About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherBloomsbury Publishing USA

ISBN-100275930297

ISBN-139780275930295

eBay Product ID (ePID)106804

Product Key Features

Number of Pages219 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication NameMurkin Conspiracy : an Investigation Into the Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

Publication Year1989

SubjectAmericas (North, Central, South, West Indies), United States / General

TypeTextbook

Subject AreaHistory

AuthorPhilip H. Melanson

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height0.6 in

Item Weight17.3 Oz

Item Length9.2 in

Item Width6.1 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceCollege Audience

LCCN88-015262

TitleLeadingThe

Dewey Edition19

Reviews"Melanson . . . has done an exhaustively thorough job on the still-mysterious King assassination. After following Melanson's meticulous pursuit of seemingly every lead in the case--including interviews with the men whose names were used as aliases for alleged killer James Earl Ray--there can be little doubt in the reader's mind that neither of the two official versions of what happened could have been the whole truth. The first was the ever-popular notion of the lone killer: Ray. The second, propounded by a clearly inept congressional investigation a decade after the 1969 shooting, was that an ill-defined racist conspiracy was behind the assassination. What seems unarguable is that Ray, a petty criminal, could not have killed King unaided. There are too many improbabilities--the source of his carefully chosen Canadian aliases, the identity of the "fat man" who brought him a "letter" in Toronto during his escape, the odd setup at the rooming house from which the shot was fired. It is Melanson's thesis that there was high-level intelligence involvement, probably by the CIA, which was violently alarmed by King's anti-Vietnam stance."- Publishers Weekly, "Melanson provides startling evidence that seems to implicate elements of the American intelligence community in the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Arguing persuasively that James Earl Ray could not have acted alone and that he did not act in concert with a group of white supremacists, the author amasses data indicating that Ray was the pawn of a sophisticated network of conspirators who condemned King as a dangerous radical and a Communist threat to national security. What also emerges is a painstakingly documented indictment of the original FBI investigation and the 1978 report of the House Select Committee on Assassinations. Another credible assassination theory sure to arouse widespread interest."- Reference Books Bulletin, "This book is very intriguing, for we know that this is not all to the case. Melanson's writing shows the great amount of research and time put in, making this work another addition to the history of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. S.W.S." The West Coast Review of Books, "The assassination in April 1968 of Martin Luther King Jr. by James Earl Ray, a recent escapee from prison with limited financial resources and competence and no apparent political or racial convictions, inevitably raised questions of a conspiracy. Melanson disputes both the FBI's conclusion of a lone assassin and the findings of the Special House Committee on Assassinations that a right-wing St. Louis-based conspiracy might have supported Ray. Instead, Melanson, who has written extensively on political assassinations, suggests 'a much more sophisticated conspiracy executed by persons possessing the kind of expertise generally found within intelligence circles.' The author, however, provides no evidence to document either the direct or indirect involvement of intelligence officials. His thorough research into relevant, accessible primary sources, supplemented by interviews with many of the principals, at best raises questions about the contrasting conclusions cited above. Melanson's thoughtful criticisms and speculations, nonetheless, will be of interest to students of the King assassination and of political assassinations in general. Community college, undergraduate, and political libraries."- Choice, "The assassination in April 1968 of Martin Luther King Jr. by James Earl Ray, a recent escapee from prison with limited financial resources and competence and no apparent political or racial convictions, inevitably raised questions of a conspiracy. Melanson disputes both the FBI's conclusion of a lone assassin and the findings of the Special House Committee on Assassinations that a right-wing St. Louis-based conspiracy might have supported Ray. Instead, Melanson, who has written extensively on political assassinations, suggests 'a much more sophisticated conspiracy executed by persons possessing the kind of expertise generally found within intelligence circles.' The author, however, provides no evidence to document either the direct or indirect involvement of intelligence officials. His thorough research into relevant, accessible primary sources, supplemented by interviews with many of the principals, at best raises questions about the contrasting conclusions cited above. Melanson's thoughtful criticisms and speculations, nonetheless, will be of interest to students of the King assassination and of political assassinations in general. Community college, undergraduate, and political libraries." Choice, "Melanson . . . has done an exhaustively thorough job on the still-mysterious King assassination. After following Melanson's meticulous pursuit of seemingly every lead in the case--including interviews with the men whose names were used as aliases for alleged killer James Earl Ray--there can be little doubt in the reader's mind that neither of the two official versions of what happened could have been the whole truth. The first was the ever-popular notion of the lone killer: Ray. The second, propounded by a clearly inept congressional investigation a decade after the 1969 shooting, was that an ill-defined racist conspiracy was behind the assassination. What seems unarguable is that Ray, a petty criminal, could not have killed King unaided. There are too many improbabilities--the source of his carefully chosen Canadian aliases, the identity of the "fat man" who brought him a "letter" in Toronto during his escape, the odd setup at the rooming house from which the shot was fired. It is Melanson's thesis that there was high-level intelligence involvement, probably by the CIA, which was violently alarmed by King's anti-Vietnam stance." Publishers Weekly, "This book is very intriguing, for we know that this is not all to the case. Melanson's writing shows the great amount of research and time put in, making this work another addition to the history of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. S.W.S."- The West Coast Review of Books, "Melanson provides startling evidence that seems to implicate elements of the American intelligence community in the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Arguing persuasively that James Earl Ray could not have acted alone and that he did not act in concert with a group of white supremacists, the author amasses data indicating that Ray was the pawn of a sophisticated network of conspirators who condemned King as a dangerous radical and a Communist threat to national security. What also emerges is a painstakingly documented indictment of the original FBI investigation and the 1978 report of the House Select Committee on Assassinations. Another credible assassination theory sure to arouse widespread interest." Reference Books Bulletin

Number of Volumes1 vol.

