BIO

Grant Stacey is a researcher originally from Port Charlotte, Florida, interested in the interactions between authoritative governmental institutions and individual civil liberties, especially that of free practice of religion. They are currently pursuing degrees from FSU in Political Science and Religion, and hope to continue to conduct research around these topics and their connections to local communities.

The FBI, COINTELPRO, and Tallahassee's New Left

Abstract

As Cold War tensions tightened alongside a burgeoning, left-wing, student movement, domestic FBI opposition oriented itself against the New Left- a broad, young, abstraction of Marxist ideology opposed to Soviet-style governance, rooting itself on American collegiate campuses. The FBI's COINTELPRO (Counterintelligence Program) targeted New Left activity on university campuses throughout the nation. In order to properly detail the role that COINTELPRO had in subverting New Left activities in and around the Tallahassee area researchers examined internal FBI documents and memorandums, university archives, and underground newspapers. Using a timeline of events, researchers captured the escalating social and political controversies in Tallahassee and its respective universities, Florida State University (FSU) and Flordia A&M University (FAMU). Using these resources, researchers were able to establish a clear intention by the FBI to infiltrate and suppress New Left activities in Northern Florida - utilizing methods of espionage and federal oversight. Research is currently ongoing to precisely detail and capture the full extent of FBI intervention, regarding COINTELPRO, in the Tallahassee area.

Keywords: COINTELPRO, Surveilance, Religion, Government, FBI