1964 photo of San Francisco CORE demonstration against Bank of America in San Francisco
"Pickets from the Congress of Racial Equality and spectators mass in front of the Bank of America's day and night branch at No. 1 Powell St., in downtown San Francisco on May 22, 1964. Core began picketing over alleged discrimination against minority groups in the bank's hiring practices."
- from apimages.com
apimages.com
apimages.com
May 22, 1964
ASSOCIATED PRESS
640522084
FBI documents on San Francisco CORE
FBI documents on CORE
This is a collection of FBI documents pertaining to San Francisco. They come from the Federal Surveillance of African Americans 1920-1984 database.
According to Meier and Rudwick's history of CORE, the chapter was first set up by field secretary Gordon Carey in 1959. It became inactive within a few months but was revived by 1961 mostly due to the Freedom Rides. At the time it was a mostly White chapter
The first set of documents are from 1961. They are part of the COINTELPRO program against the Communist Party (CPUSA).
They report that according to an informant two leading members of CPUSA were trying to start a CORE chapter
in San Francisco. The documents also show the FBI knew that CORE would refuse to affiliate a CORE chapter if CORE discovered through word of mouth that those applying had any type of CP connections.
The FBI decided on counterintelligence actions to prevent the CPUSA members from forming a CORE chapter. An anonymous letter supposedly from a member of the NAACP was sent to warn CORE of the CPUSA members plans to establish a CORE chapter in San Francisco. The documents note how the Bureau was cautious the letter could not be traced back to the FBI.
The second set of documents are from 1964. The chapter was then by Bill Bradley.
At issue is an upcoming convention for an ‘action based socialist youth organization’ and plans by San Francisco CORE to demonstrate against the President.
Again, as part of a plan ‘to expose and disrupt the communist inspired, Marxist inspired’ youth convention, the Bureau authored and sent a ‘fictitious letter’ to several local politicians and newspapers.
Several newspaper articles were subsequently published in which CORE's plans to demonstrate against the President were denounced by the governor and mayor. The organization responsible for the youth convention (which would included many ‘militant civil rights figures’ including several members from CORE) is described by reporters as having ‘ominously left wing associations’ and connected to the Communist Party.
The articles make a not so subtle connection between the civil rights movement and communism, the implication being the movement is something bent on destroying America thereby giving CORE a negative reputation. There is no critical analysis in the articles on the differences between socialism and communism.
The reports make clear the FBI believed these articles and the politicians statements were a direct result of its ‘counterintelligence activity’.
These were classic COINTELPRO tactics; sending anonymous letters, trying to use one organization in the movement against another, using reporters to plant stories in newspapers to further the goals of the FBI and disrupt groups that had been working on behalf of Blacks.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Surveillance of African Americans 1920-1984
Federal Surveillance of African Americans 1920-1984
1964
public domain
San Francisco
photo of San Francisco CORE chairman Bill Bradley
San Francisco CORE
This is a photo of San Francisco CORE chairman Bill Bradley. He was arrested for picketing the Sheraton- Palace Hotel as part of a campaign against its 'discriminatory hiring practices'. (google.com)
He has since changed his name to Oba T'Shaka. He worked as a Professor at San Francisco State University for over thirty years. More info can be found here -
http://www.obatshaka.com/
http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/exhibit/the-civil-rights-movement-in-the-bay-area/ARtzEd5p?hl=en&position=24%2C0
The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley
June 1, 1964
San Francisco News - Call Bulletin
BANC PIC 1959.010--NEG, Part 3, Box 208, [06-01-64.05]