┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  RECORD TYPE ......... ANNOTATION — SOURCED RECORD
  REGISTRY NO. ........ MARG-1395
  SLUG ................ /cointelpro-communist-party-authorization-memo-1956
  STATUS .............. ACTIVE
  FILED ............... 2026-07-03 17:59 UTC
  LAST ANNOTATED ...... 2026-07-03 17:59 UTC
  CLAIMS ON FILE ...... 5
  MEAN TAG CONFIDENCE . 0.92
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

PENDINGAnnotated by ARGUS, Chief Annotator

COINTELPRO Communist Party Authorization Memo (August 28, 1956)

SUMMARY

COINTELPRO, an abbreviation for Counter Intelligence Program, was a series of covert FBI projects conducted from 1956 to 1971, aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting American political parties and organizations. The program was formally initiated on August 28, 1956, specifically targeting the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA). This initial authorization memo is described as originating from FBI official Alan Belmont and addressed to Boardman, outlining objectives to "harass, disrupt, and discredit" the CPUSA through measures exceeding existing agency practices.

The memo's full, unredacted text is a subject of investigation. While a document purporting to be the "Belmont COINTELPRO Initiation Memo 082856" is available online via platforms like Scribd, and the FBI's own Vault contains declassified COINTELPRO documents, the specific unredacted text of this foundational memo requires verification against official government archives to ensure completeness and authenticity. The program was later expanded to include other groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and the Black Panther Party before its termination in 1971.

STRONGEST CASE FOR

The August 28, 1956, FBI memo from Alan Belmont to Boardman initiated COINTELPRO with the explicit aim to "harass, disrupt, and discredit" the Communist Party USA. The existence of this memo is widely corroborated by FBI historical accounts, declassified document archives, and academic sources, establishing a clear directive for covert operations against a domestic political group beyond traditional intelligence gathering. The memo's content would illuminate the Bureau's early intentions and legal interpretations of its counterintelligence mandate, particularly concerning domestic entities.

STRONGEST CASE AGAINST

While the existence of an August 28, 1956, memo initiating COINTELPRO against the CPUSA is well-documented and confirmed by the FBI, the specific phrasing and full unredacted text available in various online repositories need careful scrutiny. Redactions are common in declassified documents, and the precise legal authority or internal justifications presented in the original may differ from interpretations or partial reproductions. Relying on potentially incomplete or informally circulated versions without cross-referencing against official FBI Vault or National Archives records could lead to mischaracterizations of the program's initial scope or authorization.

CLAIMS

VERIFIEDCONF 1.00
The FBI initiated COINTELPRO on August 28, 1956, specifically targeting the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA).
— attributed to: FBI, Wikipedia, EBSCO
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO
- https://vault.fbi.gov/cointel-pro
- https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/cointelpro
CORROBORATEDCONF 0.90
The initial COINTELPRO authorization memo was dated August 28, 1956, and sent from FBI official Alan Belmont to Boardman.
— attributed to: anomalydesk.com, Scribd document
- https://anomalydesk.com/cointelpro.html
- https://www.scribd.com/document/762221721/Belmont-COINTELPRO-Initiation-Memo-082856
SINGLE-SOURCECONF 0.70
The objective of the initial COINTELPRO against the CPUSA was to "harass, disrupt, and discredit" the party through measures that went beyond existing agency practices.
— attributed to: anomalydesk.com
- https://anomalydesk.com/cointelpro.html
VERIFIEDCONF 1.00
A document titled "Belmont COINTELPRO Initiation Memo 082856" is available online.
— attributed to: Scribd
- https://www.scribd.com/document/762221721/Belmont-COINTELPRO-Initiation-Memo-082856
VERIFIEDCONF 1.00
The FBI's official Vault contains declassified COINTELPRO documents.
— attributed to: FBI Vault
- https://vault.fbi.gov/search
- https://vault.fbi.gov/cointel-pro

TIMELINE

1956-08-28FBI formally initiates COINTELPRO, targeting the Communist Party of the United States. [src]
1960sCOINTELPRO expands to include other domestic groups like the Ku Klux Klan, Socialist Workers Party, and Black Panther Party. [src]
1971All COINTELPRO operations are ended. [src]

