The Great Burglary of the FBI Offices: The Tragic Failure to Change It.

christmasMerry Christmas to All Those Who Follow the Julian Calendar like some in my family. The kids always liked the idea of celebrating both a Gregorian and Julian Christmas. The celebration of Christmas does not involve a Santa Clause but gifts are still given out. The big event is on Christmas Eve when the family sits down to a meal that has 12 different meatless and dairyless foods. My Ukrainian wife continues her family a tradition that has come down through many generations.

FBI MaskI interrupt my Christmas celebrations being struck today by an article that I read about an incident that occurred in an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania. 8 amateur burglars broke into that FBI satellite office 43 years ago on March 8, 1971, and stole all of its records. They were never caught. I’d have to guess that was the only time in the history that so many people were involved in a burglary and no one talked. We know of the Gardner Museum heist, another notorious burglary that the FBI has been unable to solve, but that only involved two or three thieves. Imagine 8 people, actually there were 9 but one dropped out before the date the job was pulled, keeping quiet all these years.  Only recently, the statute of limitations on the crime having long expired, have some come out publicly and disclosed their roles in it. All the culprits were what we then called peaceniks.

One burglar explained: “When you talked to people outside the [peace] movement about what the F.B.I. was doing, nobody wanted to believe it. There was only one way to convince people that it was true, and that was to get it in their handwriting.” I smiled reading that as I thought  nothing has changed in 43 years.

The documents showed that J. Edgar Hoover had an obsession with stifling any dissent in this country.  He set out as his purpose to: “enhance the paranoia endemic in these circles and will further serve to get the point across there is an F.B.I. agent behind every mailbox, . . .”   This was the thought process of the man who had been director of the FBI for 47 years at the time; he had set his agency to war against the American people who were against the Vietnam War. Reflect on that:Hoover had a group of Americans, FBI agents, who were willing to go about intimidating people who were peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights.

Yet, that was nothing compared to what eventually was revealed as a result of this break in. On one document were the words: “Cointelpro.” It is typical of the FBI to indulge itself in acronyms such as “Elsur” for electronic surveillance or “LCN” for the Mafia. Cointelpro was an actual attack upon Americans where FBI agents set one group against another with disinformation which resulted in the deaths of some people. One person described its purpose as: “The intent of Cointelpro was to destroy lives and ruin reputations.”

Here’s what the FBI’s spokesman said: “a number of events during that era, including the Media burglary, contributed to changes to how the F.B.I. identified and addressed domestic security threats, leading to reform of the F.B.I.’s intelligence policies and practices and the creation of investigative guidelines by the Department of Justice.”  You note nothing is mentioned about the FBI’s malfeasance and dirty tricks changing. We know that they haven’t.

These burglars were terribly ordinary people. John and Bonnie Raines were two of them. This was to be their final protest against the Vietnam War but what a risk they took. They had three children and had they been caught their lives and their children’s would have been changed forever. John Raines, now 80 recently said, “It looks like we’re terribly reckless people. But there was absolutely no one in Washington — senators, congressmen, even the president — who dared hold J. Edgar Hoover to accountability. It became pretty obvious to us,that if we don’t do it, nobody will.”

Few are made of sterner stuff than the Raineses. They and their fellow patriots were willing to risk their freedom to point out the nefarious behavior of J. Edgar Hoover and his troops of witting agents. What had America wrought in creating such an agency that would war on the American people expressing their Constitutional rights; and how is it a man of such ignoble character that would lead this attack is much revered to this date?

420 days after that break in J. Edgar Hoover died.

43 years after that break in, despite the heroic efforts of these protestors, sadly, we must admit that they utterly failed.

The break in was motivated because there was absolutely no one in Washington — senators, congressmen, even the president — who dared hold [the FBI] to accountability.” 

Nothing has changed. Things might be worse. Today the FBI has become so bold by its lack of accountability that it can shoot down an unarmed person and refuse to explain its actions. 43 years ago we had some who felt compelled to act because no one else would. Where have all our heroes gone?

