Trump Releases MLK Files

 

The Trump administration, working through the federal secrets taskforce, has released a huge number of files on the assassination of Revd. Dr Martin Luther King. The official story has always been that he was shot at a motel in Memphis on April the 4th 1968. Since then a wreath marks the spot and one has been there right up to the present day. The supposed culprit, James Earl Ray, spent the rest of his life trying to prove his innocence. A lot of hay has been made over his confession and the fact that he plead guilty, but when you consider this is the only way he could escape being sentenced to death I don't read much into it. Dr King's family supported James Earl Ray and were the most prominent figures in the movement that suspected a government conspiracy. There are over 230,000 pages of documents now available in the National Archives and it will take a long time to pour through them all. Source: https://www.archives.gov/research/mlk. Will we learn anything useful? My guess is not. It's not like me to be pessimistic, but I have to be realistic. The reason I feel this way is because the Kennedy files release was such a damp squib. I didn't even bother reporting on the hearing. It's obvious that huge amounts of information remains classified under the national security exemption. It's possible the worst of the files have been shredded specifically to avoid this revelation; but is that even necessary? Donald Trump himself has turned out to be a huge disappointment, see: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2025/07/wot-no-list.html and: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2025/06/well-that-was-short-ceasefire.html. I'm afraid we're back in the bad old days of politics for now.

Not everybody has supported the MLK files declassification. Some of King's family have warned against it. His two children said they condemned "any attempts to misuse these documents in ways intended to undermine our father's legacy." This probably means that the FBI surveillance records on King are tucked in there somewhere and they will reveal that the civil rights leader was not the flawless saint he is portrayed as in history. It is rumoured that he was unfaithful to his wife and cheated on his university exams; these files might confirm that. It has certainly been revealed that he had some rather "problematic" opinions, by today's standards, see: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2021/01/mlk-cancelled.html. My reply is... so what? History has a habit of making angels and demons out of figures who were in fact completely mortal human beings just like the rest of us, with strengths and weaknesses; who did good and bad things. If Dr King joined the rest of us by erring like Adam, does it take away his lifelong quest for justice, his words of wisdom, his dedication and decency, the hope and inspiration he gave millions of people all over the world? Especially compared to modern variety of so-called "anti-racist!" who are not fit to wipe his boots? Of course not. If this new release is meant to defuse the crisis brought about by Trump's attempt to Memory Hole the Epstein files then it will not work. People do not have the same short memories we used to, especially his "MAGA" support base. Trump will have to work an awful lot harder if he is going to redeem himself. My hopes are not high.
See here for background: https://hpanwo.blogspot.com/2023/11/jfk-portal.html.
And: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2025/02/anna-paulina-luna-press-conf.html.
And: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2023/05/will-sirhan-sirhan-be-released.html.
And: https://hpanwo.blogspot.com/2021/01/donald-trump-portal.html.