When was the first time government started hasseling mutants?

[DrNewGod]

On another forum, a statement was made that governments hunting mutants had been a thing from the beginning. I've been rereading a wide range of Marvel titles from FF#1 (I'm currently in 1975), including Uncanny X-Men, and it seemed to me that oppression usually was in the form of mob violence. So, my question, when was the first appearance of organized, official oppression of mutants in the comics?

The first hint of it that I can see is Uncanny X-Men 1.135; when in the wake of the X-Men's near-disastrous attempted-infiltration of the Hellfire Club, Black King Sebastian Shaw begins lobbying Senator Kelly to initiate a Sentinel Program. The most direct evidence of its origin that I can see is Senator Kelly's hearings in Uncanny X-Men 1.141 (the first half of "Days of Future Past").


So my question: whether in the X-titles or out, what's the first time we're shown a government as a deliberate mutant hunter/oppressor?

[MrSinister]

Mabye during operation zero tolerance? From what i can remember (last time i re-read my collection was 5-6 years ago) the first time was during the Claremont days with the mutant registration act. But the first time they sent sentinels was during operation zero tolerance. The first two times sentinels hunted mutants it was the Trasks who created them not the governmet. The same thing happened with their later appearances (steven lang, helfire club, beyonder, fitzroy etc).

[yogaflame]

Wasn't Operation Wideawake with the Sentinels on the solar space station wayyy back a government program? I feel like this[government going after mutants] goes back at least to the early Claremont era, if not the O5 era.

[MrSinister]

Wasn't Operation Wideawake with the Sentinels on the solar space station wayyy back a government program? I feel like this[government going after mutants] goes back at least to the early Claremont era, if not the O5 era.

I think not. He murdered Rossi(well he didn't die after all but still) because he was going to tell the governmet about his work with the sentinels. I think he was working for the government but the sentinels and the robot 05 was his thing. But as i wrote before i havent read my old comics for 5-6 years so i am not 100% sure.

[yogaflame]

I too haven't read those issues in a while, so I'm not sure either. I do know the X-Men were pretty chummy with the government in most of the O5 era, so you may be right about that part. I do remember the X-Men sneaking into the Pentagon to delete the government's files on the X-Men before Rogue joined(Wolvie and Storm fought her, in fact, during that mission), so I know sometime in early Claremont there was some mistrust brewing.

[DrNewGod]

I think not. He murdered Rossi(well he didn't die after all but still) because he was going to tell the governmet about his work with the sentinels. I think he was working for the government but the sentinels and the robot 05 was his thing. But as i wrote before i havent read my old comics for 5-6 years so i am not 100% sure.

That was the Lang X-Sentinel program. It was started by the gov to study mutants, but Lang hijacked it with the help of a group that turned out to be The Hellfire Club.