 

 

 

 

 

10 Comments

  1. Weekend Edition January 10-12, 2014
    http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/01/10/an-agent-in-every-mailbox/
    The FBI’s Hidden Agendas
    An Agent in Every Mailbox
    by MALCOLM L. RIGSBY

  2. Matt:
    My mother’s parents came from Minsk and settled in Colchester Ct.
    The Orthodox Church has an interesting background. A couple years ago I interviewed Professor Kyriacos Markides who has written several books about the Orthodox Monasteries on the remote Greek island called Mount Athos. A lot of the “miracle stuff” happens there. Highly recommend two of my favorite books RIDING THE LION and THE MOUNTAIN OF SILENCE
    Thought you might want to see this tweet I just got from J Edgar Hoover
    FBI AGENT’s ALLEGED ROLE IN 1971 MEDIA, PENNA. FBI BURGLARY

    Stephan Byrd on Jan 9th, 2014

    http://tickerreport.com/press-releases/102733/fbi-agents-alleged-role-in-1971-media-penna-fbi-burglary/

    • Dear MSFREEH,

      Maybe you should interview J. Edgar Hoover, too; have you had a chance to sit down and speak with him? Maybe you can get in touch with Vince Foster while you’re at it so that you can get his take on what exactly happened. Good luck with these research efforts!

      Sincerely,
      Jay

    • MS:
      Thanks for the information on the books. I’ll tr to squeeze them in. Did you notice that the article about the book Evidence Withheld by Donald Wilson was written by Donald Wilson himself? It is strange which made me wonder if he did it because he wants to tie himself into the new book by those who broke into the FBI Media, Pa, office, The Burglars. I’d believe him if he mentioned his role in his book or if the people involved in the break in suggested they had the help of an FBI agent. That remains to be seen. But why would he say “unconfirmed rumors have Wilson making a phone call from a gas station in Morton, Penna., to Bill Davidon,” Davidson was the guy behind the break in. Good stuff. Full of mystery. But having been involved with the FBI for a bit, not as long as you I admit, I sometimes have great difficulty trying to figure out the motives behind the information the FBI agents put out not to mention whether it is truthful.

      • mtc9393 noted that Donald Wilson wrote the article. Perhaps he didn’t write the story. His book “Evidence Withheld,”(July, 2013)had 14 Chapters deleted. A major publisher withdrew(in spite of a contract)because of “Government Pressure.” In Sept, 2014 the entire book, titled “The MLK JR. and JFK Assassination Evidence,” will be released in the form as it was originally intended to appear.

  3. Matt- I saw a segment interview with some of them lastnight. Pretty incredible stuff, Hoover was a real bastard of a man.

    • Doubting:

      Hoover was a complicated figure. He had one goal in life and that was to keep the United States operating as he though it should operate and he had a band of witting men desirous of fullfilling his every wish. Hoover did not let the law stand in the way of his actions and bent it or broke it at his whim. He surely was evil but through his evilness he may have preserved more of our liberties than many want to give him credit for. He destroyed many people to preserve his vision of America. His actions still influence things today.

  4. Good post Matt, now how how about coughing up some dough to support Hilary Clinton’s campaign for President,eh?
    2 reads

    1st read
    Super PAC’ backing Hillary Clinton says it raised $4 million
    http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-hillary-clinton-fundraising-20140107,0,2142955.story?track=rss

    2nd read
    http://whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/POLITICS/FOSTER_COVERUP/foster.php

    The Death of Vincent Foster
    By Michael Rivero

    Evidence Of A FBI Cover-up

    • Freeh- It is a little early to try and start soliciting funds for a presidential run, Let’s just see if we are all alive in 2016.

    • MS:
      Dreadful thought that Hillary could become president. Got a feeling though it won’t happen because she has no doubt it will. Every since she ran from that gun fire when she landed in Serbia, or was it Kosovo, or Rome, she’s been raising dough for the run. I believe the late Mark Rich or his wife gave her substantial sums; the same Mark Rich who was pardonned by Bill after making big dough contributions and who had the backing of Israel. If Barak keeps us out of killing Iranians until 2016 then putting Hillary in will guarantee their murder after that.