The FBI has released over 6.7 million pages of previously classified documents since 2011, yet these files barely scratch the surface of the agency’s most intriguing operations. From COINTELPRO’s systematic targeting of civil rights leaders to Operation Hoodwink’s attempts to incite violence between criminal organizations, the FBI repeatedly crossed ethical and legal boundaries in pursuit of its objectives.
Advancements in technology, particularly the continuous miniaturization of tech, helped the bureau create – and maintain – vast surveillance networks. They coupled these newer technologies with good old-fashioned character assassination campaigns, collaborative efforts with the CIA, and their massive pool of (often criminal) informants.
While many FBI agents served honorably, following the law and protecting American citizens, others participated in darker operations that undermined civil rights and democratic principles. These twenty-one revelations about the FBI’s secret activities demonstrate how powerful government agencies can abuse their authority when operating without sufficient oversight or accountability.
21. COINTELPRO: The FBI’s Secret War Against American Citizens
The FBI launched COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program) in 1956, initially targeting communists before expanding to surveil and disrupt civil rights groups, socialists, feminists, anti-war activists, artists, and anyone the bureau deemed threatening to the status quo. Declassified FBI memos revealed agents received direct orders to “expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize” targeted groups and individuals. The program employed tactics including illegal surveillance, infiltration, forgery of correspondence, and strategic leaks to media outlets designed to create conflicts within and between organizations.
The Church Committee investigations in 1975 exposed COINTELPRO’s extensive operations, leading to public outrage and the program’s official termination. Documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests showed the FBI had conducted over 2,000 COINTELPRO operations between 1956 and 1971. The revelations forced significant reforms in FBI oversight and operations, though critics argue similar tactics continued under different program names.
20. The Trujillo & GalÃndez Case: Cross-Agency Conflict and Murder
FBI informant Jesús Galíndez disappeared in 1956 after writing scathing exposés about Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo’s brutal regime. Declassified FBI documents revealed Galíndez had provided the bureau with valuable intelligence about former Nazis in Latin America and communist activities in the United States. The FBI valued his work enough to secretly help him obtain American citizenship, even while knowing his life faced increasing danger.
The case exposed tensions between the FBI and CIA, as evidence emerged that CIA-connected operatives had helped kidnap Galíndez from U.S. soil. The subsequent murder investigation revealed a complex web of intelligence agency conflicts, with FBI director J. Edgar Hoover discovering CIA-linked former agents working as contract killers for foreign dictators. The case resulted in multiple related murders, including American pilot Gerald Murphy and several witnesses, as Trujillo attempted to cover up the crime.
19. The McCarthy Era: Secret Files and Silent Power
Senator Joseph McCarthy’s anti-communist crusade terrorized Americans in the 1950s, but FBI records released decades later showed how J. Edgar Hoover and CIA director Allen Dulles protected their agencies from McCarthy’s investigations. The FBI maintained secret files documenting McCarthy’s inappropriate behavior with young women, using this information as insurance against potential investigations into the bureau. These files revealed through FOIA requests, demonstrated how the FBI collected compromising information even on powerful political allies.
McCarthy destroyed countless careers and lives through baseless accusations, while the FBI quietly accumulated evidence of his misconduct. Recently declassified documents showed that both Hoover and Dulles maintained extensive files on each other and McCarthy, creating a complex web of mutually assured destruction that helped their agencies avoid McCarthy’s witch hunts. The case exemplified how the FBI used collected intelligence not just against perceived enemies, but as protection against political threats.
18. Hoover vs. Dulles: A Battle of Agency Chiefs
The rivalry between FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and CIA Director Allen Dulles shaped American intelligence operations throughout the 1950s and early 1960s. Declassified correspondence revealed their outwardly cordial relationship masked deep personal antipathy, with Hoover privately calling Dulles “an arrogant, pompous Prussian” and “a puffed-up nitwit.” The two men maintained extensive secret files on each other’s personal lives and alleged misdeeds, creating a cold war between America’s top intelligence agencies.
Despite their mutual distrust, Hoover and Dulles collaborated when necessary, particularly in protecting Nazi scientists and intelligence assets brought to America after World War II. Documents released in 2014 exposed how the FBI and CIA worked together to shield these Nazi collaborators from Justice Department investigators, even as the agencies competed for power and influence. The Hoover-Dulles rivalry exemplified how personal conflicts between agency leaders affected national security operations and priorities.
