TL;DR
In 1971 a small group of anti-war activists broke into an unguarded FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania and removed files that exposed secret programs aimed at disrupting domestic political groups. The stolen documents revealed COINTELPRO operations and a clandestine Security Index that listed thousands for potential detention, sparking years of journalism, lawsuits, and congressional scrutiny.
What happened
In late 1970 William Davidon and seven fellow anti-war activists formed a clandestine Citizens Committee to Investigate the FBI. On March 8, 1971—during the Ali–Frazier fight—they entered an unsecured FBI field office in Media, Pennsylvania and took thousands of files. Investigators and reporters who later examined the material found evidence of a parallel, covert FBI apparatus that used deception, disinformation, surveillance, and sometimes violence to undermine groups considered politically threatening. Among the files were memos labeled COINTELPRO and SI. COINTELPRO encompassed multiple counterintelligence programs, initiated formally in 1956, that targeted civil-rights groups, the New Left, the Puerto Rican independence movement, the American Indian Movement, the Socialist Workers Party and others. The SI, or Security Index, was a secret list of more than 26,000 people slated for arrest without hearings in a national emergency. The burglary prompted extended press coverage, litigation, and congressional inquiries; related prosecutions, including the Camden 28 case, produced contested revelations about FBI tactics and informers.
Why it matters
- Exposed systematic, often illegal surveillance and disruption of U.S. domestic political movements by the FBI.
- Revealed that federal counterintelligence efforts targeted a wide range of organizations and individuals beyond traditional national-security threats.
- Documented programs and lists that enabled detention and suppression without public oversight or due process.
- Triggered sustained media investigation, lawsuits, and congressional scrutiny that reshaped public understanding of federal intelligence practices.
Key facts
- The break-in took place March 8, 1971, at an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania.
- The burglary was carried out by eight members of a Citizens Committee to Investigate the FBI led by William Davidon.
- Stolen documents included memoranda headed 'COINTELPRO' and 'SI' (Security Index).
- COINTELPRO formally began in 1956 and comprised a dozen separate programs targeting groups from the Communist Party to the American Indian Movement.
- The Security Index listed more than 26,000 people for possible arrest and detention without hearings during a declared national emergency.
- The FBI enlisted large numbers of unpaid and paid informers; files indicate agreements with 16,700 American Legion posts involving 100,880 members to gather local intelligence.
- Infiltration statistics cited in the files included, for one organization of about 2,500 members, roughly 1,600 informers; an estimated 6% of Klan members reportedly served as informers at one point.
- The FBI responded to the Media burglary by assigning about 200 agents to the case and sending Mark Felt to investigate; subsequent prosecutions such as the Camden 28 drew attention to the bureau’s methods.
- Betty Medsger, then of the Washington Post, was among the first journalists to see and report on the material; her book on the burglary runs 544 pages.
What to watch next
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Quick glossary
- COINTELPRO: An FBI counterintelligence program or collection of programs aimed at surveilling, disrupting, and neutralizing domestic political organizations and activists.
- Security Index (SI): A secret FBI list compiled to identify people to be detained without trial in the event of a national emergency.
- Informant: A person who provides information to law enforcement, sometimes paid or recruited from within targeted organizations.
- McCarran Act (Internal Security Act): A 1950 statute that required registration of certain organizations and included provisions allowing detention during a national emergency; noted in the source as revoked in 1971.
Reader FAQ
How were COINTELPRO and the Security Index first revealed?
Activists who broke into an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania on March 8, 1971 removed files that exposed memos and lists later analyzed by journalists and lawyers.
Who led the burglary that uncovered the files?
William Davidon recruited seven other anti-war activists to form a Citizens Committee to Investigate the FBI and led the Media break-in.
What did COINTELPRO aim to do?
Documents showed COINTELPRO sought to surveil, discredit, disrupt, and misdirect organizations deemed subversive, including civil-rights and New Left groups.
Were there prosecutions related to the burglary?
Several people connected to antiwar actions were arrested later (for example the Camden 28), and trials brought forward evidence about FBI provocation and informers; the Camden 28 were acquitted.
Is there confirmation that COINTELPRO-style programs continue today?
not confirmed in the source
REVIEW How We Found Out About COINTELPRO by Martin Oppenheimer Geography Americas United States Subject History Movements State Repression Issue: Vol. 66, No. 04 (September 2014) Martin Oppenheimer is professor…
Sources
- How We Found Out About COINTELPRO (2014)
- cointelpro
- FBI Records: The Vault — COINTELPRO
- March 8, 1971: FBI's COINTELPRO Exposed
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