1 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to the MLK Tapes, a production of iHeartRadio and 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:08,240 Speaker 1: Tenderfoot TV. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast 3 00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:11,960 Speaker 1: are solely those of the podcast author or individuals participating 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:15,240 Speaker 1: in the podcast, and do not represent those of iHeartMedia, 5 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 1: Tenderfoot TV, or their employees. Listener discretion is advised. 6 00:00:22,079 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 2: It was about seven o'clock in the evening. 7 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 3: I got a teletype. It was from the Memphis Field 8 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 3: office and all it said was Martin Luther King has 9 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:34,559 Speaker 3: been shot while standing on a balcony in a hotel 10 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:37,880 Speaker 3: in Memphis. That was it. That was the whole message. 11 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:42,400 Speaker 3: And I called Hoover at home. I didn't want him 12 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:46,560 Speaker 3: to hear it over the news. I called him and 13 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 3: I said, mister Hoover, I just got a telex message 14 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:53,479 Speaker 3: from our Memphis office said that Martin Luther King was 15 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 3: shot while standing on a belcon in that city. And 16 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 3: then there was this pause, and his reaction to me 17 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:04,280 Speaker 3: was is he dead? 18 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:11,200 Speaker 4: I called the Union Hall. I said, it's a matter 19 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:12,039 Speaker 4: of life and death. 20 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:15,200 Speaker 5: I said, I think these peoples are planning to kill 21 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:15,840 Speaker 5: doctor King. 22 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,480 Speaker 2: The authorities were parade, Oh, we found a gun that 23 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:24,760 Speaker 2: James o'ray bought in Birmingham that killed doctor King. Except 24 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:27,040 Speaker 2: it wasn't the gun that killed doctor King. 25 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:35,120 Speaker 6: James Lray was a pawn for the official story. 26 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:35,960 Speaker 7: From My Heart Radio and Tender for TV. 27 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 8: The plan was to get King to the city because 28 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 8: they wanted it handled in Memphis where Daddy and then 29 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 8: could handle it. 30 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:48,280 Speaker 9: And I've lived with it so long, my searity, and 31 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 9: they scared for me. 32 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 4: The Lord told me, not the word. I've been wanting 33 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 4: to tell it all my life. 34 00:01:54,960 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 7: I'm Bill Cleeburgh. And this is the MLK tapes. In 35 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:09,240 Speaker 7: the nineteen sixties, as the FBI was making life as 36 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 7: difficult as it could for Martin Luther King, its director 37 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:16,079 Speaker 7: j Edgar Hoover was living the sweet life in upscale 38 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:20,360 Speaker 7: restaurants and five star hotels, the Waldorf Astoria in New 39 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:26,080 Speaker 7: York and exclusive resorts in Florida and California. And Hoover 40 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 7: didn't go to these places alone, and virtually every instance 41 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:33,800 Speaker 7: he was accompanied by his second in command, Clyde Tolson. 42 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:38,120 Speaker 7: So who was Toulson, when did he arrive and what 43 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:41,520 Speaker 7: was the deal there? To help with this, we recently 44 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 7: spoke with author Philip Nelson, whose excellent book Who really 45 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:49,079 Speaker 7: killed Martin Luther King was published just three years ago. 46 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,079 Speaker 10: Clyde Tolson grew up in a small town in Missouri. 47 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:58,360 Speaker 10: After public schooling, he attended George Washington University, where he 48 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 10: received a law degree in nineteen ten twenty seven. The 49 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 10: next year, he applied for a job with the Bureau 50 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 10: of Investigation, where j Edgar Hoover was boss. Apparently Hoover 51 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:13,520 Speaker 10: already knew Tulson. In any case, Toulson was hired, and 52 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:17,120 Speaker 10: only two years later, in nineteen thirty he rose to 53 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:20,639 Speaker 10: the position of assistant director of the Bureau, which became 54 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:25,120 Speaker 10: the FBI in nineteen thirty three, with Toulson as Hoover's 55 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:29,040 Speaker 10: number two, a position he held until Hoover died in 56 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:30,239 Speaker 10: nineteen seventy two. 57 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 7: It is widely assumed that Hoover and Twlson were lovers 58 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 7: for forty years. They lived in what appeared to be 59 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 7: a spousal relationship. Tulson maintained an apartment near to where 60 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:43,400 Speaker 7: Hoover lived. The two men were driven to and from 61 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 7: work every day in the same car, and they ate 62 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 7: all their meals together. 63 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:51,119 Speaker 10: Hoover and Toulson had lunch every day in the reb 64 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 10: room in the Mayflower Hotel. They didn't pay for their 65 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 10: food or drinks For dinner. Most evenings they would eat 66 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 10: at Harvey's Restaurant, where they were also comped at great 67 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 10: expense to the owners, something that was never reported to 68 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 10: the irs. 69 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 7: And it wasn't just a workday relationship. For many years, 70 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:13,160 Speaker 7: Hoover and Tulson went on extended vacations together. 71 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 10: In the winter, they would go for weeks at a 72 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:19,680 Speaker 10: time to the Gulf Stream Hotel in Miami, and in 73 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 10: the summer it would be the Del Chro Hotel in California. 74 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:26,679 Speaker 10: At neither place did they pay for room or board. 75 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:31,120 Speaker 10: All travel, either by rail or by air, was built 76 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:34,880 Speaker 10: to their government expense account under the pretense that they 77 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:39,720 Speaker 10: were on official business inspecting FBI field offices, but they 78 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 10: did nothing of the kind. Instead, they spent all of 79 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:46,839 Speaker 10: their time either at the local racetrack or lounging around 80 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:48,279 Speaker 10: the hotel swimming pool. 81 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:53,359 Speaker 7: The Delchara Hotel in La Jolla, California, where Hoover and 82 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:57,080 Speaker 7: Tulson went each summer, was a high end resort owned 83 00:04:57,120 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 7: by oil barring Clint Murchison. To the history website Gibson's 84 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 7: World Quote, the hotel was frequented by guests such as 85 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:11,040 Speaker 7: Mobsters Meyer, Lanski, Carlos Marcello, Johnny Rosselli, and Sam g 86 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:15,520 Speaker 7: and Kanna, along with politicos such as Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, 87 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:19,720 Speaker 7: and Jay Edgar Hoover with his partner Clyde Tolson Murchison 88 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:23,000 Speaker 7: gained control of the nearby del Mar Racetrack, where Hoover 89 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 7: was set up with his own private box. So the 90 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:29,960 Speaker 7: head of our National Police Force, who by reputation was 91 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:33,960 Speaker 7: the very personification of thrift and honesty, was in real 92 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:37,800 Speaker 7: life something entirely different. And while the FBI was good 93 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 7: at chasing down bank robbers and carthieves, and quite keen 94 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 7: on raising the alarm about communists said to be hiding 95 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:46,599 Speaker 7: in the chambers of government, it didn't do a thing 96 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:51,520 Speaker 7: against organized crime, which decade after decade, became a stronger 97 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 7: force in the American landscape. One would have thought that 98 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:57,920 Speaker 7: the head of the National Police Force would have been 99 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:03,279 Speaker 7: eager to take on organized crime, but Hoover wasn't. Moreover, 100 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:06,839 Speaker 7: he said publicly that organized crime didn't really exist in America. 