17. The Lavender Scare and Gay Rights Surveillance
The FBI played a central role in the Lavender Scare of the 1950s, participating in the systematic persecution of LGBTQ+ government employees and citizens. Declassified FBI files revealed extensive surveillance operations targeting gay rights organizations, including the Mattachine Society of Washington. The bureau maintained thousands of pages in its “Sex Deviates” file, using this information to terminate government employees and destroy careers.
FOIA requests exposed how the FBI planted informants within early gay rights organizations and coordinated with hotel managers to spy on private meetings. The surveillance extended beyond government employees to monitor any gathering or organization supporting gay rights, with the FBI classifying such groups as potential national security threats. Documentation showed the bureau even monitored civil rights demonstrations for possible gay rights activists, seeing any intersection between civil rights and gay rights movements as particularly threatening.
16. Truman’s Warnings About the FBI’s Growing Power
President Harry Truman issued stark warnings about the FBI’s expanding influence and surveillance capabilities during his presidency. His statements, later revealed through presidential archives, explicitly compared the FBI’s methods to those of the Gestapo and warned about the agency’s growing power over elected officials. Truman particularly criticized the FBI’s use of sex scandals and blackmail to control politicians.
Recently declassified documents show Truman’s concerns extended beyond public statements, with private memos detailing his attempts to limit FBI authority. The president observed that members of Congress feared J. Edgar Hoover, creating a dangerous dynamic where democratic oversight weakened in the face of FBI power. Truman’s warnings proved prescient, as subsequent investigations would reveal decades of FBI overreach and abuse of power.
15. Roy Cohn’s Web of FBI Blackmail
Roy Cohn, McCarthy’s chief counsel and later a powerful attorney with mafia connections, maintained a complex relationship with FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover based on mutual blackmail. Documents released through FOIA requests revealed Cohn possessed compromising photographs of Hoover, while simultaneously helping the FBI persecute LGBTQ+ individuals despite allegations about his own sexuality. The relationship exemplified how the FBI’s surveillance state created opportunities for manipulation by insiders.
Testimony from multiple sources, including former mobsters and government officials, confirmed Cohn used his knowledge of FBI secrets to protect himself and his clients. His position as both an anti-gay crusader and alleged closeted gay man highlighted the hypocritical nature of FBI persecution campaigns. The Cohn-Hoover relationship demonstrated how the FBI’s collection of compromising information could backfire against the bureau itself.
14. The FBI Campaign Against Martin Luther King Jr.
The FBI’s operation against Martin Luther King Jr. represented one of the most aggressive surveillance campaigns ever conducted against an American citizen. The 1975 Church Committee investigation revealed the FBI’s COINTELPRO program targeted King from 1963 until his death in 1968, employing wiretaps, informants, and coordinated media smear campaigns. Agents collected information about King’s personal life, particularly his extramarital affairs while attempting to paint him as a communist sympathizer.
Declassified files showed the FBI shared collected information with journalists and civil rights movement opponents to undermine King’s leadership. The bureau’s campaign escalated to sending King an anonymous letter in 1964 that investigators interpreted as encouraging him to commit suicide. The full extent of FBI operations against King remains partially classified, with additional files scheduled for release in 2027.
13. The FBI and MLK’s Assassination
Investigations into Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination raised serious questions about potential FBI involvement or foreknowledge of the plot. The 1999 civil trial King v. Jowers resulted in a jury verdict concluding that a government conspiracy played a role in King’s death, though specific FBI involvement remained unproven. King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, publicly stated her belief in a high-level conspiracy based on evidence she had reviewed.
The House Select Committee on Assassinations found in 1979 that James Earl Ray likely did not act alone in killing King, contradicting the FBI’s official position. Declassified FBI files revealed the bureau had extensive surveillance on King right up until his death and had identified him as a major threat to social stability. The controversy surrounding FBI involvement in King’s death continues to generate new investigations and document releases.
12. The FBI’s Role in the JFK Investigation and Cover-Up
The FBI’s handling of the John F. Kennedy assassination investigation raised significant questions about the bureau’s commitment to uncovering the full truth. Recently declassified memos showed J. Edgar Hoover emphasized the importance of convincing the public that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, even before a thorough investigation could be completed. The bureau destroyed evidence, including a letter Oswald had delivered to the FBI Dallas office shortly before the assassination.