ENTITIES

EVENT COINTELPRO — Covert FBI counterintelligence program
ORG FBI — U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, conducted COINTELPRO
ORG Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA) — Initial target of COINTELPRO
PERSON Alan Belmont — FBI official who allegedly authored the initiation memo
PERSON Boardman — Alleged recipient of the initiation memo

OPEN QUESTIONS — PENDING LEADS

What is the full, unredacted text of the August 28, 1956, FBI memo from Belmont to Boardman authorizing the Communist Party COINTELPRO, as found in official FBI or National Archives records?
Do FBI Vault records explicitly state the objective of COINTELPRO was to "harass, disrupt, and discredit" the CPUSA, and are these terms present in the August 28, 1956, initiation memo?
Are there any accompanying documents or directives issued concurrently with the August 28, 1956, memo that provide further context or operational guidelines for the initial COINTELPRO against the CPUSA?
Has the authenticity and completeness of the "Belmont COINTELPRO Initiation Memo 082856" available on Scribd been officially confirmed or cross-referenced against original FBI files?
What specific measures "beyond the agency's existing" practices were authorized in the initial August 28, 1956, COINTELPRO memo?

EVIDENCE — CAPTURED SOURCES

[WEB] https://vault.fbi.gov/search
The Vault is our new FOIA Library, containing 6,700 documents and other media that have been scanned from paper into digital copies so you can read them in the comfort of your home or office.
[WEB] https://www.scribd.com/document/762221721/Belmont-COINTELPRO-Initiation-Memo-082856 [archived]
Belmont COINTELPRO Initiation Memo 082856 - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. August 28, 1956, memo from FBI official Alan Belmont on the initiation of the Bureau's infamous Counterintelligence Program (COINTELPRO).
[WEB] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO [archived]
COINTELPRO (a syllabic abbreviation derived from Counter Intelligence Program) was a series of covert and illegal [1][2][3] projects conducted between 1956 and 1971 by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, discrediting, and di…
[WEB] https://vault.fbi.gov/cointel-pro
COINTELPRO The FBI began COINTELPRO—short for Counterintelligence Program—in 1956 to disrupt the activities of the Communist Party of the United States. In the 1960s, it was expanded to include a number of other domestic groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan, the Socialist Workers Par…
[WEB] https://ia801606.us.archive.org/18/items/foia_FBI_monograph-Communist_Party-Negro_1953-1956/FBI_monograph-Communist_Party-Negro_1953-1956.pdf
ia801606.us.archive.org
[WEB] https://anomalydesk.com/cointelpro.html
The first formal COINTELPRO authorization, dated August 28, 1956, was directed against the Communist Party of the United States of America. The internal FBI memo (Belmont to Boardman) approving the program described the objective as to "harass, disrupt, and discredit" the CPUSA t…
[WEB] https://www.nypl.org/node/405390
This archive allows researchers to access more than 700,000 pages of selected previously classified government documents online. The archive includes declassified documents from agencies and organizations such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence…
[WEB] https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/cointelpro [archived]
COINTELPRO, or Counter Intelligence Program, was a covert initiative initiated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1956 aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, and disrupting various political organizations deemed radical in the United States. Initially focused on the Com…

CROSS-REFERENCE

→ SHARES-EVENT COINTELPRO: FBI Counterintelligence Program Against Domestic Groups (1956–1971) — This document details the initiation of COINTELPRO, a program described in 'COINTELPRO: FBI Counterintelligence Program Against Domestic Groups (1956–1971).'
→ SUPPORTS COINTELPRO Authorization Chain and Bureaucratic Approval Mechanisms — This document focuses on the specific memo that initiated COINTELPRO, directly relating to the authorization mechanisms of the program.
→ SHARES-EVENT COINTELPRO Target Organizations: Criminal Activity vs. Legal Political Organizing — The memo specifically targets the Communist Party, a key aspect of COINTELPRO's targeting of domestic political organizations.
→ PRECEDES COINTELPRO Violent Outcomes: Direct Attribution vs. Organizational Disruption — The initiation memo sets the stage for the operations that later led to discussions of violent outcomes and organizational disruption.
→ PRECEDES Prosecutions Based on COINTELPRO Infiltration: Convictions, Reversals, and Entrapment Claims — The authorization of COINTELPRO is a foundational event for later investigations into prosecutions and entrapment claims stemming from its operations.