Stuff You Missed in History Class SYMHC Classics: COINTELPRO 2
Feb 21, 2026
A deep dive into the FBI's secret programs that targeted Black liberation groups and the New Left. Stories cover Hoover memos, disinformation campaigns, and the deadly raid that killed Fred Hampton. The dramatic 1971 burglary that exposed COINTELPRO and the ensuing investigations are highlighted. The episode traces legal fallout and echoes in modern surveillance language.
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Black Panthers' Community Survival Programs
- The Black Panther Party created community survival programs like free breakfasts, clinics, and screening programs for sickle cell disease.
- These services often helped oppressed people beyond race and became models for later federal programs.
Jean Seberg Harassed By FBI Lies
- The FBI spread false rumors that actress Jean Seberg's baby fathered by a Black Panther, leading her to attempt suicide and losing the baby prematurely.
- Seberg suffered lifelong trauma and died in 1979; her death was ruled a suicide.
Deadly Raid That Killed Panthers
- An FBI-orchestrated raid in Chicago in 1969 left Fred Hampton and Mark Clark dead after police fired dozens of shots into a Black Panther apartment.
- Evidence showed only one shot came from inside, contradicting police claims of an initial Panther attack.