Dr King was surveilled in the name of national security

[Rose Siding]

A bracing reminder from Laura Rozen at War and Piece:

When the FBI told Martin Luther King Jr. to Commit Suicide. As Nixon press aide David Gergen reminded NPR listeners this morning, the FBI monitored King, and then sent the tapes to his wife to try to "neutralize" him as a civil rights leader. It also sent him a note with a copy of the tapes suggesting he commit suicide or they would release the tapes. It's worth remembering how recently and how grossly the government has abused the civil liberties of Americans in the very recent past - and may be again (check out the NYT stories today on the agent provocateur activities of the NYPD, as well as the NYT and WP stories this week on the Bureau counterterrorism division investigating PETA, vegan groups, a group protesting the use of llama fur, etc.), all in the name of national security. Here are excerpts of the King case study from the Supplementary Detailed Staff Reports on Intelligence Activities and the Rights of Americans, Book III, Final Report, Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations, United States Senate, April 23, 1976:

(extensive excerpt from rpt, as well as link, here)

I doubt the FBI has gone so far off the rails in the current atmosphere but the point is that our whole system is designed to reject the arguments this administration is making - that we should just trust them because the threat is so great. Our whole system is designed *not to trust* their or anybody else's intentions to operate honorably in secret, without true oversight, contrary to most people's understanding of the rule of law, especially when it pertains to government monitoring of Americans by the full force of the US government intelligence apparatus.

Our system is designed *not to trust* that those operating with the powers of the government, often in secret, are wise, are judicious, are fair, are incorruptable. As the King case shows, history demonstrates that terrible abuses happen, in just such an atmosphere. Our system is designed to have checks and balances, oversight, strict limits to power of any single federal branch or agency, to limit these types of stunning, shameful, gross abuses, to make people accountable, to preserve individual liberties. Why? Because the wisdom of our system is to recognize, as Gergen said today, that power corrupts. The American public should never be asked by its leaders to just trust them. We should never be asked by our leaders to tolerate their acting outside the law in secret without active oversight for a sustained amount of time. Our system is designed to reject such arguments as a very dangerous slippery slope.

http://www.warandpiece.com/blogdirs/003354.html#more

[emulatorloo]

1. Kick and nominating n/t

[951-Riverside]

2. I've always wondered what was on those tapes

...If those tapes were so damaging that suicide was an option, why not just release it during the height of the civil rights fight?

Maybe they were bluffing.

[TheBaldyMan]

13. IIRC a documentary said it was MLK committing adultery n/t

[Straight Shooter]

17. King was quite the ladies man.

Fortunately, it didn't seem to matter at the time. Sexual indiscretion used to be someone's personal business. That is, until the government gets involved in your business.

[realFedUp]

3. and also murdered in the name of national security?

or something like that....

[deutsey]

5. Well, they couldn't get him to kill himself

So they had to do it for him.

:evilfrown:

[ddeclue]

4. So was John Kerry in the 1970's

By Nixon.

He probably was last year by Bush too.

[NNN0LHI]

6. So was the National Organization of Women or NOW

You just know them women folk can be very subversive.

Don

[Rose Siding]

8. The rpt mentions use of the media that is familiar, too

Attempts were made to prevent the publication of articles favorable to Dr. King and to find "friendly" news sources that would print unfavorable articles.

[jim3775]

7. Lucille Ball was investigated during the McCarthy era

http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/ball.htm

[kenny blankenship]

9. Our system is designed to reject such arguments...

"Our system is designed to reject such arguments as a very dangerous slippery slope."
Exactly: it's supposed to be in the American character and the central organizing principle of our Constitution to distrust power. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised to see Gergen acknowledging this. Conservatives (old guard) and liberals should be expected to agree about the corrupting lures of the policing and military powers of the state. So often though, conservatives evidently do not see any problem with unlimited, unaccountable powers as long as their preference of laws and enemies is the one guiding its application.

But I would add: And those among us who make these kinds of arguments are more dangerous than any terrorist leader or foreign dictator could dream of being.

[EVDebs]

10. Read Wm. Pepper's Orders To Kill. Military Intelligence Groups

had more surveillance on MLK than the FBI. The family knows this too.

[me b zola]

11. That's how he knew, in the 'I've Been to the Mountaintop' speech

He knew that if he did not kill himself that they would. :cry:

[TheBaldyMan]

12. TUC radio has a talk on the history of COINTELPRO

given by Ward Churchill that mainly deals with the FBI framing Joseph Peltier for the murder of two FBI agents but gives a lot of background on the types of people that have been targetted for surveillance in the past. (remember the Red Menace anyone?) Absolutely electrifying. It's only availiable via CD or tape but if you have a decent local library they might be able to get hold of a copy.

you can find them here

[texpatriot2004]

14. Yeah, and then they murdered him. n.t

[AX10]

15. nominated!

There is no doubt that these ILLEGAL wiretaps will be used to blackmail political opponents.

[Slit Skirt]

16. John Lennon claimed he was monitored as well n/t

[bonito]

19. Imagine that, n/t

[Slit Skirt]

20. yeah, he told 'em to go do it in the road

[progressoid]

23. Yep - they have a 300 page dossier on John. nt

[Straight Shooter]

18. Someone please clarify Dem prezes vs. Repub prezes who wiretap

Which party has been the most egregious? Is there an actual list somewhere?

I figured on King being wiretapped. I bet Bobby Kennedy was, too. Lucille Ball, though, that's a shock. Maybe bushies wouldn't be so gung-ho if they knew their "favorite redhead" was a wiretapping target, maybe it might make them realize how dangerous a game they're playing by saying okey-dokey to surveillance on Americans.

[babylonsister]

21. Why would Lucy be a shock during the McCarthy era?

They were going after the damn liberals then, the actors, artists, anyone who voiced dissent or had a 'difference of opinion'.

[Rose Siding]

22. The wiretap on King was initially approved by the AG in '63

according to the rpt at the link. That was Bobby Kennedy, which really just adds weight the argument that both parties should be gravely concerned about Bush's spying.