101 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:11,360 Speaker 7: What could be the explanation for this? According to Bill Pepper, 102 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:14,599 Speaker 7: Mobster Meyer Lanski, who was basically running things at the 103 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:17,279 Speaker 7: Gulfstream Hotel, was pulling the strings here. 104 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:23,839 Speaker 11: Meyer set that up. Meyer instructed Costello, who had a 105 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:27,960 Speaker 11: suite at the Waldorf Astoria as did Hoover, to go 106 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:32,240 Speaker 11: visit Hoover and to show him photographs of him in 107 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:36,960 Speaker 11: sexual activity with Tulsen and put the photographs on a 108 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:41,080 Speaker 11: table and say to him, well, you can have a 109 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:46,960 Speaker 11: wonderful life, Edgar, or we can release these. Well. Hoover, 110 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:52,320 Speaker 11: being the coward that he was, had no choice in 111 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:56,800 Speaker 11: his own mind. When Frank Costello confronted him and he 112 00:06:56,839 --> 00:07:01,120 Speaker 11: agreed that he would do what they require, and what 113 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:05,360 Speaker 11: they required was that the mob didn't exist. He has 114 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:08,320 Speaker 11: sold out to them entirely. 115 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:12,840 Speaker 7: The story of Meyer Lansky bringing Hoover on board is 116 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:16,360 Speaker 7: best described in Anthony Summer's book The Secret Life of 117 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:20,560 Speaker 7: Jay Edgar Hoover. According to Summer's sources, Lansky had Hoover 118 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 7: in its control because he had photographs of him engaging 119 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:28,360 Speaker 7: in sex with Tulson and other men. I don't know 120 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:31,680 Speaker 7: if this is true, but it's not an outrageous idea. 121 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:35,360 Speaker 7: As we heard earlier, Hoover was happy to bug every 122 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:38,440 Speaker 7: hotel room that Martin Luther King stayed in so how 123 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:41,200 Speaker 7: hard would it have been for someone to do that 124 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:44,680 Speaker 7: to him in the forties and fifties, when Hoover and 125 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:48,880 Speaker 7: Tulson were staying for extended periods of time without charge 126 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 7: in mob connected hotels. Once Lansky or anyone else had 127 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:58,200 Speaker 7: those photographs, he would virtually own the director of the FBI. 128 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:01,240 Speaker 7: And there is little one who's actions over the years 129 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:04,600 Speaker 7: to say that wasn't the case. He just didn't go 130 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:11,160 Speaker 7: after the mob. To be sure, there are other possible 131 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:15,800 Speaker 7: reasons for Hoover's reluctance to act against organized crime. Arresting 132 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 7: and convicting a mobster would be a lot more work 133 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:20,920 Speaker 7: than what was required to bring down a car thief. 134 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:25,040 Speaker 7: Mobsters could afford good lawyers, and when scary guys were 135 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:29,160 Speaker 7: put on trial, jurys were more likely to end up undecided, 136 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:33,040 Speaker 7: and Hoover was particularly proud of the Bureau's conviction rate. 137 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:37,160 Speaker 7: And along with that, it probably felt pretty good getting 138 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 7: tips on horse races from people on the inside and 139 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:44,000 Speaker 7: hanging around the pool with film stars and gangsters, being 140 00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:46,880 Speaker 7: treated like a celebrity and paying for none of it. 141 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:50,200 Speaker 7: Of course, the people offering the free stuff were most 142 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:54,439 Speaker 7: likely expecting something in return. So was Hoover being blackmailed 143 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:59,959 Speaker 7: or was he simply corrupted? And which is worse? Besides 144 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:02,760 Speaker 7: living the good life with Hoover when they were off duty, 145 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:06,760 Speaker 7: one might wonder what Tulson's responsibilities were inside the FBI 146 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:10,560 Speaker 7: as the second in command. Quite simply, it was to 147 00:09:10,559 --> 00:09:14,280 Speaker 7: protect Hoover from any threat, real or imagined, that might 148 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:17,760 Speaker 7: arise within the bureau or without. Tulson was not only 149 00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:19,760 Speaker 7: a second pair of eyes and ears. He had his 150 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:23,319 Speaker 7: own informants, a reputation for being mean, and he might 151 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:25,760 Speaker 7: end a man's career over nothing just to show others 152 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:29,000 Speaker 7: that he could do it. In short, he was Hoover's 153 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:32,320 Speaker 7: hatchet man, and everyone was afraid of him because he 154 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 7: was sitting on the right hand of God. But beyond that, 155 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:38,800 Speaker 7: Tulson gave Hoover a way to get things done that 156 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:41,360 Speaker 7: didn't have to be recorded in an order or a memo. 157 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:45,360 Speaker 7: He could run important errands for Hoover, errands that were 158 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:49,520 Speaker 7: completely off the books. And it appears that's what Tulson 159 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:52,760 Speaker 7: was doing when he becomes part of our story by 160 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:58,559 Speaker 7: showing up in Memphis. 161 00:10:11,559 --> 00:10:14,640 Speaker 8: The first time I met him was at Memphis Airport. 162 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:16,360 Speaker 8: But it was a little old wireporard, you know, I 163 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:18,760 Speaker 8: mean they didn't have seven forty seven was dropping in 164 00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:22,920 Speaker 8: and all that, and we went on latter and picked 165 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:23,840 Speaker 8: him up the airport. 166 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:28,240 Speaker 7: In previous episodes, we have heard from Ronnie Lee Atkins, 167 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:30,800 Speaker 7: who was only sixteen years old when King was murdered. 168 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:34,720 Speaker 7: Atkins lived in Memphis and was privy to many discussions 169 00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:37,320 Speaker 7: about the need to kill King because he was a 170 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:40,800 Speaker 7: son of Russell atkinsor the man who led many of 171 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:44,960 Speaker 7: these meetings. Atkins was a man of influence in Memphis, 172 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:48,200 Speaker 7: and beyond that, he had a special friend in Washington 173 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:50,439 Speaker 7: who would visit every so often. 