Martin Luther King vs. The FBI

The charismatic Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) arguably was the foremost advocate of the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Although King's protest was always peaceful, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover considered him a grave danger and believed him to be part of a dark communist plot. Shortly after the famous I have a dream speech, Hoover unleashed a true witch-hunt on King. FBI agents harassed him and listened in on his conversations. When they discovered that King was having extramarital affairs, they tried to pressure him anonymously. Attempts to damage him continued until 4 April 1968, the day he was assassinated in Memphis by the racist James Earl Ray.

Inspired by the work of historian and Pulitzer Prize winner David J. Garrow, director Sam Pollard reconstructs how the FBI worked. He does so using archive footage, comments from people directly involved, historians and publicists, and released state documents.