The Fbi & Dr. King

Among the many fascinating revelations given us last week by the Senate Intelligence Committee, one of the most striking was the FBI's long-standing, no-holds-barred campaign to harrass, discredit, and destroy the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whom the agency considered the most "dangerous and effective" black leader on the scene.

More impressive than the squalid details of the FBI's efforts, which included an anonymous letter containing illegally-made tapes of Dr. King's private conversations and suggesting he commit suicide be fore accepting the Nobel Peace Prize for 1964, was the clear pattern of continuous and consistent pressure, which was intensified each time Dr. King took his own organizing activities to a higher level.

This pattern suggests that such activities by the FBI, far from being "abuses of power" or isolated "scandals," were in fact principled government policy. Especially after he began speaking out against the war in Vietnam and talking about mass coalitions uniting blacks, other minorities, and whites, Dr. King had become a serious threat to the entrenched power structure in the United States, and plainly was dealt with as such.

It will be recalled that at the time of Dr. King's assassination in 1968, he was preparing to lead a mass integrated march to Washington, where the marchers planned to camp indefinitely until Congress passed a guaranteed national income. On the way, of course, he met James Earl Ray, and perhaps others. Ray has since made many attempts to get back into court to talk about his case, but has so far been rebuffed. Considering the many strange circumstances surrounding Dr. King's assassination, not to mention the rising furor over the apparent coverup of other American political assassinations of the past decade, it's hard to believe there isn't much more to be learned about that day in Memphis.

But even Dr. King's death wasn't enough for the FBI. Fully aware of the power of myth, the agency did what it could to prevent Dr. King's birthday from becoming a national holiday. In this, at least, the minions of J. Edgar Hoover failed. And today, the example of Dr. King continues to grow in stature- while a humbled FBI Director, Clarence Kelley, apologizes to Congress and promises to behave better in the future. Not surprisingly, of all the political assassinations of the '60's, the least discussed to this day are those of the decade's most charismatic black leaders, Dr. King and Malcolm X. In a forthcoming issue, the SUN will take an in-depth look into the circumstances surrounding the murder of Martin Luther King, as well as continuing to provide intensive coverage of other assassinations.