Who Killed Martin Luther King Jr.?
Posted by Mike E on January 21, 2008
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by Mike Ely
Last year, on January 15, the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., I was in Memphis for the first time and went with friends and comrades to the Lorraine Motel after a commemorative march through town. A long line of people stretched out of the building, now a museum to Dr. King and the historic struggle against Jim Crow segregation. It wound down the block and out into the parking lot — filled with families who had come together, groups of high school youth, and somber veterans of the civil rights days. The memories of loss, rage and hope from those days long ago, in 1968, are still vivid and passed on.
This article digs into the controversies and facts surrounding King’s assassination.
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On April 24, 1998, 30 years after the killing of Dr. King, the accused assassin James Earl Ray died in a prison hospital in Nashville. The official story is that Ray was a loner who shot King in Memphis on April 4, 1968 and escaped out of the country. And after Ray’s death the national media insisted, once again, that there is “no evidence” of any high-level conspiracy. In fact, there are many reasons to believe that Dr. King was killed by an organized conspiracy and that powerful forces within the ruling class were involved.
James Earl Ray was a small-time, white racist, stickup man. In April 1968 he had been on the run for a year, after escaping from a Missouri penitentiary. Yet the authorities claim that Ray stalked King methodically from one city to another and arranged to have plastic surgery in Los Angeles. They expect people to believe that Ray simply shot King at the Lorraine Motel, and then climbed in his distinctive white Mustang and drove out of Memphis–even though King was under close federal surveillance. Ray traveled from Memphis to Atlanta, to Canada, to England, to Portugal, back to England and then was arrested on June 8 on his way to the white racist African state of Rhodesia–traveling with two false Canadian passports, registered under different names. And yet people are told this was done without accomplices, financial help or a larger organization.
Facts from Memphis
Gerald Posner recently wrote a book, Killing the Dream, intended to debunk “conspiracy theories” around King’s death. However, this book is useful because of what it can’t deny: According to Posner 12 or 14 government agents were packed into a firehouse on the day King was shot at the Lorraine Motel–less than 150 feet away from both King and the assassin. FBI agents and military intelligence agents were watching every move of King’s group, and were assisted by Black Memphis cops who could identify figures of the local Black community. Two Black firemen were transferred from that firehouse–so they could not alert King about these secret government activities.
When the assassination happened, the Memphis police did not set up roadblocks on the avenues leading out of town (as they ordinarily do in such cases). They did not even issue an “all-points bulletin” for surrounding areas until long after the assassin escaped.
Posner also reports that the first person to reach Dr. King after the shooting was an undercover Memphis police officer, Marrell McCollough. This is similar to the way an undercover New York cop was the first person to reach Malcolm X after he was assassinated. Posner reports that McCollough subsequently went to work for the CIA.
Within minutes of the assassination, someone reported over a CB radio that a white Mustang was driving through north Memphis shooting at people. Meanwhile Ray drove out of town to the south. Police claim that this CB call was a teenage prank. But many people believe it was an accomplice helping Ray escape.
Ray always denied he shot King and claimed he was hired for a gun-running operation by a man called Raoul. According to Ray, this Raoul promised to get him out of the country but then set him up as a fall guy. These claims were never explored in a public trial. Ray was pressured into pleading guilty. Judge Battle, who presided over that hearing, later said he too doubted that Ray acted alone.
The FBI and the Struggle within the Ruling Class
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“Some days ago, Martin Luther King, the Afro-American clergyman, was suddenly assassinated by the U.S. imperialists. Martin Luther King was an exponent of nonviolence. Nevertheless, the U.S. imperialists did not on that account show any tolerance toward him, but used counter-revolutionary violence and killed him in cold blood. This has taught the broad masses of the Black people in the United States a profound lesson. It has touched off a new storm in their struggle against violent repression sweeping well over a hundred cities in the United States, a storm such as has never taken place before in the history of that country. It shows that an extremely powerful revolutionary force is latent in the more than twenty million Black Americans.”
Mao Zedong,
By 1963, the Kennedy White House had realized that the Civil Rights struggle of Black people was not going to just fade away. They decided to promote “moderate” forces within the movement to help contain the people. King was important in their plans–he had emerged as a leader of mass struggle, and yet was clearly rooted in the more middle class sections of the Black community.