174 00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 8: He was a big connection with Daddy. I mean he 175 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:58,599 Speaker 8: you know, he used Daddy and give Daddy money to 176 00:10:58,679 --> 00:11:02,400 Speaker 8: do different things, you know, but he is there, you know, 177 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:04,439 Speaker 8: two or three times a year, maybe four or five. 178 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:04,920 Speaker 4: Times a year. 179 00:11:05,679 --> 00:11:08,559 Speaker 8: Then hid Carl and you know, did he'd go get 180 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:11,720 Speaker 8: him and you know in the cab or. I almost 181 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:13,760 Speaker 8: told you call him uncle Clyde. I said, yes, I 182 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:15,640 Speaker 8: well from then on he was on Clyde. 183 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:18,760 Speaker 7: So who was this man who would fly in from Washington, 184 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:21,440 Speaker 7: the man who Ronnie Lee Atkins was told to call 185 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:25,960 Speaker 7: Uncle Clyde. It was Clyde Tolson, Hoover's second in command. 186 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:27,800 Speaker 4: This is Bill Pepper. 187 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:33,479 Speaker 11: Hoover used to send in Tolson on a regular basis 188 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:38,080 Speaker 11: to meet with Adkin. The Atkins family to Dixie Mafia people. 189 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:42,679 Speaker 11: Dixie Mafia people were junior cousins of the of the 190 00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:47,600 Speaker 11: Marcello organization, but they worked together. They were closely. When 191 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:51,600 Speaker 11: Marchello might might not have wanted something to happen, but 192 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:55,040 Speaker 11: it had to happen, they would have used the Atkins 193 00:11:55,120 --> 00:12:00,280 Speaker 11: family to do this. And what surprised me was of 194 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:04,440 Speaker 11: the extent to which he used Clyde Tolson, who was 195 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:06,839 Speaker 11: his number two, as the messenger. 196 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:11,640 Speaker 7: Always, for as long as Atkins could remember, Clyde Tolson 197 00:12:11,679 --> 00:12:14,440 Speaker 7: would visit his house a couple times a year. When 198 00:12:14,480 --> 00:12:17,840 Speaker 7: Atkins gave his deposition to Bill Pepper, he brought several 199 00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:21,640 Speaker 7: backyard photographs of himself and Toulson, which you can check 200 00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:22,880 Speaker 7: out on our website. 201 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 8: Heyu is Clyde Lee and kid lived girl street. 202 00:12:28,240 --> 00:12:31,240 Speaker 12: All right, Hian and you would have been how old here? 203 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:35,000 Speaker 4: Seven? Dumm? Yeah? Probably six seven? 204 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:37,560 Speaker 12: Okay, So this then would have been fifty eight or 205 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:40,960 Speaker 12: fifty nine yes, sir, photograph. 206 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:44,160 Speaker 7: What we learned from these photos is that Toulson and 207 00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:47,880 Speaker 7: Ronnie Lee's father, Russell Senior, had a relationship that went 208 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:50,680 Speaker 7: back for years, and part of what would happen on 209 00:12:50,679 --> 00:12:53,520 Speaker 7: some of these visits is that Toulson would bring cash 210 00:12:53,559 --> 00:12:56,880 Speaker 7: money for Russell Senior to pass along to those on 211 00:12:56,920 --> 00:12:57,720 Speaker 7: the off the books. 212 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:02,160 Speaker 8: Payroll came directly from Clyde Towson to my father's hand 213 00:13:02,200 --> 00:13:04,720 Speaker 8: in a brown bag or a sup or kind of 214 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:08,199 Speaker 8: like a doctor's bag. I have saying Clyde Towlson open 215 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:11,000 Speaker 8: the bag up and pull his papers out and take 216 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:11,840 Speaker 8: the money out. 217 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:14,120 Speaker 4: And it was usually in a bag, you know, and 218 00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:14,439 Speaker 4: they did. 219 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:16,400 Speaker 8: He'd open a sack up and pull the money out, 220 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:18,520 Speaker 8: and then they'd go to count, and then they'd both count. Yeah, 221 00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:21,480 Speaker 8: I mean, you know they you know, one potato, two, potato, three, 222 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:22,080 Speaker 8: potato four. 223 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:22,920 Speaker 4: That's why they did it. 224 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:26,560 Speaker 7: Pepper then asked Atkins if he knew how much money 225 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:27,400 Speaker 7: changed hands. 226 00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:29,360 Speaker 4: I had no idea. 227 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:31,840 Speaker 8: I always started saying, you know, a good chunk over, but 228 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:34,520 Speaker 8: it just didn't happen. I got allowance. It's pretty good, though, 229 00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:37,599 Speaker 8: you know. I get some bedy washers and peanuts, and 230 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:39,080 Speaker 8: stuff when I. 231 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:42,480 Speaker 7: When I wanted so, Toulson would bring money to Atkins, who, 232 00:13:42,559 --> 00:13:45,560 Speaker 7: as we discovered in an earlier episode, was a leader 233 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:49,719 Speaker 7: in the Dixie mafia. As Atkins said, Towlson would use 234 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:52,720 Speaker 7: his father and give his father money to do different things. 235 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:56,640 Speaker 7: This arrangement gave Hoover players on the board who were 236 00:13:56,640 --> 00:13:58,680 Speaker 7: not g men and who could do things did not 237 00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:02,320 Speaker 7: have to make reports. As Atkins would describe, there had 238 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:05,120 Speaker 7: often been talk about killing King at various plan and 239 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:08,600 Speaker 7: Meson meetings going back into the nineteen fifties, but after 240 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:12,800 Speaker 7: King's nineteen sixty three march on Washington and his awarded 241 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:16,080 Speaker 7: the Nobel Prize in nineteen sixty four, the talk took 242 00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:19,840 Speaker 7: on a sense of urgency. More ideas were floated about 243 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:22,240 Speaker 7: how it could be done. And if you've come with 244 00:14:22,320 --> 00:14:25,200 Speaker 7: us this far, you've heard how Ronnie Lee described the 245 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:28,800 Speaker 7: general plan. But we play his words here another time 246 00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:30,720 Speaker 7: because they are important words. 247 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:36,760 Speaker 8: The plan was to disrupt the city because they was 248 00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:41,640 Speaker 8: gonna get King to the city, because Tolsen said that 249 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:44,160 Speaker 8: they wanted it handled in Memphis for Daddy and M 250 00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:48,120 Speaker 8: could handle it. Words specifically, Daddy and M could handle it. 251 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:52,280 Speaker 8: So the workers would get King to town. That's what 252 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:55,720 Speaker 8: it all boiled down to. And by getting him to town, 253 00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:57,560 Speaker 8: then they was going to take care of him. So 254 00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:01,120 Speaker 8: apparently come down from over Cloud was doing that on 255 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:01,520 Speaker 8: his own. 256 00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:05,240 Speaker 7: So this was the deal as fourteen year old Ronnie 257 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:09,360 Speaker 7: Lee Atkins understood it. But the working relationship between Toulson 258 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:12,960 Speaker 7: and Russell Senior was derailed when Toulson suffered a stroke 259 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:16,760 Speaker 7: in nineteen sixty six and Atkins Senior died a year later. 