The first and most famous director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, consolidated his power through a combination of brilliant Public Relations moves and compromising personal files he kept on politicians. Hoover was also often at odds with left-leaning Black leaders throughout his reign, including Marcus Garvey and Paul Robeson. He undertook a virtual counter-revolution against the civil rights movement, enabling the Bureau to employ blackmail, smear campaigns, “dirty tricks,” and even armed attacks on several leaders. The most notorious bureau program, Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO), was implicated in the framing and even murder of several prominent activists. watch