Breaking Good? The Burglary that Exposed the FBI's Secret Surveillance Program

More than four decades ago, under the cover of night, a group of eight individuals infiltrated an FBI office outside of Philadelphia and walked out with more than 1,000 documents, revealing closely guarded secrets-many about the FBI’s extensive surveillance programs. News of the burglary made the front page of The Washington Post, and although the incident itself faded from the headlines and was later overshadowed by Watergate and the Pentagon Papers, the publication of these sensitive documents altered the workings of the intelligence community.
Now the author of that front-page story, journalist Betty Medsger, has returned to the headlines by revealing the burglars’ identities for the first time in her tell-all account, The Burglary: The Discovery of J. Edgar Hoover’s Secret FBI.
Join us for a conversation with Medsger, two of the burglars John and Bonnie Raines, and former FBI special agent Dr. Ray Batvinis who served during the tumultuous years following the break-in and who has studied it closely since then, for an in-depth look at an event that altered domestic intelligence gathering for decades to follow. Co-sponsored by The Institute of World Politics.
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Пікірлер: 124

  • @willatwood
    @willatwood Жыл бұрын

    The reason why FBI agents didn't stand up or do more to voice concern is the same then, as it is now, especially in local law enforcement, to stand up and "blow the whistle" on colleagues will get you ostracized and looked down upon from your peers. Law enforcement will go out of there way to cover up, turn the other way and pervert any course of justice aimed at law enforcement officers. Unless the crime receives national attention and coverage, charges will not be brought forth, investigators will lie and state no laws or crimes were committed, allowing it to continue.

  • @felixd.4150

    @felixd.4150

    Жыл бұрын

    Even national scrutiny doesn't matter when your entire NY office is overrun by Trump loyalists

  • @silverado0938

    @silverado0938

    Жыл бұрын

    Well FBI agents have the added layer of classification and matters involving “national security”. So being a whistle blower as a FBI agent has a whole extra layer of crap to overcome.

  • @jamesleonard2870

    @jamesleonard2870

    14 күн бұрын

    By extension it becomes one of the attractions to that career. So the severity of the crimes mushrooms as criminally minded people populate these careers.

  • @EASTSIDERIDER707
    @EASTSIDERIDER7079 жыл бұрын

    In 1971 and 72, I was an infantry soldier in The U S Army. Though I was drafted, and not a volunteer, I believed much of what my government told me. That begin to erode as I spent much of '73 watching the Watergate Hearings on television. Subsequent revelations suggested that the rationale for the occupation and destruction of Vietnam were false. I was younger, less educated, and certainly ignorant of the moral corruption of our Government at that time. These courageous and patriotic citizens made a valuable contribution to our country. It is the rest of us who's apathy allows the runaway abuse of power that has inundated our lives today.

  • @Dreaded88

    @Dreaded88

    7 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for your service! :D

  • @EASTSIDERIDER707

    @EASTSIDERIDER707

    7 жыл бұрын

    Dreaded88 it was't my choice. I lost my deferment and got a letter from Nixon. If they resurrected that fucker, he'd be the least objectionable candidate today. Even Al Gore...

  • @brunobrizzi933

    @brunobrizzi933

    7 жыл бұрын

    EASTSIDERIDER707 veteran as you should be listen to. all my respect for you Sir. for the helll you had to go trough. for beeing betrayed by your government.

  • @NYROCKERCHICK1

    @NYROCKERCHICK1

    4 жыл бұрын

    UncleHank it's works today the ego power trip shows us no one is above the law, I no I no

  • @TheDavidlloydjones

    @TheDavidlloydjones

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@Dreaded88 "Service" in those days was the guys who went to jail in opposition to the war. Kennedy's War on Vietnam was motivated by American idealism, no doubt, but it was stupid, dishonest, and murderous. Over a million, perhaps up to two million, Vietnamese died in this typhoon of fire in defence of the inheritors of the French Empire.

  • @I-Libertine
    @I-Libertine Жыл бұрын

    Love these talks. Thank you, Spy Museum!

  • @bsdguy
    @bsdguy Жыл бұрын

    These are some great people, the whole group.

  • @dagann1
    @dagann14 жыл бұрын

    Thank God for whistleblowers!

  • @patrickyoung3503
    @patrickyoung35035 жыл бұрын

    As far as I can deter in the people are the final arbiters of "justice . They are the majority & they rule . A great post for which I thank you

  • @petertrott5107
    @petertrott51072 жыл бұрын

    Is it not up to the people of our western democracies to maintain our democracy?