Documents released in 2017 and 2022 revealed the FBI received warning signs before the assassination, including an anonymous call to a British news outlet predicting “big news” from Dallas. The bureau’s handling of Jack Ruby, a known FBI informant who killed Oswald, added another layer of suspicion to the investigation. Hoover’s own memos expressed concern about the Dallas Police Department’s failure to protect Oswald despite specific FBI warnings about threats to his life.
11. Fred Hampton’s FBI-Orchestrated Assassination
The FBI’s role in Fred Hampton’s death emerged through documents obtained in a civil lawsuit and subsequent FOIA releases. The bureau planted an informant, William O’Neal, who provided detailed floor plans of Hampton’s apartment and drugged him on the night of the December 4, 1969 raid. FBI memos confirmed the bureau orchestrated the operation with Chicago police, resulting in the deaths of Hampton and fellow Black Panther Mark Clark.
The civil case revealed the FBI paid O’Neal $300 for his assistance and classified Hampton as a “Black Messiah” who needed to be neutralized under COINTELPRO directives. Hampton’s pregnant girlfriend survived the raid and testified that police ensured Hampton’s death with point-blank shots after the initial fusillade. The case resulted in a $1.85 million settlement paid to survivors and families in 1982.
10. FBI Surveillance of John Lennon
The FBI monitored former Beatle John Lennon extensively during his time in the United States, compiling thousands of pages of surveillance records on his anti-war activism. Declassified files revealed the bureau documented minute details of Lennon’s life, including a bizarre focus on his friend’s allegedly politically conscious parrot. The surveillance continued despite no evidence of actual criminal activity or security threats.
FOIA requests exposed how Hoover personally directed the surveillance, claiming Lennon showed “extreme left-wing activities” and sympathy for Trotskyist communists. The FBI’s extensive files included reports on Lennon’s daily activities, associates, and political statements. The bureau’s attention to Lennon demonstrated its tendency to view cultural figures with anti-war or leftist leanings as national security threats.
9. George Hunter White and MKUltra Connections
FBI files revealed the bureau knew about former narcotics agent George Hunter White’s involvement in the CIA’s MKUltra program but took no action to stop his illegal activities. White operated CIA-funded safe houses where he dosed unwitting citizens with LSD and observed their reactions through two-way mirrors. The bureau maintained detailed files on White’s activities, including his training at a “British sabotage school” and his role in drug enforcement.
Declassified documents showed White wrote openly about his enjoyment of illegal activities conducted with “the sanction and blessing of the All-Highest.” His connection to both the FBI and CIA’s mind control programs highlighted the complex relationships between American intelligence agencies during the Cold War. White’s activities included drugging his wife’s friends and random bar patrons, actions documented in FBI files but never prosecuted.
8. The Frank Olson Case and Cover-Up
The FBI maintained classified files on the mysterious death of Frank Olson, a biological warfare scientist involved in MKUltra who fell from a New York hotel window in 1953. The heavily redacted files suggested bureau awareness of CIA involvement in Olson’s death but showed no serious investigation into the circumstances. The case exposed how the FBI sometimes chose not to investigate suspicious deaths connected to other intelligence agencies.
Recently released documents revealed the FBI knew Olson had been unwittingly dosed with LSD by the CIA days before his death. The bureau’s files contained witness statements and evidence suggesting Olson may have been murdered rather than committed suicide, yet the FBI declined to pursue these leads. The case represented a prime example of intelligence agencies protecting each other’s secrets at the expense of justice.
7. Viola Liuzzo’s Murder and the FBI Smear Campaign
The 1965 murder of civil rights activist Viola Liuzzo exposed the FBI’s practice of protecting informants while destroying victims’ reputations. An FBI informant rode with Ku Klux Klan members when they shot Liuzzo, leading to public questions about the bureau’s relationship with violent extremists. The FBI responded by launching a coordinated smear campaign against Liuzzo, fabricating stories about drug use and immoral behavior.
FOIA requests in 1978 revealed how J. Edgar Hoover personally directed the campaign to discredit Liuzzo, creating false files and leaking them to politicians and journalists. The bureau’s manufactured stories claimed Liuzzo had needle marks on her arms and engaged in inappropriate behavior with civil rights workers. The case demonstrated how the FBI used media manipulation to deflect attention from its controversial operations.
6. FBI UFO Investigations
The FBI maintained extensive files on UFO sightings from 1947 to 1953, despite J. Edgar Hoover’s public skepticism about such reports. Declassified documents showed Hoover rejected requests from the Air Force to investigate UFO incidents, dismissing them as cases of “ash can covers, toilet seats, and whatnot.” The bureau nonetheless accumulated thousands of pages of UFO-related reports and witness statements.
