Dec. 1, 1964 - Dr. Martin Luther King said today that J. Edgar Hoover had told him there would be arrests “in the next few days” in the murders of three civil rights workers in Mississippi.
Dr. King made the statement after having met for more than an hour with Mr. Hoover, director of the FBI. Neither the FBI nor the Department of Justice would comment on the likelihood of early arrests.
The meeting today came as a surprise. It had been requested by Dr. King to try to calm the dispute that arose two weeks ago when Mr. Hoover called him “the most notorious liar in the country.”
Nothing was said afterward by either side about the state of personal relations between the two men. But indications were that both wanted to ease the tension and that the meeting had made some progress toward that end.
Dr. King told reporters they had had a “quite amicable discussion.” He said he was pleased because “a nonviolent leader must seek to maintain communications” with all who are in a position to help the disadvantaged Negroes of the South.
“There must not be misunderstanding between the F.B.I and civil rights leaders,” Dr. King said.
“I sincerely hope we can forget the confusions of the past and get on with the job that Congress the Supreme Court and the President have outlined the job of providing freedom and justice for all citizens of this nation.”
Some details of the conversation between the two men were learned. They included the following:
— Mr. Hoover told Dr. King that the FBI had infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan and other extremist groups as it had infiltrated Communist party groups in the past.
— Dr. King expressed the Negroes’ appreciation for what the FBI had accomplished in the South and said it had overcome many obstacles there. He said also it was understood that the presence of the FBI was a deterrent to further violations of civil rights and urged that Negroes work closely with the agency.
— Mr. Hoover commented on the good work of Negro FBI agents.
After Mr. Hoover’s verbal attack on Dr. King two weeks ago, a number of civil rights groups called for the director's resignation. He turns 70 on Jan. 1, but President Johnson has waived compulsory retirement for him at that age.
Dr. King has not been among those urging Mr. Hoover’s removal. He responded to the director’s attack by saying Mr. Hoover had “apparently faltered under the awesome burdens complexities and responsibilities of his office.”
Mr. Hoover's “liar” charge was made in regard to a reported statement by Dr. King that FBI agents in Georgia were failing to act on Negroes’ complaints because the agents were Southerners.
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