  • @valentynderkach8834
    @valentynderkach88344 жыл бұрын

    I'm the guy who was born and spent his childhood in USSR. I remember all that hysterics about USA. The whole country was concentrated on overthrowing capitalism all round the world. We've been taught to hate the whole western civilization from the very first years. Now when John Raines says "we were nation governed by fear of communism" does he mean that all my memories were just an illusion? is he saying there was no danger coming from communism at all?

  • @valentynderkach8834

    @valentynderkach8834

    4 жыл бұрын

    @Barbara Mulvaney i watched it again and to me it still sounds like danger of communism was fictitious. I'll blame my bad English. Hopefully it's just me being paranoid.

  • @thaddeusolczyk5909

    @thaddeusolczyk5909

    4 жыл бұрын

    Velnteyn, I'm sure that if confronted with the works of Alexandr Solzhenithsyn, he would say that he was a liar.

  • @MrBITS101

    @MrBITS101

    3 жыл бұрын

    Valentin, on the opposite side and in the 1950's there was McCarthyism in America, some were paranoid about communism which created witchhunts. This took some time to purge out of the general political system, but it affected and influenced many prominent people and events. It all started when they revealed the spies throughout america, some in high levels and the stealing of sensitive information and technologies.

  • @valentynderkach8834

    @valentynderkach8834

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@MrBITS101 In USSR we had a saying: "If you have persecutory delusions, that doesn't mean you are not being persecuted". Witch-hunt is always bad, but scare of communism doesn't surprise me much. There was a strong reason for that. Especially in late 40-s up until March 1953. I'm more surprised that some were expressing sympathy to communism. It was absurd back then and when i see how this idea is gaining popularity today i realize that lesson hasn't been learned.

  • @craxd1

    @craxd1

    3 жыл бұрын

    Raines doesn't want to admit who he was really working for. COINTELPRO was to counter the communist threat within the US, via the FBI's counterintelligence division (Counter Intelligence Program). The CIA can not work within the US, as it has no police power, which makes it the FBI's job. The Black Panthers, etc, were an arm of the CPUSA, and the anti-war effort was being directed by the CPUSA, as well as Moscow. We had the Weather Underground involved, setting of bombs, with Bill Ayers et al. Desegregation was hijacked by the CPUSA and KGB, via the Black Panthers, and other activists. There is a lot that's not revealed here, such as the use of honey traps, and blackmail, etc, by Moscow, which the FBI also used; fighting fire with fire. Raines, and his accomplices, caused a lot of damage to the US, which led to the Church Committee. This was the very reason why the Patriot Act was later created, to legalize what was once done under the table, as their actions allowed Ayers, his wife, and others to escape prosecution for murder over their bombings. It also allowed several in the Black Panthers to escape prosecution for murder.

  • @pamelasiddall1
    @pamelasiddall14 жыл бұрын

    Wow. Full circle we see in 47 years later

  • @1809steph
    @1809steph4 жыл бұрын

    Sounds like a Third World Police. State.

  • @joachim5080

    @joachim5080

    Жыл бұрын

    In a third world police state you would not have public talks like this.

  • @ron2823
    @ron2823 Жыл бұрын

    Was there a statute of limitations on that break-in, as the people responsible were speakers.

  • @RaineriRi
    @RaineriRi15 күн бұрын

    Oh the irony how Edward currently lives in an autocracy, defends its actions vehemently and blocks dissidents for expressing their views on his own conduct. He became such a dissappointment. P.S. And don't even get me started on the appalling conduct of Glenn Greenwald both professionally and in his private live.

  • @mofal1703
    @mofal17035 жыл бұрын

    I'm not black but this scares the crap out of me, now I understand Little bit more about the anger in the african American community. As a Jewish person if this ever happen to orthodox or Hasidic communities Israel intelligence would get involved but African-Americans have no outside help, very scary stuff.

  • @jorgealdridge6665

    @jorgealdridge6665

    3 жыл бұрын

    As a jew you should already know shame☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️💩

  • @FoxMacLeod2501
    @FoxMacLeod2501 Жыл бұрын

    That's the first time I've heard someone mix up "ransack" with "ramshackle."

  • @OddawallWood
    @OddawallWood Жыл бұрын

    Speaking of suppressing stories: in Katharine Graham's biography, she talks about how the Post would threaten to publish, or not, news stories to influence government policies.