IllustratedYes

Dewey Decimal364.1/524/0924

Table Of ContentIntroduction Murder in Memphis The Mystery of the Aliases The New, Offficial Six-Million-Dollar Truth Who Didn't Know What, When and How The Galt File James Earl Ray, The 'Loner' In Search of the Fat Man The Window of Vulnerability The Evidence Reexamined Time and Motion: The Double Image of James Earl Ray Motive: The Peking-Line King Threads from the Web of Conspiracy An Interview with James Earl Ray Toward Historical Truth Bibliography Index

SynopsisMurkin was the code name chosen by the FBI for their investigation into the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968. Today, 20 years after the fatal shooting of the civil rights leader, Philip H. Melanson, a renowned authority on American political assassinations, unveils his own investigation into the murder. Melanson . . . has done an exhaustively thorough job on the still-mysterious King assassination. After following Melanson's meticulous pursuit of seemingly every lead in the case--including interviews with the men whose names were used as aliases for alleged killer James Earl Ray--there can be little doubt in the reader's mind that neither of the two official versions of what happened could have been the whole truth. The first was the ever-popular notion of the lone killer: Ray. The second, propounded by a clearly inept congressional investigation a decade after the 1969 shooting, was that an ill-defined racist conspiracy was behind the assassination. What seems unarguable is that Ray, a petty criminal, could not have killed King unaided. There are too many improbabilities--the source of his carefully chosen Canadian aliases, the identity of the 'fat man' who brought him a 'letter' in Toronto during his escape, the odd setup at the rooming house from which the shot was fired. It is Melanson's thesis that there was high-level intelligence involvement, probably by the CIA, which was violently alarmed by King's anti-Vietnam stance. Publisher's Weekly Murkin was the code name chosen by the FBI for the investigation into the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968. Today, twenty years after the fatal shooting of the civil rights leader, Philip H. Melanson, a renowned authority on American political assassinations, unveils his own investigation into the murder. Through extensive interviews, research, and Freedom of Information Act requests, Melanson analyzes the official investigations, the evidence, the performance of law enforcement officials, the role of James Earl Ray, and the questions of conspiracy. Much of the data presented has never before been published. Based on his detailed investigation, Melanson offers a revisionist interpretation of the King case, demonstrating that it remains unsolved. Melanson argues persuasively that both the FBI's conclusion that Ray acted alone and the later 1978 House Select Committee on Assassinations decision that Ray was backed by a conspiracy of St. Louis-based white supremacists are not supported by the evidence. Although Melanson concludes that Ray did not, in fact, act alone, he contends that the official investigations were so flawed that the conspirators behind him are still unidentified. His own conclusions regarding the probable source of the conspiracy offer a sobering indictment of the ways in which powerful interests, left unchecked, can wreak havoc on American democratic processes., Murkin was the code name chosen by the FBI for their investigation into the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968. Today, 20 years after the fatal shooting of the civil rights leader, Philip H. Melanson, a renowned authority on American political assassinations, unveils his own investigation into the murder. Melanson . . . has done an exhaustively thorough job on the still-mysterious King assassination. After following Melanson's meticulous pursuit of seemingly every lead in the case--including interviews with the men whose names were used as aliases for alleged killer James Earl Ray--there can be little doubt in the reader's mind that neither of the two official versions of what happened could have been the whole truth. The first was the ever-popular notion of the lone killer: Ray. The second, propounded by a clearly inept congressional investigation a decade after the 1969 shooting, was that an ill-defined racist conspiracy was behind the assassination. What seems unarguable is that Ray, a petty criminal, could not have killed King unaided. There are too many improbabilities--the source of his carefully chosen Canadian aliases, the identity of the fat man' who brought him a letter' in Toronto during his escape, the odd setup at the rooming house from which the shot was fired. It is Melanson's thesis that there was high-level intelligence involvement, probably by the CIA, which was violently alarmed by King's anti-Vietnam stance. Publisher's Weekly Murkin was the code name chosen by the FBI for the investigation into the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968. Today, twenty years after the fatal shooting of the civil rights leader, Philip H. Melanson, a renowned authority on American political assassinations, unveils his own investigation into the murder. Through extensive interviews, research, and Freedom of Information Act requests, Melanson analyzes the official investigations, the evidence, the performance of law enforcement officials, the role of James Earl Ray, and the questions of conspiracy. Much of the data presented has never before been published. Based on his detailed investigation, Melanson offers a revisionist interpretation of the King case, demonstrating that it remains unsolved. Melanson argues persuasively that both the FBI's conclusion that Ray acted alone and the later 1978 House Select Committee on Assassinations decision that Ray was backed by a conspiracy of St. Louis-based white supremacists are not supported by the evidence. Although Melanson concludes that Ray did not, in fact, act alone, he contends that the official investigations were so flawed that the conspirators behind him are still unidentified. His own conclusions regarding the probable source of the conspiracy offer a sobering indictment of the ways in which powerful interests, left unchecked, can wreak havoc on American democratic processes.

LC Classification NumberE185