</s>File #: 62-HQ-116375 Serial Scope: BBF 1109X Released under the John F. Kennedy Assessment Records Collection Act of 992 (44 USC 217) Note, CasetN.W. 83414 Date: 03-18-2025 NW 88614 Docid: 32895343 Page 1

Summary:  
The document contains transcripts from congressional hearings discussing FBI domestic intelligence operations, including surveillance and interference with civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the legality of these activities. Testimonies by FBI officials like James B. Adams and Raymond Wannall address efforts to disrupt political groups through programs like COINTELPRO, which targeted organizations such as the Black Panther Party, New Left movements, and others. The hearings examine whether these actions violated constitutional protections, exceeded legal authority, or involved unauthorized surveillance. Specific cases include FBI attempts to prevent Dr. King from meeting the Pope, anonymous letters sent to disrupt civil rights activities, and investigations into alleged communist ties within the movement. References are made to the Warren Commission's investigation into John F. Kennedy’s assassination, with criticism of the FBI’s intelligence dissemination policies post-Kennedy. The discussions also highlight tensions between the FBI and civil rights leaders, including former Director J. Edgar Hoover’s alleged conflicts with Dr. King, and debates over the Bureau’s mandate to address domestic threats without clear congressional oversight.  

Key People:  
- James B. Adams (FBI representative)  
- Raymond Wannall (Assistant Director, FBI Intelligence Division)  
- Senator Paul Simon/Mondale (D-Minn.)  
- Senator Frank Church (Chairman of the Senate Select Committee)  
- Senator Hart (Michigan)  
- Senator Tower  
- Senator Schweiker  
- J. Edgar Hoover (former FBI Director)  
- Martin Luther King Jr.  
- Attorney General Katzenbach  
- Congressman Young  

Key Locations:  
- Washington, D.C. (Senate Office Building, FBI headquarters)  
- Memphis, Tennessee (context for Dr. King’s activities)  
- Chicago (Black Panther and Blackstone Ranger operations)  
- Newark, New Jersey (Women’s Liberation Movement focus)  
- Oakland, California (civil rights movement context)  

Key Events:  
- Senate Select Committee hearings on FBI intelligence activities (1975)  
- Testimony regarding FBI surveillance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and civil rights leaders  
- Discussions about COINTELPRO operations targeting political groups (Black Panthers, New Left, Communist Party)  
- Examination of anonymous letters sent to disrupt civil rights advocacy  
- Reference to the Warren Commission’s investigation into JFK’s assassination and FBI intelligence policies post-Kennedy  
- Debate over legal authority for domestic surveillance and interference with civil rights leaders  

Key Organizations:  
- United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations With Respect to Intelligence Activities  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO)  
- Black Panther Party  
- New Left movements  
- Communist Party, U.S.A.  
- Southern Christian Leadership Conference  
- Women’s Liberation Movement  
- Warren Commission (investigation into JFK’s assassination)

JFK Declassified Files

124-10186-10041.pdf

Document Summary

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