  • @TheDavidlloydjones
    @TheDavidlloydjones3 жыл бұрын

    At 1:11, there was no known public group any "Black Liberation Army" at that time. I'm quite willing to believe that these police officers were assassinated, but the idea that it was done by some coherent activist group is entirely Dr. Batvinis's invention. Something similar goes for "Antifa" in the current situation. I have no doubt that there are little groups on campuses here and there who imagine they are part of some national anti-fascist organization, but any such organization exists mainly in their imaginations and in right-wing press noise. They are not a movement, nor a coherent membership group. They are a few press release claims and a lot of press finger-pointing.

  • @gilbertgiles

    @gilbertgiles

    2 жыл бұрын

    quite right

  • @toma5153

    @toma5153

    Жыл бұрын

    Agree. I think antifa is really just some random assortment of people who are anarchists and prone to street violence. They're made out to be this highly organized group of political thugs. It's more like a straw horse to demonize by police and right wingers.

  • @thaddeusolczyk5909
    @thaddeusolczyk59094 жыл бұрын

    Sheesh. I didn't like what Hoover did just like I don't like what many in the present FBI do. They all did not start out bad. To quote Tolkien "For nothing is evil in the beginning. Even Sauron was not so." Instead they let the badge go to their heads and instead of enforcing policy started dictating it. These people are no different. Instead of badges to justify their actions, they use "badges of righteousness". The sheer arrogance. I couldn't finish listening.

  • @sgtcwhatley

    @sgtcwhatley

    3 жыл бұрын

    I agree. In the end they seem to feel "our crimes were good; theirs were bad". Oddly enough I bet the FBI agents feel the same way

  • @kazkazimierz1742
    @kazkazimierz17423 жыл бұрын

    As much as I agree with Mr. Raines, I wish he hadn't waved the bloody shirt quite so much,.

  • @jeffkane221
    @jeffkane2213 жыл бұрын

    3 true patriotic peace activist's take on Snowden ? Heroic. Patriotic. Truth. PEACE

  • @redbaron474
    @redbaron4745 жыл бұрын

    So that would make THE FBI the prime suspects in King's assassination!

  • @uploadJ

    @uploadJ

    5 жыл бұрын

    Except, no.

  • @iraq.sometimessunnisometim1981

    @iraq.sometimessunnisometim1981

    4 жыл бұрын

    What king was assassinated?.

  • @skindianu

    @skindianu

    3 жыл бұрын

    They were definitely complicit

  • @TheDavidlloydjones

    @TheDavidlloydjones

    3 жыл бұрын

    No, Baron, nothing in this has any connection to Rev. King's killing. If anything, the indications here are all in the opposite direction, toward a rather juvenile manipulation of the press.

  • @TheDavidlloydjones

    @TheDavidlloydjones

    3 жыл бұрын

    @Southeastern777 Nope. The public murder of Jesus rather suggests that authorities running amok has been normal for a looong time. There was nothing "necessary" about any of the killings, so one rather wonders what is going on in your befuddled mind. "Necessary"???

  • @xiaoxuehua
    @xiaoxuehua Жыл бұрын

    Those ordinary people are the reason why American is such a great nation!

  • @heidimiller642
    @heidimiller6422 жыл бұрын

    There is no such thing as no evidence left at the scene of the crime. Every contact leaves a trace.

  • @willatwood

    @willatwood

    Жыл бұрын

    Ever heard of gloves?

  • @briansammond7801

    @briansammond7801

    Жыл бұрын

    Of course, there was evidence. A broken door from the crowbar. Empty file cabinets. Missing papers. But there was no evidence of the kind needed to identify the burglars.

  • @zlatkokovach7862
    @zlatkokovach78624 жыл бұрын

    Not that different than the Gestapo. In any event, shameful.

  • @garyc3233

    @garyc3233

    3 жыл бұрын

    ask comey and mueller....they are the same kind...

  • @Kim-dz8dv
    @Kim-dz8dv4 жыл бұрын

    Im sorry but why was FBI guy unnecessarily aggressive in the Q&A session when he’s not even the hero here

  • @kentallard8852
    @kentallard88524 жыл бұрын

    The FBI was violating the law and acting immorally, there was no legal means to redress this.

  • @uploadJ

    @uploadJ

    4 жыл бұрын

    Kinda like #FisaGate now? Tell me its not true!

  • @doowey22

    @doowey22

    Жыл бұрын

    Note: alleged crime of breaking onto FBI office to obtain evidence of unlawful FBI activity is only a crime if and only if official's oaths and affirmations to support and defend the Constitution of the United States is violated by one or more officials.

  • @DHorse
    @DHorse4 жыл бұрын

    1:19:00 Thanks for your work. These people are speaking a plain truth here we are reluctant to accept. I wonder if this gentleman knows this is sometimes referred to as the "Age of Fear". He certainly knows this was ever true and dangerous to a society.

