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a * toe ass “hw ae a Ga ™ er lind wes | ? 4 i Pr ket Fareed? aie Pee an | Bal tiie Fee el one rr i on | wie This memo, as you know, received the following comment from Mr. Hoover: “I am glad to see that light, though it has been delayed, has come to the Domestic Intelligence Division,” and so on. I wouid just quote part of the language and maybe you can help us understand e psychology that led to it. The first part of the memo says: “We have got to remove King from his pedestal.” Then it says: The Negroes will be left without a national leader of sufficiently compelling personality to steer it in a proper direction. This is what could happen but need not happen if the right kind of national negro leader couid at this time be gradu- ally developed so as to overthrow Dr. King and be in the position to assume the role of leadership of the Negro people when King has been completely dis- credited. For some months I have been thinking about this matter. One day T had an opportunity to explore this from a philosophical and sociological standpoint with X [the name of the leader) whom I have known for some years. An I previously reported, he is a very able fellow and one on whom I can rely. J ssked bim to give the matter some attention, and if he knew any Negro of outstanding intellj- gence or ability, let me know and we would have a discussion. He has submitted to me the name of the above-named person. Enclosed with this memorandum is an outline of X’s biography, which is truly remarkable. In scanning this biograpby, it will be seen that X does have all of the qualifications of the kind of a Negro I have in mind to advance to positions of national leadership. And skipping: I want to make it clear at once that I don’t propose that the FBI {n any way become involved openly as the sponsor of a Negro leader to overshadow Martin Luther King. If this thing can be set up properly without the Bureau in any way pecoming directly involved, I think it would be not only a great belp to the FBI, but would be a fine thing for the country at large. _ White I'm not specifying at this moment, there are various ways in which the FBi could give tibia entire matter the proper direction and development. There are highly placed contacts at the FBI who it might be very helpful to farther euch a step. This can be discussed at a later date when I have probed more fully into the possibilities and this recommendation is that approval be given for me to erplore the whole matter as set forth above. And to that Mr, Hoover says: I'm glad to see the light has finally come, I have struggled for months to get ever the fact that the commounista were taking over the racial movements but our experts here couldn't or wouldn't see it. Now I think you testified earlier that you do not accept this as proper FBI activity, but can you help us understand how at one point m American history someone thought it was proper, apparently in- cluding the Directort Mr. Apas. I would have to say for one thing that this gets into the real motive of the discrediting of Martin Luther King, which I don't feel can be fully explored. I think that the people most directly in- volved in that are not available, because I don’t know from my experi- eee ek tL te Ot DP tL aig ~~ 4a TFL ~~ 3...bs 2 thin ENnCe WHEL LOGY Natl I MING I Lis PERRI, 2 ave nye UO frum Mus memorandum and other memorandums that the two individuals in- volved felt very strongly that Martin Luther King was a threat to the success of the Negro movement and that steps should be taken to get him out of that-—what the reason for it was or the motivation, I am just not in a position to say. I do say it is improper to inject yourself into that type of activity, but I don't know what the real motive was. Senator Monvatz. Dr. King was investigated, as I think you testi- fied earlier, because of fears of Communist influence upon him! Mr. Apame. Yes. fate?