260 00:15:17,560 --> 00:15:20,920 Speaker 7: But according to Ronnie Lee, the plotting kept on under 261 00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:23,960 Speaker 7: new leadership, the part of his father assumed by his 262 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:27,160 Speaker 7: thirty six year old half brother, Russell Junior, and the 263 00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:30,920 Speaker 7: role of Toulson picked up by veteran FBI agent Frank Holloman, 264 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:33,320 Speaker 7: who would become the next head of fire and Police 265 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:36,200 Speaker 7: in Memphis just a few months before King was killed. 266 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:41,280 Speaker 7: What follows is Bill Pepper questioning Ronnie Lee Atkins, who 267 00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:45,520 Speaker 7: was testifying under oath, with his lawyer Stephen Tolan sitting 268 00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:46,040 Speaker 7: close by. 269 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:53,280 Speaker 12: We're into nineteen sixty eight. The guest sanitation workers strike hits, Yes, 270 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:59,240 Speaker 12: that is dead. Hey, your father's dead. Who's taken over 271 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:04,040 Speaker 12: the Russell Junior in Holloman so Russell Jr. And Frank 272 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:07,040 Speaker 12: Hollman are running as the assassination effort. 273 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:09,480 Speaker 4: Yes. Do you know how long your father knew Holloman? 274 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:13,640 Speaker 4: He knew Frank pretty good while. 275 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:17,520 Speaker 12: Is it possible because Holloman, of course ran Hoover's office 276 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:20,600 Speaker 12: and for a number of years. Yes, is it possible 277 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:23,480 Speaker 12: that Holloman introduced Tulson to your father? 278 00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:30,200 Speaker 8: I think that Tulson introduced Frank to Daddy. 279 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:32,160 Speaker 4: I think guess how that happened. You think it worked 280 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:32,880 Speaker 4: the other way around. 281 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:35,840 Speaker 8: I think Tulson was the one that put Daddy with Frank. 282 00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:38,960 Speaker 8: Of course, Frank run this office here for years. 283 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:42,760 Speaker 7: Frank Hollman had joined the FBI right out of law 284 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:46,160 Speaker 7: school in nineteen thirty seven. He worked hard and found 285 00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:48,720 Speaker 7: favor with Director Hoover, and for seven years in the 286 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:52,120 Speaker 7: nineteen fifties was the man who ran Hoover's office in Washington. 287 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:55,760 Speaker 7: Then he left for important posts in the field, becoming 288 00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:58,640 Speaker 7: the agent in charge in Atlanta and then continuing on 289 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:01,720 Speaker 7: the Memphis Which is what Atkins was referring to when 290 00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:05,000 Speaker 7: he said he had run this office for years. And 291 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:08,400 Speaker 7: this is important because Frank Hollman was no stranger to Memphis. 292 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:11,680 Speaker 7: When he became the director of Fire and Police, he 293 00:17:11,800 --> 00:17:15,000 Speaker 7: already knew who everybody was and what they were up to, 294 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:19,399 Speaker 7: and according to Atkins, Holloman was an important part of 295 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:20,199 Speaker 7: what they were up to. 296 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:25,639 Speaker 4: What was said anything significant? Senate then of the Frank 297 00:17:25,720 --> 00:17:27,280 Speaker 4: Hollomantel Russell Jr. 298 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:30,679 Speaker 8: I want some bitch shot, shoot Asomo bitch in the 299 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:34,040 Speaker 8: mouth and say that our dead Birkery Baptist Church in 300 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:34,480 Speaker 8: a meeting. 301 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:36,119 Speaker 4: And do you remember when that meeting was? 302 00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:41,680 Speaker 8: That was probably less than two weeks before they killed him. 303 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:44,640 Speaker 7: As we saw in the previous segment, in the week 304 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:48,359 Speaker 7: before King was killed, the FBI had composed a nasty 305 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:52,199 Speaker 7: article to be secretly released to friendly news outlets that 306 00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:55,680 Speaker 7: attacked King for staying at a posh, white owned hotel 307 00:17:55,880 --> 00:17:59,960 Speaker 7: in Memphis when there was a perfectly good black owned hotel, 308 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:02,639 Speaker 7: the Lorraine, where he could stay if he was willing 309 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:06,080 Speaker 7: to patronize black owned businesses as he was telling his 310 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:09,800 Speaker 7: followers to do. Why did the FBI care were King 311 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:13,720 Speaker 7: state in Memphis? This was an easy question for running 312 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:14,400 Speaker 7: the Yapkins. 313 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:17,520 Speaker 8: I think they had it set up for him to 314 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:21,080 Speaker 8: stay at the Lorraine ahead of time, because they were 315 00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:23,439 Speaker 8: set up to work out at Jowler's this place. 316 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:26,000 Speaker 4: Now one or night they were going to hit him 317 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:29,320 Speaker 4: from the window. I don't know, I don't think so. 318 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:31,040 Speaker 8: I think they were going to try to hit him 319 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 8: from the fire station at first, as far as old firemen, 320 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:39,320 Speaker 8: I know that they had some move My brother had 321 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:45,240 Speaker 8: talked to somebody and I think it was Holloman about 322 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:48,480 Speaker 8: having a moved. And I think it was Halloman. It 323 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:52,240 Speaker 8: came up with the idea, if there's a threat, if 324 00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:55,400 Speaker 8: we can show some kind of a threat, we could 325 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:58,600 Speaker 8: have a mood. And I think that's what they used, 326 00:18:58,840 --> 00:18:59,439 Speaker 8: was a threat. 327 00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:04,160 Speaker 7: As Adkins relates, the first idea was to shoot King 328 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:07,320 Speaker 7: from some position at the firehouse, but even with the 329 00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:10,359 Speaker 7: black fireman removed, there were too many people there to 330 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:13,879 Speaker 7: assure privacy at the back window. But the brush covered 331 00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 7: yard behind Jim's grill had promise. So who made the call? 332 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:21,640 Speaker 7: Atkins said it was his brother Russell Junior and Frank Holloman. 333 00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:26,600 Speaker 8: Work came down to hitting him from behind the grill. 334 00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:30,600 Speaker 8: I don't know if he ever was down there after that, 335 00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:33,040 Speaker 8: but man, there was a ton of sh had back here, 336 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:37,240 Speaker 8: so it was the perfect place the angle wasn't right. 337 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:41,359 Speaker 4: They needed him up where he was level with him. 338 00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:45,840 Speaker 7: At least the angle wasn't right, and that would explain 339 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:48,879 Speaker 7: the sudden need for a room change. King had been 340 00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:52,960 Speaker 7: successfully booked into the rain motel, where ambush awaited, but 341 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:55,359 Speaker 7: he'd been booked into room two oh two, on the 342 00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:58,880 Speaker 7: ground floor from the firehouse. A man standing outside Room 343 00:19:58,880 --> 00:20:01,760 Speaker 7: too o two might have been a decent target, but 344 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:05,000 Speaker 7: not from the yard behind Jowers Grill. If the shooter 345 00:20:05,119 --> 00:20:07,639 Speaker 7: were back far enough to be covered by the brush, 346 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:10,639 Speaker 7: the hill itself would hide the rooms on the ground floor. 