King’s approach was to target the Jim Crow policies of local Southern power structures, while seeking to ally with forces within the larger ruling class. He hoped that the federal government would “protect” the Civil Rights movement in the South, and he criticized the FBI for working closely with the local white racist police. As part of this approach, he called on the masses of people to demand entrance into the U.S. system (rather than questioning it or overthrowing it). King opposed the growing tendency of Black people to identify with anti-imperialist forces around the world, like the rising struggle of Palestinian people against the U.S. ally Israel. These politics convinced President John Kennedy that King would be useful for containing the struggle of Black people. Kennedy invited King to the White House and personally asked him to help keep radical forces out of the movement.
At the same time, the Kennedy White House unleashed the FBI to spy on King–as well as more radical forces within the movement. Over the next years, the FBI expanded its COINTELPRO operation into a sweeping campaign to destroy, divide, neutralize and isolate political forces that they considered a threat to the system.
Attorney General Bobby Kennedy personally approved FBI wiretaps to make sure that King stuck to strategies and associations that suited ruling class interests. The FBI gathered tapes of King’s sexual activities–a tactic they had refined for controlling people through blackmail and destroying them through public scandal.
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In the following years, the struggle of people all over the world rose to a high tide, and inside the ruling class there was intensifying conflict over how to deal with it (as well as over other issues). Powerful forces in the ruling class believed that even nonviolent figures like King encouraged the struggle of the masses. And they believed that it was dangerous to promote and work through such “responsible” forces within the movement. FBI head J. Edgar Hoover was clearly part of that ruing class camp. In Hoover’s view, anyone legitimizing protests and demanding change was a danger.
In November 1963, John Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, and Lyndon Johnson rose to power. This shows the intensity of the conflicts inside the ruling class. Within months, Hoover and the FBI were attempting to use their secret tapes to destroy Martin Luther King. They leaked rumors about King’s sexual activity to the media and rival forces within the Civil Rights Movement. In one famous COINTELPRO operation, FBI agents sent King a tape with an anonymous letter suggesting that he commit suicide.
By 1967 the struggle of Black people and students was continuing to radicalize. King’s philosophy lost influence as radical new leaders emerged. In the “long hot summer” of 1967 tremendous rebellions shook inner cities across the U.S., and Johnson assigned military intelligence agencies to assist the FBI in domestic surveillance of the emerging Black liberation struggle and anti-war resistance.
Sections of the U.S. ruling class were still determined to co-opt and channel the increasingly radical struggle. Bobby Kennedy announced he would run for President. Dr. King, too, broke with President Johnson and, like Bobby Kennedy, came out against Johnson’s approach in Vietnam. With Bobby Kennedy’s endorsement, Dr. King proposed a poor people’s encampment in Washington, DC for the summer of 1968–so that the explosive struggle of the people could be channeled into controllable forms by creating a prominent forum in the Capitol and in the ’68 election campaign. Other forces in the ruling class were extremely hostile to these approaches–believing that the Black masses of Washington, DC might prove impossible to control.
In this period, Hoover and the FBI included Dr. King in their discussion of figures to “neutralize.” On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis. The following month, his ruling class ally Robert Kennedy was assassinated after winning the California presidential primary.
Who in the ruling class approved King’s assassination? Did they have some right-wing racist circle carry out the hit, using Ray as the triggerman? Did military or FBI assassins pull the trigger, and set up Ray to take the blame?
The full answers may lie buried in the archives of the FBI until the day when the people drag them into daylight. But clearly, powerful forces–including the head of the FBI–believed that King should be “neutralized.” Posner writes that the FBI knew about dozens of plots to assassinate King, but they did not warn King of such plots. And there is no record that they ever moved to break up such operations. The FBI had recruited many operatives and informants within the Klan and white racist circles, and repeatedly used these networks to attack the Civil Rights Movement. It is quite possible that the FBI unleashed or “allowed” such forces to kill King.
There is evidence that James Earl Ray may have had ties to a wealthy racist lawyer in Missouri, John Sutherland, who in 1968 was offering $50,000 to anyone willing to assassinate Dr. King. Ray was in the Missouri penitentiary at that time, and then escaped. After the King assassination, when Ray was captured in England, his brother Jerry Ray reportedly told police, “If I was in his position, and had 18 years to serve and someone offered me a lot of money to kill someone I didn’t like anyhow and get me out of the country, I’d do it.”
There are many reasons to believe that there were organized forces behind the killing of Dr. King, that the FBI or other government forces had a hand in it, and that the system has worked for 30 years to cover this up.