  • @DHorse

    @DHorse

    4 жыл бұрын

    "A collective program right accross the gov't" "And why was that?" Another less discussed weakness of democracy is that when the people are united in their views, no matter how wrong, everybody knows about it and everybody does it. I exaggerate to make the point here but the effects are real enough. For example, militancy comes to mind. Also ethno-states & pseudo-theocracies. Citizenship and voting laws as well.

  • @leegramling1533
    @leegramling1533 Жыл бұрын

    The more things change, the more they stay the samee.

  • @jesimielmillar6770
    @jesimielmillar67702 жыл бұрын

    "You're Not Smart Enough to Counter-Act", you say! Well, SMART is not necessary to COUNTER-ACT-U, because: "YOU HAVE VERY little INTELLIGENCE!" Under-Stood?" - Jesimiel Millar (1-26-22) 8:45 PM

  • @gordtulk
    @gordtulk Жыл бұрын

    What do these burglars think of the Durham report?

  • @step4024
    @step40242 жыл бұрын

    As a non American, I'd say those 3 are heroes all and truly great Americans. I also think as time passes Edward Snowdon will be regarded as the same. J. Edgar Hoover was an autocratic, hypocritical monster and buildings etc should not bear his name. These 3 people should be honoured for what they did to expose the things this monstrous man, who was allowed to run a state within a state for half a century. Personally, I've always thought Hoover was involved in the brutal murder of President Kennedy. I always think it's ironic that he made agents gather info on gay people and then to use it against them, when he was gay himself!. Oh... of course he was gay!!

  • @felixd.4150

    @felixd.4150

    Жыл бұрын

    Snowden was reckless and put lives and operations at risk. I'm glad his life sucks now. Stuck in Russia, followed everywhere, bugged etc. Accomplished nothing except to make Julien Assange famous for a couple years. Foolish

  • @w1.0
    @w1.0 Жыл бұрын

    Why is there no defund the FBI movement? Says it all

  • @fredjones554
    @fredjones5545 жыл бұрын

    what an interesting story and it's coincidence with watergate and pentagon papers

  • @uploadJ

    @uploadJ

    4 жыл бұрын

    AND #FisaGate!

  • @shantamjohri
    @shantamjohri3 жыл бұрын

    Jesse where is the cocainer

  • @dimitrirezende7291

    @dimitrirezende7291

    3 жыл бұрын

    In my nose, mr whiter

  • @shantamjohri

    @shantamjohri

    3 жыл бұрын

    I knew someone would come here from that video !!

  • @shantamjohri

    @shantamjohri

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@dimitrirezende7291 (・o・)

  • @annamaedevlin1713
    @annamaedevlin17134 жыл бұрын

    OMG! Are we, reliving, the past!

  • @slappy8941

    @slappy8941

    4 жыл бұрын

    Easy on the commas there, sister.

  • @uploadJ

    @uploadJ

    4 жыл бұрын

    Ya - we live it now with #FisaGate. Nothing changes. Look at Roger Stone and Mike Flynn prosecutions. FBI lies ... who is surprised?

  • @garyc3233

    @garyc3233

    3 жыл бұрын

    did all thru clinton and obama..and obama used the irs again also...both were worse than nixon...really nixon?? please...from kennedy thru obama... the truth you really dont wanna believe..but has been proven...i cant believe ppl fall on each other believing one slanted way wrong...nixon had to end war.. and tried finally with dignity before america had to be shamed and lose...all of our ppl and soldiers to me disgraced by the ''protesters'' wrongway so often..who should have been there much earlier.... so america lost war they should not have and of course we should have been withdrawn earlier if s vietnam could not provide the fight to save the south..which i wish they could have arvn troops army enough to do it.... but a lot of this is junk swamp kiss... so many of the protesters types then could have been the helpers to win the war if they went the right way... and ddnt...to me thats the easy we out...local street hero's in the safe zone i dont think much of.... some of them ddnt pick, but broke the lock on my friends rider mower to steal it ... and stole a car from another friend...not a few yrs ago. .. how about just win that...and that was both color ppl...but always trying to play helper the guy says black community...how about regular white community...just stop the stealing...bring all your vehicles there is ok...i still dont see it enough.. and ddnt we just see it again in the streets just now...backwards.. wrong..drugs..wrong attitudes...blaming it on big gov when it is local gov that cant fix or work right...maybe they could wave their nva flags as the guy mentioned and it will fix things... i never did like anything these conspiracy dudes here talking hero about...they werent.. and about the kkk...what bull... black panther group was as bad also...the dude talking as if he knows black panther guy executed please....suck it up...they did more killing than the kkk as far as killing cops and people they ddnt like....its all too much bull...specially these women thinking they were hero's marching and screaming...... too much to say... the riots ddnt fix it...and we still lose today bc of the ppl like on this show screaming around and not fixing anything... the lady said about the fbi using harrassment...yeah fool...their job was to find bad guys and bombers and make society safe..... if u want to fix law ...fix it...rioting in the streets shows how u ''normal hero's here'' cant and ddnt solve anything.... and no the breakin did not and ws not the cause of any attachment to bad prosecutions...thats so far out... could go on... johnson was the worst president they should have moved out quicker...yall let him get away talking ''war on poverty'' junk like we do now as cover... the huge crowds the guy so proud of should have been there during johnson .... bc u believe slanted stuff... its still backwards today and the