347 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:14,280 Speaker 7: This problem was apparently recognized a day or so before 348 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:17,000 Speaker 7: King was to arrive, and there was a rushed effort 349 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:20,240 Speaker 7: to get King into another room, preferably on the second floor, 350 00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:22,280 Speaker 7: across from the yard behind Jowers Grill. 351 00:20:23,359 --> 00:20:24,120 Speaker 4: So there it is. 352 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:45,800 Speaker 7: King was moved to room three oh six. Martin Luther 353 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:48,000 Speaker 7: King was shot in Memphis at six in the evening. 354 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:52,679 Speaker 7: Almost instantly the news appeared on the FBI teletype, But 355 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:55,640 Speaker 7: in Washington it was a little after seven and most 356 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:59,360 Speaker 7: people had already left. But Paul Leturski, a young man 357 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:02,280 Speaker 7: who was serving is Hoover's personal assistant, was still there. 358 00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:05,960 Speaker 7: He saw the teletype come in, ripped it from the machine, 359 00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:07,440 Speaker 7: and headed for the phone. 360 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:13,280 Speaker 3: I called Hoover at home. I didn't want him to 361 00:21:13,359 --> 00:21:17,280 Speaker 3: hear it over the news. I called him and I said, 362 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:20,360 Speaker 3: mister Hoover, I just got a telex message from our 363 00:21:20,359 --> 00:21:25,120 Speaker 3: Memphis office said that Martin Luther King was shot while 364 00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:28,520 Speaker 3: standing on a belt get in that city. And then 365 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:33,520 Speaker 3: there was this pause, and his immediate reaction to me 366 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:37,000 Speaker 3: was is he dead? And I said, I don't know. 367 00:21:37,119 --> 00:21:39,639 Speaker 3: All I have is the fact that he was shot. 368 00:21:40,119 --> 00:21:41,840 Speaker 3: And then I asked him if he would like me 369 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:44,960 Speaker 3: to connect him with the head of the Memphis office, 370 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:48,280 Speaker 3: and he said, yeah, do that. Then there was another 371 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:52,640 Speaker 3: slight delay, and he said to me, I hope the 372 00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:55,160 Speaker 3: son of a bitch doesn't die, because if he does, 373 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:59,320 Speaker 3: they'll make a martyr on Those are his exact words, 374 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:00,520 Speaker 3: and I'll never forget it. 375 00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:06,280 Speaker 7: So do Hoover's words upon hearing the news about King 376 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:10,360 Speaker 7: reveal anything to us. Paul Letursky, who just came out 377 00:22:10,359 --> 00:22:12,720 Speaker 7: with a book about his years in the FBI titled 378 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:16,000 Speaker 7: The Director, was pretty clear with me that he thought 379 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,560 Speaker 7: Hoover's words should remove him from any suspicion about the murder. 380 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:22,640 Speaker 7: I was surprised because I didn't hear it that way. 381 00:22:23,359 --> 00:22:25,600 Speaker 7: So I played the clip for a friend and he 382 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:28,639 Speaker 7: said something similar that a man who holps another man 383 00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:32,879 Speaker 7: doesn't die, isn't the one we should suspect of killing him. 384 00:22:33,359 --> 00:22:36,280 Speaker 7: That makes sense if you don't mind being overly literal 385 00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:39,959 Speaker 7: with Hoover's words. See in another way, if Hoover had 386 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:42,720 Speaker 7: played any part in the killing of King, however passive, 387 00:22:43,359 --> 00:22:46,720 Speaker 7: he would have had time to reflect on possible unfortunate 388 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:50,480 Speaker 7: side effects, such as even in death, King would best him, 389 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:54,200 Speaker 7: as he clearly has done. So. Of course, Hoover might 390 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:57,159 Speaker 7: say what he said about King becoming a martyr, but 391 00:22:57,320 --> 00:23:00,479 Speaker 7: regardless of which way you think his words point, there 392 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:02,800 Speaker 7: can be no dispute about the hatred you can hear 393 00:23:02,840 --> 00:23:06,679 Speaker 7: in them. At about the same time that Laturski was 394 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:10,199 Speaker 7: on the phone with his boss Hoover, John Currington was 395 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:12,280 Speaker 7: on the phone with his boss H. L. 396 00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:12,680 Speaker 4: Hunt. 397 00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:18,640 Speaker 6: Mister Hunt, he called me, I would say, within less 398 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:21,440 Speaker 6: than ten minutes after Martin Lucy King was killed there 399 00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:26,679 Speaker 6: in Memphis. There and told me to call every radio 400 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:30,879 Speaker 6: station in the United States or everywhere that lifeline was broadcast. 401 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:34,520 Speaker 6: We were also in Mexico and at that time Hawaii 402 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:38,639 Speaker 6: and have them not to do the program on Martin 403 00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:42,399 Speaker 6: Lucy King. We were doing a very derogatory series of 404 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:45,600 Speaker 6: stories on Martin Lucy King, most of which had come 405 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:49,040 Speaker 6: through jegg Or Hoover. Over a period of time of 406 00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:51,320 Speaker 6: about two hours, we were able to call all the 407 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:52,399 Speaker 6: radio stations. 408 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:57,080 Speaker 7: As soon as Currington had accomplished this task, Hunt had 409 00:23:57,119 --> 00:24:00,560 Speaker 7: another He wanted to go into hiding. His views on 410 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:03,080 Speaker 7: King were well known and he didn't feel safe in 411 00:24:03,119 --> 00:24:06,679 Speaker 7: his home. He asked Carrington to arrange for travel and 412 00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:10,840 Speaker 7: lodging under an assumed name. So under the names of 413 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:14,240 Speaker 7: mister and missus John Krrington, Hunt and his wife Ruth 414 00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:16,920 Speaker 7: flew out to El Paso and checked into a hotel. 415 00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:21,280 Speaker 7: But first thing Monday, a call came into Hunt's Dallas office, 416 00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:24,960 Speaker 7: someone wanting to speak to the absent mister Hunt. 417 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:30,359 Speaker 6: Jaeger Hoover called, I'd say about nine or nine thirty 418 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:34,960 Speaker 6: on a Monday morning after the death of Martin Lucy 419 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:38,439 Speaker 6: King on Friday, and asked for mister Hunt, and the 420 00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:42,439 Speaker 6: switchboard advised mister Hoover that miss Trump was out of 421 00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:46,240 Speaker 6: town at that time. Mister Hunt asked our switchboard operator 422 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:49,640 Speaker 6: if John was in and for I know he never 423 00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:52,959 Speaker 6: knew my last name, but anyway, I got on the 424 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:56,680 Speaker 6: phone and Hoover asked where mister Hunt was. I told him. 425 00:24:57,240 --> 00:24:59,120 Speaker 6: He asked if I could get a hold of him 426 00:24:59,119 --> 00:25:01,159 Speaker 6: and ask him if he would come to Washington. I 427 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:02,280 Speaker 6: told him yes I could. 428 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:06,520 Speaker 7: According to Currington, he called Hunt and told him that 429 00:25:06,560 --> 00:25:09,879 Speaker 7: Hoover not only wanted to talk to him, but wanted 430 00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:13,680 Speaker 7: to do the talking in person. Would Hunt travel to Washington? 431 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:18,120 Speaker 7: Hunt said yes, and Curington again made the reservations under 432 00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:22,040 Speaker 7: another name. Hunt flew to Washington and stayed for a 433 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:26,640 Speaker 7: couple of days. In our previous episode, we heard attorney 434 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:29,560 Speaker 7: John Currington describe how one day out of the blue, 435 00:25:30,119 --> 00:25:33,000 Speaker 7: he was selected to be H. L. Hunt's personal assistant, 436 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:37,320 Speaker 7: a position he held for twelve years. Hunt was an 437 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:41,480 Speaker 7: extremely wealthy Texas oilman, often called the richest man in America. 