Published: 2008
Available online at mikeely.wordpress.com
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david spates said
I made a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day video that I think EVERYONE will enjoy. It’s really short, and should put a smile on your face.
David Spates
Victor Arinze Nkwo said
Title: I Luv Dr Martin Luthar King jr. Shot response. History has revealed a great leader whose dream has survived the African Americans 2day who labourd in slavery tirelessy in shame for their white folks. Only 2day a black man Barack Obama has won the presidential Pramaries and could become the next president of USA. All thanks to M.L. king Jr. And fellow petriots who died for the liberation of the Blacks race in America and the world. Thank you.
destinee said
all i have tuw say is james earl or watevuh shuld do tuw hell. like him killing dr.king wuld have made a diffrence…
did it? no i dnt think so. luke at us now we have a black president!!! bitchesss!!!!!
r.i.p king
Carl Davidson said
An associate of mine, Denis Mueller, produced an excellent feature-length documentary on the King assassination, making the points Mike does above, and more.
Here’s the link:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3793111576487038398
He and I worked together on another similar project on the JFK assassination, if anyone’s still interested in that one. It was put out on MPI Home Video via Blockbuster:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0260710/
stabb said
More about Martin Luther King.
http://martin-luther-king-stcop.blogspot.com/
EMMY said
I agree with Destinee the suary part to to hell with ya
King was a brave man who stood by in what he belived in
R.I.P Kingxxxxxx
EMMY said
i luv king – umm a bit – well no not realy- but he was VVVVVVVEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
[very] bravexxxxx
Stanley W. Rogouski said
William Pepper (who was actually James Earl Ray’s lawyer in the 1990s and King’s family in the King family vs. Loyd Jowers case) wrote a book called “An Act of State” about the King assassination. The argument that Ray was a scapegoat’s pretty convincing.
But then again, not having done any serious research on the case, I guess any reasonably argued book into an idea that seems so perfectly plausible (that the government assassinated King) is going to be convincing.
Watching the inauguation yesterday, I was left with the impression that King had triumphed, but the sanitized, ruling class friendly King you’re taught about in school, not the real King who made the speech against the Vietnam War.
Obama represents a triump of the black elite and that would have been impossible without King. But Obama also very consciously backtracked off of King’s opposition to the war in Vietnam in his speech.
Here’s the relevent quote:
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh.
Nobody fought for me at Khe Sanh.
DW said
Interesting, Stanley. I heard that as “Quezon,” but the official transcript at whitehouse.gov confirms it as “Khe Sanh.” Very different connotation.
monica said
i hate james earl he shoud of killed him self who ever was goverment is a asshole evan prisedent
Stanley W. Rogouski said
Interesting, Stanley. I heard that as “Quezon,” but the official transcript at whitehouse.gov confirms it as “Khe Sanh.” Very different connotation
Well, Quezon would have two connotations. It could mean liberating the Philippines from Japanese fascism or it could mean enslaving the Philippines for American imperialism.
But I doubt Obama would follow Normandy with a WWII Pacific battle.
Nia Lashay Carpenter said
I love dr. MArtin luther king.He died and suffered because a man who didn’t like what he was doing.He was just trying to make us live with a better life and someone ruend it I think I know who killed him a guy guy named James Ray Earl he did that to a guy who was just trying to help us. He was on the devils side that time he did that he should go down to to the devils home sense he did that at least he should have repented but he didn’t. You should be a shamed of your self who ever did that. Thats why you are in jail now.So you are the worst person ever so you need to go to jail for the rest of your life thats what i say. If you see this right now who ever did this to martin Luther king if you MAD I dont care you need to see this you are the Horrible- est person on earth so you should be a ashamed of your self who ever did this.So you can rot and suffer in jail.You need to be ashamed of yourself because you did this to yourself.Bye The person who killed Martin Luther KIng. So you can read this who ever did that to the man who tried to help the soilders not get killed
NJKM said
I just want to say that, yeah we have a black presinted and hopefuly he will be a good one but martin luther king was really brave but some things that people say about blacks is horribluy wse are ahll the same oin matter what coulor we are so i just wat to say that artin luthet king hwas mint. just think if it wasn’y 4 martinluther king we would have never have changde unless some one eles might have duno the same as artin luther king!!!!! but martin luther king could have been killed at anytime so he have a very good life and it was very long but someone might have killed him sooner like when he was making his first speech or something think about it every body at this time Hated blacks and martin luther king was making all these march’s and speech’s so he might have been killed soon But He Shouldn’t have been killed the man who did it should ROT IN PRISON AND SHOULS HAVE A LONG AND PAINFUL DEATH!!!!!
