Part 2/13:
The plan was conceived by Bill Davidon, a physics professor with roots in Catholic peace activism and prior efforts against the Vietnam War draft. Inspired by his previous successful break-ins to retrieve military files, Davidon and eight allies—dubbed The Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI—planned a covert raid on the FBI office. Their objective was to gather evidence of illegal surveillance, infiltration, blackmail, and attempts to undermine civil rights leaders, particularly through the FBI’s covert Counterintelligence Program, known as COINTELPRO.