The FBI’s approach to UFO investigations revealed a broader pattern of monitoring UFO organizations and enthusiasts for potential subversive activities. Documents showed the bureau viewed UFO groups as possible covers for communist or anti-government activities. This paranoid approach transformed even seemingly innocent civilian organizations into targets for FBI surveillance.
5. FBI Involvement in Torture Programs
Documents released through FOIA requests exposed the FBI’s adoption of CIA torture techniques, particularly during the War on Terror. The bureau used methods outlined in the CIA’s KUBARK Counterintelligence Interrogation manual, despite its public stance against torture. FBI agents participated in enhanced interrogation techniques at various black sites, including the notorious case of Abu Zubaydah, who endured waterboarding, extended confinement, and other extreme measures.
The Guardian’s reporting revealed FBI agents’ involvement in interrogations that included keeping suspects in coffins, stress positions, and sleep deprivation. While some FBI agents objected to these practices and walked out of CIA black sites in Thailand, others continued to participate in controversial interrogation programs. The revelations contradicted the FBI’s carefully cultivated image as the more restrained intelligence agency.
4. FBI’s Role at CIA Black Sites
Released documents confirmed FBI agents’ presence at CIA black sites during the War on Terror, particularly in Thailand. Nine FBI agents worked secretly at these facilities while officially remaining on the bureau payroll, their participation only becoming public knowledge in 2021. The New York Times’ reporting exposed how some FBI agents withdrew from these sites in disgust at the torture they witnessed.
Civil court cases revealed the extent of FBI involvement in black site operations, despite the bureau’s attempts to distance itself from CIA torture programs. The presence of FBI agents at these facilities complicated legal proceedings against terrorism suspects, as courts had to determine whether evidence obtained through torture could be admitted. The revelations damaged the FBI’s reputation and raised questions about its commitment to constitutional rights.
3. FBI Attempts to Incite Violence Between Groups
Operation Hoodwink exemplified the FBI’s strategy of pitting rival groups against each other, attempting to provoke violent conflicts between the American mafia and communist organizations. Declassified memos from 1977 detailed the bureau’s two-year campaign to incite warfare between these groups through anonymous letters, newspaper plants, and strategic disinformation. The FBI crafted fake correspondence designed to anger both sides, though the effort ultimately failed to provoke the desired violence.
The bureau employed similar tactics against civil rights organizations, most notably attempting to instigate conflict between the Black Panthers and the Blackstone Rangers in Chicago. A 1969 FBI memo celebrated how their tactics had created “shootings, beatings, and a high degree of unrest” in urban areas. These operations demonstrated the FBI’s willingness to promote violence among civilian groups to achieve its objectives.
2. FBI’s Problematic Informants
The FBI’s informant program expanded dramatically from 1,500 informants in 1975 to approximately 15,000 in recent years, with serious consequences. Freedom of Information requests revealed the bureau authorized informants to commit over 22,800 crimes between 2011 and 2014, officially sanctioning criminal activity to further investigations. The program’s flaws became particularly apparent when informants like Scott Kimball and Phillip Arthur Thompson were exposed as serial killers operating under FBI protection.
Investigative reports showed the FBI paid informants $548 million over recent years while often failing to prevent their criminal activities. The bureau justified these payments and crime authorizations as necessary for maintaining investigations, even as some informants used their protected status to commit serious offenses. Cases of murderous informants highlighted the risks of the FBI’s extensive reliance on criminal sources for intelligence gathering.
1. The Robert Hanssen Spy Case and FBI Undercover Operations
Robert Hanssen’s two-decade career as a Soviet spy within the FBI ranks represented one of the most damaging betrayals in American intelligence history. From 1979 to 2001, Hanssen provided the Soviets with crucial intelligence about American nuclear programs, eavesdropping operations, and the identities of American agents, leading to multiple executions. The FBI spent $7 million to obtain KGB intelligence confirming Hanssen’s treachery, demonstrating the high cost of internal security breaches.
The Hanssen case contrasted sharply with successful FBI undercover operations, such as Joe Pistone’s infiltration of the mafia under the alias Donnie Brasco. While undercover operations led to numerous convictions, including 100 from Pistone’s work alone, they also carried significant risks. The 1996 murder of undercover agent Charles Leo Reed during a drug operation in Philadelphia marked the last death of an undercover FBI agent, highlighting the dangers faced by operatives working to infiltrate criminal organizations.