Mike E said
Stanley wrote in regard to Obama:
Jeff Weinberger said
NOTE: Bobby Kennedy was killed two months after Martin Luther King, not the following month.
Do you think it coincidental that King was killed a year to the day after giving probably his most politically assertive speech ever, referred to as the Beyond Vietnam speech, April 4, 1967, at Riverside Church in NY? For anyone who hasn’t heard it try to find it as, like great poetry, it’s far more impactful heard than read. Here’s a transcript: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16566794/ns/us_news-race_and_ethnicity/ Democracy Now, democracynow.org, played the entire speech today.
What you shared, Mike, is very compelling and we have to keep insisting on the truth if we’re every going to get to it. We can’t just hope for it.
Ka Frank said
Didn’t King also have a meeting with Malcolm X that might have convinced some in the ruling class that it was time to pull the trigger?
Jeff Weinberger said
Yes, they did meet but it was well before King’s civil rights work evolved into something even more threatening to the establishment. Malcolm was assassinated in Feb 65.
jfsp said
If memory serves correct the bullet that killed King was never tied to the gun with Ray’s fingerprints that was the supposed weapon.
lili olivares said
poor mlk jr. i luv martin luther king.
in 1/27/10 my school is going to celebrate our black heroes — i choose m l king jr and ella fitzgerald and beyonce.
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alexis said
WHO KILLED HIM JAMES EARL RAY KILLED MARTIN LUTHER KING MAN HE WAS WRONG HE WAS THE ONE WHO GAVE US THIS MOMENTY TO B IN WHITE SCHOOL GOD PLEASE PRAY THAT THEY TRANHGLE THAT MAN CAUSE JUST BECAUSE THEY DIDNT LIKE HIM DNT MEAN U CAN KILL HIM SO ILL PRAY FOR MARTIN LUTHER KING AND ILL WONT PRAY FOR JAMES HE DOES DESERVE TO DIE HE SHOULD B ALIVE TELL PL TO YAHVE BLCK PPL IN SCHOOOOL THANKZ TO MARTIN LUTHER KING FOR THIS MOMENT OF HIS TIME WE EVJOYS HIS MKOMENTS HE SHARED WIT US
*PrettyGirlRock*
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Tyler Horvath said
This article is truly unbelievable revisionist history. Dr. King was never a moderate, neither in his own eyes or in the eyes of his enemies. The FBI considered him to be a “Maoist” in fact. they were obsessed with destroying him and creating a puppet, he was never their puppet. Dr King in the Letter from a Birmingham Jail declares himself to be an extremist for justice. While many other Civil Rights leaders felt it best to focus on their specific issues Dr King took a stand against the brutal and imperialist war in Vietnam. He was never the power structures puppet, followed the dictates of his conscience and never made deals that compromised that. He never held an elected office or received a paycheck from a government agency. He was deeply critical of the economic system in the US and called for radical redistribution of wealth. He directly tied the black liberation struggle in America to struggles against colonialism across the entire world. Read some of his books before you claim to know anything about him please, in particular read Where do We Go From Here Chaos or Community. His plan to occupy DC with an army of multiracial poor people, Latino Native American and poor whites scared the living ….(fill that space with whatever you please) out of the American elite. And they of course killed him, while he was engaged in a labor struggle for economic justice. It has been proven in court what everyone with a head on on their shoulders can already devise. James Early Ray was not the killer but a conspiracy that involved the Memphis Police Department, the FBI, Military Intelligence and the Mafia.
A speech by Dr King about Vietnam.
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm
PatrickSMcNally said
TH, you’re mixing up the last 3 years of his life with the rest. Jeff Cohen & Norman Solomon pointed the distinction out back in 1995:
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2269
If there was a hidden conspracy behind the King assassination, the motive for it is to be found in the shift which King made in his last 3 years after the Civil Rights Acts had ended Jim Crow.
Tyler Horvath said
Well Patrick the last three years of his life is the part where he got killed, I’m not confused. Revolution is a journey, a process. I also urge people to read at least some excerpts of his real writings, not just what “experts” and historians and people with various agendas care to make out of him. Its just factually inaccurate when people say stuff like Dr King urged people to ignore the anti imperialist struggle and calm down when that is the exact opposite of what Dr King said and did.