COINTELPRO: Created the Counter Intelligence Program to"expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize"civil rights leaders, Black nationalist organizations, antiwar activists, and the New Left. Methods included illegal surveillance, infiltration, disinformation, and assassination.

WAR AGAINST MLK: Called Martin Luther King Jr."the most dangerous Negro in America."Had King under constant surveillance, bugged his hotel rooms, and sent an anonymous letter suggesting he commit suicide along with recordings of alleged affairs.

FRED HAMPTON ASSASSINATION: FBI provided floor plans and intelligence that facilitated the Chicago Police raid killing Black Panther leader Fred Hampton in his bed. FBI informant William O'Neal drugged Hampton beforehand.

BLACKMAIL FILES: Maintained secret files on politicians, activists, and celebrities containing embarrassing or compromising information. Used these files to maintain power and resist oversight. No president dared fire him.

ILLEGAL SURVEILLANCE: Conducted warrantless wiretapping and"black bag jobs"(break-ins) against thousands of Americans. Accumulated files on over 1 million Americans despite no criminal suspicion.

CIVIL RIGHTS OBSTRUCTION: While FBI technically enforced civil rights laws, Hoover personally despised the movement. FBI often tipped off local police about civil rights workers, contributing to their murders.

RED SCARE ARCHITECT: Played key role in McCarthy-era persecution. Built lists of"subversives"and promoted anti-communist hysteria that destroyed careers and lives.

MAFIA DENIAL: For decades denied the existence of organized crime, possibly due to mob blackmail over his alleged homosexuality. This allowed the Mafia to grow unchecked.