Identifier

FBI_00105

Title

COINTELPRO File on the League of Revolutionary Black Workers & Detroit Union Movements #3

Creator

Detroit FBI Field Office & Hoover, J. Edgar (FBI)

Description

This collection of FBI files tracks the expanding international influence and internal dynamics of the LRBW, highlighting their trip to Copenhagen, meetings with North Vietnamese officials, and relationships with other U.S. revolutionary groups. The documents feature translated Danish flyers, detailed surveillance of group leaders, and news excerpts illustrating splits within the LRBW, including the formation of new organizations like the Black Workers Congress (BWC) and Communist League (CL). Surveillance efforts also reveal the FBI’s tactics in exploiting internal tensions and closely monitoring offshoots, front organizations, and youth self-defense movements. The files include extensive reporting on finances, membership, cross-city connections, especially with Chicago groups, and the ongoing absorption and transformation of the LRBW.

Source

157-HQ-12523-03, 2 June 1971 to 23 August 1972, Federal Bureau of Investigation Records, "League of Revolutionary Black Workers (LRBW)", Detroit FBI Files - Black Freedom.

Theme

Criminalization and Resistance, Community and Resistance

Type

Government Records, Media Reports, Publications

Level 1 Tag

Race

Racism

Racialization

Social Movements

Surveillance

Government Correspondence

Activism

COINTELPRO

Detroit

Resistance

Level 2 Tag

Black Power

Racial Unrest

Profiling

Informants

Infiltration

Abuse by Government

Labor Movement

Race & Ethnic Identity

COINTELPRO - League of Revolutionary Black Workers

Communism

Socialism

Marxism

Racial Inequality

Unionization

Level 3 Tag

League of Revolutionary Black Workers

BAM

University of Michigan

Legat Copenhagen

Detroit Free Press

Black Workers Conference

General Gordon Baker Jr.

Black Student United Front

Communist League

Robert F. Williams

J. Edgar Hoover

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Date

1971-06-02 to 1972-08-23

Location

Detroit, MI & Washington, D.C.

Rights

Public Domain acquired through Freedom of Information Act