10 Point Summary
1. Historical Context of Repression: The exposure of the FBI’s secret COINTELPRO (Counterintelligence Program) in 1971 revealed a systemic government effort to infiltrate, disrupt, and neutralize social movements through "dirty tricks" ranging from forged letters to violence. While officially discontinued, these divide-and-conquer tactics continue to be used by state and corporate agencies to fracture resistance movements.
2. The Necessity of Proactive Counterintelligence: Passive "security culture" (what not to do) is insufficient for successful movements; activists must move to the offensive by actively studying, anticipating, and countering specific patterns of state repression. The primary goal of repression is to break movements into manageable parts, a strategy best countered by maintaining solidarity and understanding the adversary’s weapons.
3. Surveillance as Intimidation: Surveillance serves two purposes: gathering intelligence for future repression and engaging in "conspicuous surveillance" to induce paranoia and fear that freezes activism. While electronic surveillance is pervasive, human informants remain a primary tool for the state, aiming to sow distrust among moderates and radicals.
4. Psychological Warfare and Propaganda: Counterintelligence agents utilize "black propaganda" (phony publications), disinformation, and rumors to discredit leaders and fuel "horizontal hostility" (activists fighting each other). This includes "bad-jacketing," where agents falsely accuse genuine activists of being informants to destroy their credibility and isolate them.
5. Infiltration and Agents Provocateurs: Infiltrators (undercover professionals) and informers (turned activists) attempt to sabotage groups from within by encouraging self-defeating actions or entrapment. These agents often act as "agents provocateurs," pushing for reckless illegal actions or violence to justify heavy-handed state repression.
6. Warning Signs of Infiltration: Common indicators of infiltrators include fake friendliness, a lack of historical vetting (vouches), shallow political knowledge masked by smooth talking, inconsistencies in personal stories, and possessing abundant resources (money, vehicles) without a clear job. Infiltrators often violate security culture by asking inappropriate questions or bullying others into risky behavior.
7. Defensive Strategies Against Infiltration: Communities must "immunize" themselves by establishing screening processes, conducting background checks, and fostering a culture that rejects gossip and bullying. If an infiltrator is suspected, groups should investigate quietly and decisively using a trusted sub-group rather than making public accusations without hard evidence.
8. Legal Harassment and Violence: The state abuses the legal system to drain movement resources and morale through false arrests, grand juries, and draconian charges for minor offenses. When legal measures fail, the state may resort to illegal violence, including beatings, assassinations, and bombings (such as the case of Judi Bari), to terrorize dissidents and enforce submission.
9. Population Control and Martial Law: As movements grow, the state may employ population control measures—such as checkpoints, identification cards, and mass incarceration—to separate insurgents from their support base in the general population. These tactics, often manifesting as racialized policing or "security theater," aim to intimidate the public and restrict freedom of movement.
10. Co-optation and Selective Concessions: To neutralize movements, those in power may offer "selective concessions" or co-opt movement language to satisfy moderates while isolating radicals. Public relations firms, such as Stratfor, advise dividing activists into four groups (radicals, idealists, realists, and opportunists) to isolate the "radicals" and buy off or deceive the others into abandoning the struggle.