In the mid-1960s, the Black Panthers came to symbolize black
militant power. They rejected the nonviolence of earlier Civil
Rights campaigners and promoted a radical socialist agenda.
Styled in uniforms of black leather jackets, dark sunglasses and
black berets, the Panthers were never shy about brandishing
guns, a sign that they were ready for a fight. The images and
message terrified J. Edgar Hoover, then the director of the FBI,
who called the group "the greatest threat to the internal
security of the country." Hoover launched a covert campaign to
undermine the Panthers. Since the release of more FBI records
from the time, a new question has come to the fore: Did the man
who armed the Panthers work for the FBI? Founded in 1966, the
Black Panther Party for Self Defense insisted that someone had
to stand up to the police. Black Panther co-founder Bobby Seale
called for "an immediate end to police brutality and murder of
black people." "This is very, very important, and here's —
whether you know it or not — i