438 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:45,600 Speaker 7: As Currington tells us, Hunt was a longtime supporter of 439 00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:50,000 Speaker 7: Lyndon Johnson and also had an ongoing alliance with jayag 440 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:50,480 Speaker 7: Good Hoover. 441 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:54,359 Speaker 6: Miss Hunt felt like he could do certain things for 442 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:57,879 Speaker 6: Jag or Hoover that Hoover couldn't do for himself. But 443 00:25:58,119 --> 00:26:01,840 Speaker 6: more important, Miss Hunt believed that Jaeger Hoover could furnish 444 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:05,800 Speaker 6: him information that he could use in his business activities. 445 00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:10,760 Speaker 7: What activities. As we've heard, mister Hunt produced a radio 446 00:26:10,800 --> 00:26:13,920 Speaker 7: program called Lifeline that was designed to advance his rather 447 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:17,720 Speaker 7: extreme political views. It was only fifteen minutes in length, 448 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:20,720 Speaker 7: but a new show came out every day, six days 449 00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:23,720 Speaker 7: a week, and was carried by over five hundred radio 450 00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:25,040 Speaker 7: stations across the country. 451 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:29,520 Speaker 6: The program did a lot of derogatory comments on Martin 452 00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:33,920 Speaker 6: Luther King. Edgar Hoover Camp a personal file on them, 453 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:37,080 Speaker 6: and we were privileged to a lot of that information 454 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:41,240 Speaker 6: in those files that was redrafted and rewritten and used 455 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:43,000 Speaker 6: in Lifeline programmed. 456 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:49,000 Speaker 7: As Curington would reveal, Hoover and Hunt would have brief 457 00:26:49,040 --> 00:26:52,200 Speaker 7: conversations on the phone, maybe once a month. It was 458 00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:56,119 Speaker 7: a romance of sorts. Hunt had wealth, Hoover had power, 459 00:26:56,400 --> 00:26:59,080 Speaker 7: and they shared a deep hatred of Martin Luther King. 460 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:03,280 Speaker 7: According to Curington, Hunt felt sure that he could destroy 461 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:06,320 Speaker 7: King with his radio program. 462 00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:11,240 Speaker 6: Mister Hunt was under the impression that the message against 463 00:27:11,280 --> 00:27:16,960 Speaker 6: Martin Lucy King that Lifeline could deliver would eventually attract somebody, 464 00:27:17,280 --> 00:27:21,639 Speaker 6: or some want or some group that would say that 465 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:24,119 Speaker 6: Martin Lucy King was removed from power. 466 00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:28,840 Speaker 7: Hoover, according to Curington, was less certain than Hunt that 467 00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:32,399 Speaker 7: Lifeline alone could achieve this, but he was willing to help. 468 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:33,000 Speaker 4: So. 469 00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:37,680 Speaker 7: Jed Garoover, the nation's top lawman, broke the law continuously 470 00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:41,440 Speaker 7: by secretly giving to Hunt material on King that Hunt 471 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:45,640 Speaker 7: could turn around and use on his radio programs. When 472 00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:49,879 Speaker 7: President John Kennedy was murdered, Attorney General Robert Kennedy lost 473 00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:53,439 Speaker 7: all control over the FBI and jaed Gar Hoover and 474 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:57,000 Speaker 7: the new President, Lyndon Johnson apparently had no desire to 475 00:27:57,040 --> 00:28:01,320 Speaker 7: shield King from Hoover, though he and King time maintained 476 00:28:01,359 --> 00:28:06,280 Speaker 7: an outwardly friendly relationship, but in private, Johnson's real feelings 477 00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:09,600 Speaker 7: with Surface and Carrington was privy to some of it. 478 00:28:11,119 --> 00:28:15,040 Speaker 6: I've never heard such now language as Linda Johnson used 479 00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:18,679 Speaker 6: in describing his feeling for Martin Lucor King. So for 480 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:23,119 Speaker 6: the public, they were accepted as very close friends, all 481 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:26,520 Speaker 6: both looking out for each other. But I don't know 482 00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:29,679 Speaker 6: of anybody that Linda Johnson had a more dislike for 483 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:35,080 Speaker 6: than Martin Lucor King, and the same thing with Jaigar Hoover. 484 00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:38,960 Speaker 7: When Hoover invited Hunt to come to Washington right after 485 00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:41,960 Speaker 7: King had been killed, it allowed for more private and 486 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:45,719 Speaker 7: personal conversations than either man was willing to have on 487 00:28:45,760 --> 00:28:49,160 Speaker 7: the phone. Carrington wasn't privy to any of that. 488 00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:52,920 Speaker 6: I have no worse the idea of what they talked about, 489 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:55,880 Speaker 6: but I believe that Jayacker, Hoover, X L. Hunt, and 490 00:28:55,920 --> 00:29:00,280 Speaker 6: Linda Johnson were putting themselves into a holding past and 491 00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:04,680 Speaker 6: were if anything did surface that would suggest they had 492 00:29:04,760 --> 00:29:08,360 Speaker 6: advanced knowledge of this, they wanted to have as clean 493 00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:09,640 Speaker 6: a pass as possible. 494 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:12,920 Speaker 7: Of course, a totally clean path was hard to be 495 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:15,680 Speaker 7: certain of because the alleged killer of doctor King had 496 00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:18,200 Speaker 7: not been captured, and no one could be sure what 497 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:21,240 Speaker 7: he might reveal once he was, assuming he was captured alive. 498 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:24,760 Speaker 7: At that time, H. L. Hunt and Jo Savillo, the 499 00:29:24,840 --> 00:29:28,560 Speaker 7: powerful mafia boss, both lived in Dallas. The two men 500 00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:31,440 Speaker 7: were not what you would call friends, but they shared 501 00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:34,600 Speaker 7: a respect, stayed out of each other's business, and once 502 00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:36,960 Speaker 7: in a while might meet at Sivillo's place out at 503 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:40,600 Speaker 7: the airport, where, according to Carrington, Savilla might offer a 504 00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:42,880 Speaker 7: short lesson on how to get away with murder. 505 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:47,920 Speaker 6: Savello's in comments to Missus Hunt told him that, you know, 506 00:29:48,120 --> 00:29:51,440 Speaker 6: hiring somebody to kill someone was no problem at all, 507 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:55,480 Speaker 6: but immediately after that killing was done, you either had 508 00:29:55,520 --> 00:29:58,800 Speaker 6: to one destroy the person who did to kill him, 509 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:02,480 Speaker 6: or if the may god indicted, you had to make 510 00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:06,040 Speaker 6: a rationalist if that man played guilty, so he could 511 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:09,080 Speaker 6: not testify an open court as to what he knew 512 00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:11,440 Speaker 6: or did not know on a protecular crime. 