Jones. His performance depicted Ben as a "comparatively calm and resourceful Negro", according to a contemporary (1969) movie reviewer. Casting Duane Jones as the hero was, in 1968, potentially controversial. In the middle of twentieth century U.S. society, it was very unusual for a black man to be the hero of a film the cast of which included white actors and actresses. Social commentators saw that casting as significant; on the other hand, director George Romero said that Jones "simply gave the best audition".

reviewer Mark Deming notes that "the grim fate of Duane Jones, the sole heroic figure and only African-American, had added resonance with the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X fresh in the minds of most Americans”.  Stein adds, "In this first-ever subversive horror movie, the resourceful black hero survives the zombies only to be killed by a redneck posse".

Other prevalent themes included "disillusionment with government and patriarchal nuclear family" and "the flaws inherent in the media, local and federal government agencies, and the entire mechanism of civil defense".

Romero confessed that the film was designed to reflect the tensions of the time: "It was 1968, man. Everybody had a 'message'. The anger and attitude and all that's there is just because it was the Sixties. We lived at the farmhouse, so we were always into raps about the implication and the meaning, so some of that crept in".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Living_Dead

Olympics in Mexico City from 12th October to 27th October 1968.

The army was ordered by minister of the interior to fire upon thousands of demonstrating students. They were cut down by the score in the Plaza Thaltelolco in down town Mexico City. The media reported 50 to 60 deaths. Did more than one thousand die? – “the Pena files: One Man’s War Against Federal Corruption and the Abuse of Power.” Page 88

With Bobby out of the way, Humphrey was nominated, but lost out to Nixon,
- how did right wing independent George C Wallace affect result?

Democratic Party right wing could not accept Eugene McCarthy or RFK and VP Hubert Humphrey was swiftly drafted in on the ‘peace with honour’ ticket to continue the Vietnam war with frontline US troops.

Spiced up with the inclusion of an American Independent candidate.

Nixon                                    43.3        301

Hubert H Humphrey              42.7        191

George C Wallace                 13.5        46

Paranoid Government

FBI during 1964 to 1968, installation of more than 800 wire taps and some 700 bugs, 150 surreptitious entries and an unknown number of informants and infiltrators utilized in “non0criminal investgation”.

“The COINTELPRO papers”, Ward Churchill and Jim Vander Wall page 166.

“COINTELPRO and Democracy” by Jason Wehling.

Operation CHAOS

LBJ boosted affort to spy on US citizens. CIA agents undercover as student radicals to spy on and disrupt campus protests. They search for Russian instigators which they never find. CHAOS eventually spies on 7,000 individuals and 1,000 organisations.

Those damaging revelations just kept being leaked. Someone in the establishment really wanted Nixon out. Was it the JCS or Pentagon he’d been so careful to cut out of the loop?

The Cointelpro Papers were stolen and sent to the Washington Post . A massive programme of surveillance, included wiretaps, burglaries, bugging and mail tampering. The purpose was the inducement of “paranoia” amongst those targeted, by making them aware that they had been selected for special treatment. It was an all out campaign to prevent the black movement from being taken seriously as a major political force – disappointed by the established parties failure to support civil rights – black people were now forming their own organisations.

There was a part with the heading “The Effort to Disrupt the Black Panther Party by Promoting Internal Dissention” and involved the systematic fabrication of letters and other documents designed to portray ideological differences between the party leaders Huey P Newton and Eldridge Cleaver.

www.wakeupmag.co.uk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_COINTELPRO_Papers
http://www.democracynow.org/2002/6/5/me_and_my_shadow_a_history

“Americapeodia” entry: 2,000 separate Cointelpros in the 1960s – carried out by the FBI using surveillance, bogus mail, black propaganda, “grey” propaganda, harassment arrests, infiltration, ‘pseudo gangs’, ‘bad-jacketing’, fabrication of evidence, assassinations, all against political dissidents in the US.

Two Black Panthers emerged after a [Huey F] Newton – [Eldridge] Cleaver factional fight, after Cointelpro operation fabricating over a hundred items of correspondence to foster splits between the two. Members of each side were killed during factional fighting. Newton was eventually driven out of the US.

November 25th 1968 J. Edgar Hoover memo to exploit differences between BPP and United Slaves (US) and to create dissent with the BPP.

January 17th John Huggins and Alprentice Carter were killed by gunmen – BPP leaders. “FBI credited itself with their deaths.

Black Panther (BPP), Illinois Chairman, Fred Hampton, was killed with FBI complicity, ‘turning the tide’ CHOMSKY. FBI and States’ Attorney joined forces in the cold blooded murder of Hampton.

On December 3rd 1968, William O’Neal, an FBI infiltrator, slipped secobarbital in a drink. He was comatose when a 14 man police team burst in with a submachine gun and other arms (4am, Dec 4th). He was shot three times , twice in the head, at point blank range. Also killed was Mark Clark, head of Peoria, Illinois, BPP chapter. No Panther had fired a shot  (Clark may have squeezed off a shot during his death convulsions) while police pumped at least 98 rounds into the apartment. The BPP survivors were all beaten while handcuffed, charged with “aggressive assult” and “attempted murder” of the raiders.

District Judge John F Grady claimed there was sufficient evidence of a conspiracy to deprive the Panthers of their civil rights to award the plaintiffs $1.85m in damages, “THE COINTELPRO PAPERS”, WARD CHURCHILL AND JIM VANDERWALL.

Between 1967 and Dec 1969 BPP were hit with 768 arrests forcing them to raise $4,890,580 in bail bonds.

Black Panther Bobby Searle. Judge ordered him shackled and gagged in court. Chicago 8 / Chicago 7.