The discussion turned to the activities of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Negro civil-rights leader, and his attitude toward the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Hoover's comment:

"In spite of some remarkable success in civil-rights cases, some detractors alleged the FBI has done nothing in this field.

"In some circles, it was a common belief that special agents of the FBI who are assigned to the South are, without exception, Southern born. As a matter of fact, 70 per cent of the agents currently assigned to Southern offices were born in the North.

"In spite of this, Reverend King has attempted to capitalize on this misconception by claiming that all FBI agents assigned to Albany, Ga., resident agency were Southern born. The truth of the matter is that four out of the five agents assigned to Albany, Ga., are Northern born, and Reverend King has been made aware of this fact. I have instructed one of my assistants to make an appointment with Reverend King so that he could be given the true facts.

"King has adamantly refused to see any official of the FBI despite repeated attempts to arrange a meeting. In view of King's attitude and his continued criticism of the FBI on this point, I consider King to be the most notorious liar in the country." . . .

Martin Luther King's Reaction--

A Statement and a Disagreement

After the FBI Director's remarks about the Rev. Martin Luther King became public, Dr. King issued the following statement on November 19 from his office, the Southern Christian League Conference, in Atlanta, Ga.:

"I cannot conceive of Mr. Hoover making a statement like this without being under extreme pressure. He has apparently faltered under the awesome burden, complexities and responsibilities of his office. Therefore, I cannot engage in a public debate with him. I have nothing but sympathy for this man who has served his country so well."

At the time, the Negro leader was vacationing in the Bahama Islands. He made public the following telegram to Mr. Hoover:

"I was appalled and surprised at your reported statement maligning my integrity. What motivated such an irresponsible accusation is a mystery to me.

"I have sincerely questioned the effectiveness of the FBI in racial incidents, particularly where bombings and brutalities against Negroes are at issue, but I have never attributed this merely to the presence of Southerners in the FBI.

"This is a part of the broader question of federal involvement in the protection of Negrnes in the South and the seeming inability to gain convictions in even the most heinous crimes perpetrated against civil-rights workers.

"It remains a fact that not a single arrest was made in Albany, Ga., during the many brutalities against Negroes. Neither has a single arrest been made in connection with the tragic murder of the four children in Birmingham, nor in the case of three murdered civil-rights workers in Mississippi. Moreover, all FBI agents inevitably work with local law-enforcement officers in car thefts, bank robberies and other interstate violations.

"This makes it difficult for them to function effectively in cases where the rights and safety of Negro citizens are being threatened by these same law-enforcement officers.

"I will be happy to discuss this question with you at length in the near future. Although your statement said that you have attempted to meet me, I have sought in vain for any record of such a request. I have always made myself available to all FBI agents of the Atlanta office, and encouraged our staff and affiliates to co-operate with them in spite of the fact that many of our people have suspicions and distrust of the FBI as a result of the slow pace of justice in the South."