513 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:15,920 Speaker 7: There Two months after King's murder, James Earl Ray was 514 00:30:15,960 --> 00:30:18,959 Speaker 7: captured in London. He was brought to Memphis, where he 515 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:21,880 Speaker 7: was held in communicado for eight months. Exactly what you 516 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:23,880 Speaker 7: would do if you were not sure what the man 517 00:30:23,960 --> 00:30:26,760 Speaker 7: might say if allowed to speak in public. But if 518 00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:29,440 Speaker 7: others were involved in the killing the King, it would 519 00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:32,160 Speaker 7: appear that Ray did not pose a danger at least 520 00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:35,160 Speaker 7: as far as telling secrets, because he didn't know much. 521 00:30:35,880 --> 00:30:38,600 Speaker 7: But Ray did pose a danger because if he went 522 00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:41,800 Speaker 7: to trial, the evidence would have to bear up under 523 00:30:41,840 --> 00:30:45,240 Speaker 7: examination and the case against him might fall apart, as 524 00:30:45,280 --> 00:30:48,400 Speaker 7: his first attorney, Arthur Haines, thought it would, and who 525 00:30:48,480 --> 00:30:51,719 Speaker 7: knew what other witnesses might appear and what they might 526 00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:54,800 Speaker 7: have to say. And if Ray were found not guilty, 527 00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:58,000 Speaker 7: or worse still, if the case against him were shown 528 00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:00,840 Speaker 7: to be a sham, where would that, Jay ar Hoover 529 00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:04,520 Speaker 7: in the vaunted FBI, who would run the investigation if 530 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:07,280 Speaker 7: Ray had been set up, who had done the setting up, 531 00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:10,440 Speaker 7: who had allowed them to do it, and who had 532 00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:15,400 Speaker 7: accepted and promoted the phony evidence. These questions threatened to 533 00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:19,280 Speaker 7: absolutely destroy Jade car Hoover again. 534 00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:25,800 Speaker 6: John Carrington, Hoover and Johnson and mister Hunt all shared 535 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:29,760 Speaker 6: the same view that if James Arrol Ray should go 536 00:31:29,840 --> 00:31:32,640 Speaker 6: to trial, he could throw everybody out of the boat 537 00:31:32,720 --> 00:31:35,840 Speaker 6: that was volating around out in the ocean there. So 538 00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:39,720 Speaker 6: I think, in the opinion of Jaegar Hoover, Lend Johnson 539 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:43,600 Speaker 6: hl Hunt, that it was necessary for James Earl Ray 540 00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:46,840 Speaker 6: to play guilty to that work, none of his testimony 541 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:47,920 Speaker 6: would be made public. 542 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:52,080 Speaker 7: According to John Carrington, Hoover and Hunt were on the 543 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:55,160 Speaker 7: phone more often after Ray had been captured. The door 544 00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:58,640 Speaker 7: between Carrington's office and Hunt's office was always open at 545 00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:01,800 Speaker 7: Hunt's assistance, So there wasn't much that happened in that 546 00:32:01,880 --> 00:32:06,840 Speaker 7: office that John Currington wasn't privy to one afternoon. According 547 00:32:06,840 --> 00:32:09,640 Speaker 7: to Currington, after Hoover had been on the phone with Hunt, 548 00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:14,080 Speaker 7: Kurrington was called into Hunt's office, whereupon Hunt made another 549 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:14,680 Speaker 7: phone call. 550 00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:19,480 Speaker 6: Mister h called Percy Foreman one day and he told 551 00:32:19,480 --> 00:32:22,240 Speaker 6: mister Foreman that he had a young lawyer in his office, 552 00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:24,720 Speaker 6: said it'd come up with a lot of ideas as 553 00:32:24,720 --> 00:32:27,440 Speaker 6: to why James row Ray should enter a guilty plea 554 00:32:27,760 --> 00:32:30,960 Speaker 6: in the killing of Martin Lucy King. And the young 555 00:32:31,080 --> 00:32:34,160 Speaker 6: lawyer was myself, and he asked if I came to Houston, 556 00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:38,240 Speaker 6: would Percy Foreman visit with me and go over the 557 00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:42,240 Speaker 6: series and I had jotted down and Percy Foreman agreed 558 00:32:42,280 --> 00:32:45,120 Speaker 6: to do that. I left the next morning. 559 00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:49,240 Speaker 7: Kurrington made the quick flight from Dallas to Houston, took 560 00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:52,480 Speaker 7: a cab from the airport, and arrived at Foreman's office. 561 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:54,360 Speaker 7: He was not empty handed. 562 00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:58,040 Speaker 6: I had a briefcase with a one hundred and twenty 563 00:32:58,040 --> 00:33:01,280 Speaker 6: five thousand dollars cash in it. Mixter Foreman and I 564 00:33:01,960 --> 00:33:04,959 Speaker 6: probably exchange a few pleasures for two or three minutes, 565 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:07,880 Speaker 6: and I just simply stated to him that had jotted 566 00:33:07,920 --> 00:33:10,960 Speaker 6: down one hundred and twenty five thousand raisers why James 567 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:14,000 Speaker 6: Row Ray should plead guilty to Keillan Martin Lucy King, 568 00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:18,960 Speaker 6: and would like to leave those reasons with him and 569 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:23,440 Speaker 6: Percy Foreman without any comment, say just leave you a briefcase. 570 00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:25,719 Speaker 6: That was the extent of our conversation. 571 00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:29,240 Speaker 7: Currington would say that the lack of any questions or 572 00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:32,640 Speaker 7: conversation on the part of Percy Foreman felt spooky to him. 573 00:33:33,280 --> 00:33:36,000 Speaker 7: He left Foreman's office feeling that this was a deal 574 00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:38,120 Speaker 7: that had been set up will in advance. 575 00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:42,680 Speaker 6: If I were just making an editorial type of comment. 576 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:47,400 Speaker 6: In my opinion, I believe that Jay Hoover himself would 577 00:33:47,400 --> 00:33:50,440 Speaker 6: have made a call to Percy Foreman and told him 578 00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:51,480 Speaker 6: what was fiction. 579 00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:51,840 Speaker 4: To have with. 580 00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:57,400 Speaker 7: This is a stunning story. According to Curington, he brings 581 00:33:57,440 --> 00:34:00,160 Speaker 7: one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars to Foreman in 582 00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:03,680 Speaker 7: exchange for the promise that Ray will plead guilty. What 583 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:05,840 Speaker 7: reasons do we have for believing him? 584 00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:06,959 Speaker 3: First? 585 00:34:07,240 --> 00:34:09,720 Speaker 7: It would go a long way to explaining Foreman's strange 586 00:34:09,760 --> 00:34:12,640 Speaker 7: conduct toward Ray, pushing his way into the case and 587 00:34:12,680 --> 00:34:15,640 Speaker 7: forcing out a pair of lawyers who were preparing an 588 00:34:15,680 --> 00:34:19,920 Speaker 7: affirmative defensive Ray then doing nothing on Race behalf and 589 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:24,279 Speaker 7: finally putting Ray under extraordinary pressure to plead guilty while 590 00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:27,960 Speaker 7: publicly pretending that was always the plan. And if that 591 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:30,880 Speaker 7: were not enough, Foreman then puts his name to an 592 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:35,239 Speaker 7: article in a national magazine assigning nasty, untrue motives for 593 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:37,840 Speaker 7: Ray in regards to the murder, such as what he 594 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:40,200 Speaker 7: was really trying to do was start a race war. 595 00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:44,640 Speaker 7: At every turn, Percy Foreman seems to be acting in 596 00:34:44,719 --> 00:34:48,759 Speaker 7: the interest of someone off stage. Would Foreman really take 597 00:34:48,840 --> 00:34:51,840 Speaker 7: money and betray a client by secretly working for the 598 00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:56,040 Speaker 7: other side, Well, as we heard in episode four, Foreman 599 00:34:56,120 --> 00:34:59,040 Speaker 7: did that very thing. Just a few years after the 600 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:02,120 Speaker 7: King murder. Foreman signed up a client who had a 601 00:35:02,160 --> 00:35:05,560 Speaker 7: conflict with Bunker and Herbert Hunt, the sons of H. L. Hunt, 602 00:35:05,880 --> 00:35:08,160 Speaker 7: and then approached the Hunts and took one hundred thousand 603 00:35:08,200 --> 00:35:11,840 Speaker 7: dollars from them in return forgetting his client to do 604 00:35:11,920 --> 00:35:14,560 Speaker 7: what the Hunts wanted. Is all laid out in a 605 00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:18,120 Speaker 7: federal indictment. So I think we now know how it 606 00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:21,120 Speaker 7: was that James Olray put in a plea of guilty 607 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:24,560 Speaker 7: when he really wanted to go to trial. It was arranged, 608 00:35:24,960 --> 00:35:28,760 Speaker 7: paid for, he was forced into it. Foreman was simply 609 00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:31,920 Speaker 7: not going to defend him. And the chief beneficiary of 610 00:35:31,960 --> 00:35:35,279 Speaker 7: all that was j Edgar Hoover. He was the one 611 00:35:35,280 --> 00:35:38,560 Speaker 7: on the hook if the trial of James Olray took 612 00:35:38,600 --> 00:35:42,840 