  • @josephsmith3908
    @josephsmith3908 Жыл бұрын

    What the feds did to billy holiday was fkn .murder

  • @JJJRRRJJJ
    @JJJRRRJJJ Жыл бұрын

    These are the people who brought us to the present era… an era in which Generation Z dresses in furry costumes, spending their days play-acting increasingly bizarre psychosexual fantasies.

  • @billpugh58

    @billpugh58

    Жыл бұрын

    Yeah but that really doesn’t happen, that’s made up by crazy weird republicans. You’ve been brainwashed by the gop!

  • @oliversmith3591
    @oliversmith35916 жыл бұрын

    Uncovering the gang stalking program. This humiliation is nothing compared to what awaits these cancers in the afterlife.

  • @slappy8941

    @slappy8941

    4 жыл бұрын

    There is no afterlife.

  • @brandonmay8096
    @brandonmay8096 Жыл бұрын

    Where does this put Snowden?

  • @felixd.4150

    @felixd.4150

    Жыл бұрын

    Stuck in Russia for the rest of his sad life. Unless there is ever regime change, he'll probably be sent back to the USA to ADX Florence supermax. Lol

  • @dantebenedetti2889
    @dantebenedetti2889 Жыл бұрын

    fools can, at times, serve a virtuous function. but, the apotheosis of the fool creates chaos & destruction, manning & snowden. one can't blame the fool for not knowing this. but there can be no excuse for those who celebrate the fool & host him.

  • @garyc3233
    @garyc32333 жыл бұрын

    i know what this fbi/cia guy said to self...sad....i was there yall..i wanted to help... but i did not want to lose my nice retirement you dont have...so i ddnt really stand up...i told them i liked doing my job at the time....thats more like the real truth... i watch these backstabbers at work..other good ppl held back or fired...sad to watch them talk this stuff...specially some of the women..totally dont know what they were doing.... if they did they would have stopped kennedy...but they talked ''Camelot'' yeah?? all yall went oneway with black and ''rights'' game... instead of good mix on the way...now u still have the neverending problem... you have left other groups and lower white groups behind while u hide...have fun...

  • @heidimiller642
    @heidimiller6422 жыл бұрын

    34;12 Where are your citations? Which papers? The accusations in this video are deadly serious. If they are all true, we need citations and sources to confirm.

  • @rubybenge9301

    @rubybenge9301

    Жыл бұрын

    I went to 34:12 and I cannot find anything that needs citation other than The extensive references in her published book. What exactly did she say that you think needs to be cited? Thank you

  • @mikefromflorida8357
    @mikefromflorida835716 күн бұрын

    Why are burglars being honored here? Despite everyone’s opinion of the results, they are still burglars and criminals.

  • @ninirema4532
    @ninirema4532 Жыл бұрын

    🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🌼🌼🌻🌻🥦🥬🌈👌🍎🍎🍎👆

  • @tedbaxter5234
    @tedbaxter5234 Жыл бұрын

    I’m glad John Raines is not in my daily orbit. I find him to be a major irritant. I am glad that the documents were published, like then, our government agencies, to include the House, Senate and DOJ are rotten. It’s 2023 and we need our house cleaned again. Thank you for the video!

  • @iraq.sometimessunnisometim1981
    @iraq.sometimessunnisometim19814 жыл бұрын

    How are john and bonnie not just as bad as Snowden considering the break in, the burglary, the theft the list is endless......

  • @slappy8941

    @slappy8941

    4 жыл бұрын

    Snowden is a hero.

  • @bsdguy

    @bsdguy

    Жыл бұрын

    They are that bad in my book...and they didn't get caught.

  • @arturoarzadon5525
    @arturoarzadon55253 жыл бұрын

    The next brochure structurally prepare because engine superiorly scatter past a telling headline. special, awake supermarket