Anti-Defamation League

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The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is a United States-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1913 by the B'nai B'rith "to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all."^[1] The ADL works to combat anti-Semitism and all forms of racism and bigotry, as well as promote interfaith harmony, and identify, analyze, and expose extremism. They have also stated that to "single out Israel in denying the country’s right to exist as a Jewish state and equal member of the global community" is antisemitism, so take that with a grain of salt.^{[2][note 1]}

During the 1930s, the ADL conducted espionage on domestic Nazis, including exposing a plot by Nazis to assassinate Hollywood moguls and to blow up munitions factories.^{[3][4]:138-139} After World War II, the ADL continued its espionage activities against far-right groups, including the John Birch Society (under the code name "Birch Watchers").^[4]:135-159

Controversies[edit]

Domestic spying operations[edit]

Support of CIA domestic spying[edit]

James Jesus Angleton, chief of CIA counterintelligence and director of the Israel desk in Washington from 1954 to 1975, was a close ally of Israel and obsessed with the prospect of Communist agents working with dissident movements within the USA. His closeness to the Israeli Mossad led to the perception that he was, in effect, a Mossad "mole" in a top CIA position. He was forced to resign his position in 1975 after the scandal arising from his brainchild Operation CHAOS, which conducted spying on American dissidents from 1967 onwards. CIA spying against American dissidents had, in fact, occurred years earlier, with the Fair Play for Cuba Committee (FPCC). The ADL has been implicated in that effort through their relationship with CIA contract agent Guy Banister, who oversaw surveillance efforts against the FPCC in New Orleans. Martin Luther King's assassin James Earl Ray claimed that his handler "Raoul" provided him with an ADL contact in New Orleans who claimed inside knowledge of Dr. King's alleged secret support for the Palestinian cause, denouncing him for "antisemitism." That account, if true, raises suspicion that the ADL was spying on the mainstream Civil Rights movement when CIA domestic spying was ramping up. Ray's account has not been universally accepted as truthful; however, it has gained support from the King family.^[5]

Roy Bullock[edit]

The ADL's reputation took something of a hit in 1993 when Roy Bullock, an independent contractor providing much of the ADL's intelligence, was caught by the San Francisco district attorney's office keeping files on numerous individuals and groups from left to right, including Greenpeace, labor unions, anti-Apartheid groups, Religious Right groups, members of the U.S. Congress, and Arab-American groups, and illegally obtaining files from the San Francisco police department. Although the ADL took pains to insist they were Bullock's personal files and not the ADL's, the ADL settled out of court in 1999 with some of the targeted groups who had sued them.^[6]

Armenian genocide[edit]

The ADL's reputation took another hit in 2007 when, in a massively hypocritical move, their director Abraham Foxman opposed US Congressional recognition of the genocide against Armenians that took place 1915-1917; the ADL reversed their official position later that year after a public outcry.^[7][8]

Criticism by anti-Zionists[edit]

The ADL has a reputation for conflating anti-Zionist opposition to the political sovereignty and existence of Israel with antisemitism. The organization has directly affirmed that they hold this stance in some materials.^[9]. Noam Chomsky and Norman Finkelstein have both accused the ADL of smearing Israel's political opponents as antisemites and Jewish critics of Israel as self-hating Jews (including them).^[10] Anti-Zionist Ben Steigmann wrote a massive crazy email to the ADL with the intention of "refuting the basis of their operations".^[11] Joey Kurtzman criticized the ADL for using charges of antisemitism as a bullying tactic.^[12]

Federal Reserve conspiracy theories[edit]

Due to the fact that the Federal Reserve and the ADL were both founded in 1913, anti-Semitic cranks often claim that the ADL was founded as a propaganda front for the Jews that secretly run the Fed.^[14]

See also[edit]

• Armenian Genocide denial
• Southern Poverty Law Center

External links[edit]

• Official website

Notes[edit]

References[edit]