Speaker 7: a bad turn. In nineteen twenty four, j at Gar Hoover, 613 00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:45,600 Speaker 7: at the age of twenty nine, became the first head 614 00:35:45,640 --> 00:35:49,200 Speaker 7: of the Bureau of Investigation, which later became the FBI, 615 00:35:49,719 --> 00:35:52,440 Speaker 7: and he was still director of the FBI when he 616 00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:56,080 Speaker 7: died in nineteen seventy two. He had seen presidents come 617 00:35:56,120 --> 00:35:58,640 Speaker 7: and go, and he had used his office to collect 618 00:35:58,680 --> 00:36:01,400 Speaker 7: information on just about every one, which made him the 619 00:36:01,440 --> 00:36:04,200 Speaker 7: most feared man in America, unless, of course, you were 620 00:36:04,239 --> 00:36:08,200 Speaker 7: with a mob. Though many wanted to, no president dared 621 00:36:08,239 --> 00:36:11,600 Speaker 7: to replace the man. It was only after Hoover died 622 00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:15,359 Speaker 7: that the Senate Church Committee was formed to investigate what 623 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:19,399 Speaker 7: they would call quote the criminal abuse of power by 624 00:36:19,440 --> 00:36:23,759 Speaker 7: the FBI. Two years later, Lewis Stokes, chairman of the 625 00:36:23,760 --> 00:36:26,919 Speaker 7: House Select Committee looking into the assassination of Martin Luther King, 626 00:36:27,280 --> 00:36:29,880 Speaker 7: read a statement of his own into the record that 627 00:36:29,960 --> 00:36:33,080 Speaker 7: took the FBI's conduct to the very edge of murder. 628 00:36:35,520 --> 00:36:38,960 Speaker 9: Should the Committee take special note that the conduct of 629 00:36:38,960 --> 00:36:42,040 Speaker 9: the FBI in this conspiracy of harassment of doctor King 630 00:36:43,160 --> 00:36:48,200 Speaker 9: was not only unjustified as policy, it was also illegal 631 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:55,120 Speaker 9: and unconstitutional. Did the conduct of the FBI contribute in 632 00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:59,360 Speaker 9: any significant degree to the sequence of events that occurred 633 00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:02,439 Speaker 9: in Memphis and led to doctor King's death? 634 00:37:04,520 --> 00:37:07,360 Speaker 7: In the MLK tapes, we have attempted to answer that 635 00:37:07,480 --> 00:37:10,680 Speaker 7: question by presenting the stories of people who have told 636 00:37:10,719 --> 00:37:13,160 Speaker 7: what they knew about the murder of Martin Luther King. 637 00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:17,240 Speaker 7: No one had a complete picture. Each person only knew 638 00:37:17,400 --> 00:37:21,640 Speaker 7: what he or she saw, heard, or did. We heard 639 00:37:21,640 --> 00:37:25,320 Speaker 7: from Police Captain Jerry Williams, whose all black security detail 640 00:37:25,600 --> 00:37:28,040 Speaker 7: was not called to protect King on his final visit 641 00:37:28,120 --> 00:37:31,919 Speaker 7: to Memphis. Fire Captain Carthel Whedon, who on the day 642 00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:34,680 Speaker 7: of the murder brought men with cameras and fancy id 643 00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:38,320 Speaker 7: up to the roof of the firehouse. Attorney ur Haines, 644 00:37:38,320 --> 00:37:40,200 Speaker 7: who had a witness who saw the package with a 645 00:37:40,280 --> 00:37:44,720 Speaker 7: rifle placed on the street minutes before the shooting. Judge 646 00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:48,239 Speaker 7: Joe Brown, who offered hard reasons why that rifle could 647 00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:52,040 Speaker 7: not have been the murder weapon. Detective Barry Linvill who 648 00:37:52,080 --> 00:37:55,200 Speaker 7: saw a bullet in near perfect condition removed from the 649 00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:58,560 Speaker 7: body of King, something that in no way resembled the 650 00:37:58,560 --> 00:38:01,520 Speaker 7: pieces of lead the FBI would later offer as the 651 00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:05,040 Speaker 7: death's luck. Ronnie Lee Atkins, who told us how the 652 00:38:05,080 --> 00:38:07,680 Speaker 7: shot was fired from the yard behind the grille where 653 00:38:07,680 --> 00:38:10,880 Speaker 7: there was plenty of cover. Betty Spates who saw a 654 00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:13,960 Speaker 7: smoking gun brought in from that yard, and a lot 655 00:38:14,000 --> 00:38:16,960 Speaker 7: of others with similar stories that did not fit with 656 00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:21,120 Speaker 7: the official version of the crime. But even collectively, their 657 00:38:21,160 --> 00:38:25,120 Speaker 7: testimony doesn't tell everything. Each is only a tile in 658 00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:27,880 Speaker 7: the mosaic, and when they are all in place, the 659 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:31,760 Speaker 7: image is still incomplete. We don't know all the actors 660 00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:34,600 Speaker 7: and the roles they played, but if you step back 661 00:38:34,760 --> 00:38:37,240 Speaker 7: and look at the mosaic, you can see a picture. 662 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:41,440 Speaker 7: The murder of doctor Martin Luther King was a planned event, 663 00:38:42,160 --> 00:38:44,560 Speaker 7: and that fact was covered up by the people who 664 00:38:44,560 --> 00:38:47,520 Speaker 7: were in charge of investigating the crime. And when it 665 00:38:47,680 --> 00:38:50,600 Speaker 7: appeared that Rai's attorneys were really going to fight the 666 00:38:50,680 --> 00:38:53,720 Speaker 7: charge in court and call into question the shaky evidence, 667 00:38:54,320 --> 00:38:57,799 Speaker 7: something had to be done. So Percy Foreman was sent 668 00:38:57,920 --> 00:39:00,759 Speaker 7: in at the last moment to rest the case away 669 00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:04,279 Speaker 7: from Rai's attorneys and force a plea of guilty, which 670 00:39:04,320 --> 00:39:06,959 Speaker 7: is precisely what he did and what he was paid 671 00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:12,600 Speaker 7: to do. The evidence of this is overwhelming. As a nation, 672 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:16,000 Speaker 7: we choose what we want to remember. Each year, on 673 00:39:16,080 --> 00:39:18,920 Speaker 7: the third Monday of January, we celebrate the birth of 674 00:39:18,960 --> 00:39:22,280 Speaker 7: doctor Martin Luther King with a national holiday that bears 675 00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:27,240 Speaker 7: his name. Newspapers and magazines publish flattering portraits and gush 676 00:39:27,239 --> 00:39:30,640 Speaker 7: about what a great man he was, conveniently forgetting the 677 00:39:30,680 --> 00:39:33,280 Speaker 7: awful things they said about him after he spoke against 678 00:39:33,320 --> 00:39:36,800 Speaker 7: the war. Now they remember him not as the traitor 679 00:39:36,840 --> 00:39:40,879 Speaker 7: they once denounced, but as an American saint. But they 680 00:39:40,920 --> 00:39:44,400 Speaker 7: never ask questions about how he died, and their pages 681 00:39:44,440 --> 00:39:48,920 Speaker 7: are used to shout down anyone who does. Meanwhile, the 682 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:52,040 Speaker 7: man who used his public position to take massive bribes, 683 00:39:52,560 --> 00:39:56,120 Speaker 7: who every day violated the law he was sworn to uphold, 684 00:39:56,760 --> 00:39:59,560 Speaker 7: the man who tried to destroy King at every turn 685 00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:03,680 Speaker 7: and finally helped to arrange his death, that man has 686 00:40:03,719 --> 00:40:07,120 Speaker 7: a granite faced building named in his honor in our 687 00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:14,120 Speaker 7: nation's capital. For Tenderfoot TV and iHeartRadio, I'm Bill Klaber 688 00:40:14,680 --> 00:40:17,200 Speaker 7: and this has been the MLK types. 689 00:40:28,800 --> 00:40:31,040 Speaker 5: Thanks for listening to the MLK tapes. A production of 690 00:40:31,080 --> 00:40:35,040 Speaker 5: iHeart Radio and Tenderfoot TV. This podcast is not specifically 691 00:40:35,080 --> 00:40:37,200 Speaker 5: endorsed by the King Family or the King of State. 692 00:40:37,840 --> 00:40:39,560 Speaker 1: The MLK Tapes is written. 693 00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:42,480 Speaker 5: And hosted by Bill Claper. Matt Frederick and Alex Williams 694 00:40:42,520 --> 00:40:45,920 Speaker 5: are executive producers on behalf of iHeart Radio with producers 695 00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:49,640 Speaker 5: Trevor Young and Jesse Phone. Donald Albright and Payne Lindsay 696 00:40:49,719 --> 00:40:53,160 Speaker 5: are executive producers on behalf of Tenderfoot TV with producers 697 00:40:53,239 --> 00:40:57,080 Speaker 5: Jamie Albright and Meredith Stedman. Original music by Makeup in 698 00:40:57,160 --> 00:41:01,160 Speaker 5: Vanity Set, cover art by Mister Soul to One with 699 00:41:01,239 --> 00:41:05,520 Speaker 5: photography by Artemis Jenkins. Special thanks to Owin Rosenbaum and 700 00:41:05,560 --> 00:41:09,520 Speaker 5: Grace Royer at UTA, the Nord Group, Beck Median Marketing, 701 00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:14,120 Speaker 5: Envision Business Management, and Station sixteen. If you have questions, 702 00:41:14,160 --> 00:41:17,719 Speaker 5: you can visit our website, the emailktapes dot com. We 703 00:41:17,840 --> 00:41:20,719 Speaker 5: posted photos and videos related to the podcast on our 704 00:41:20,760 --> 00:41:21,720 Speaker 5: social media accounts. 705 00:41:21,960 --> 00:41:24,200 Speaker 1: You can check them out at the emailk Tapes. 706 00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:28,399 Speaker 5: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio and Tenderfoot TV, please visit 707 00:41:28,400 --> 00:41:31,719 Speaker 5: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 708 00:41:31,760 --> 00:41:32,520 Speaker 5: your favorite shows.