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Primary sourceLetter1964

Mlk-uncovered-letter

FBI (presumably William C. Sullivan) · 1964

An anonymous threatening letter sent to King by the FBI in 1964, urging him toward suicide, evidence of the FBI's campaign against him.

Direct evidence of the FBI's secret campaign to harass and destroy King.

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Typed letter on aged paper addressed 'KING,' containing abusive accusations and a passage urging him to take his own life within 34 days. Several words are partly obscured by typewriter marks.
Anonymous FBI letter sent to Martin Luther King Jr., 1964.

About this source

What it is

This is a typed, anonymous letter sent to Martin Luther King Jr. in 1964, believed to have come from the FBI, possibly from official William C. Sullivan.

Why it matters

The letter contains abusive accusations and pressures King toward taking his own life. It stands as direct evidence of the FBI's secret COINTELPRO program, which worked to discredit and destroy King rather than simply watch him.

Look closer

  • Why would a government agency send an anonymous letter instead of acting openly?
  • What does this letter reveal about how those in power viewed King's civil rights work?
  • Why might this document have stayed hidden for so long before becoming public?

This letter is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Martin Luther King Jr. on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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