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April the 4th, 1968, Memphis, Tennessee,
America's deep south.
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One minute past six.
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A man is standing on the balcony of his
motel room, when suddenly, a shot rings
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out.
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One of the world's most outspoken civil
rights campaigns.
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A man who champions millions of black
Americans has been targeted by an
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assassin.
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But why?
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April 4, 1968, Memphis, Tennessee, 6 .15
p .m.
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U .S. civil rights leader Dr. Martin
Luther King is rushed to hospital after
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being shot.
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He's badly wounded.
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At the time, King is a tiring figure,
known throughout the world for his
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inspired direction of the U .S. civil
rights movement.
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But in his high -profile fight to win
more rights for America's black
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especially in the deep south, King has
also earned the undying hatred of a
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of violent white extremists who despise
him and all he stands for.
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They see him as a threat to their way of
life.
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They want him out of the way.
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But would they go so far as trying to
get him killed?
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April 3rd, 1968, Atlanta, mid -morning.
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King flies to Memphis and checks into
the Lorraine Motel.
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He's come to lend his support to a group
of black city sanitation workers.
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He's been behind them since February,
when they went on strike demanding
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pay and conditions.
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Now King is determined to get them a
good deal.
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That evening, King heads for the Mason
Temple, where he gives a typically
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powerful, yet strangely prophetic
address.
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Like anybody, I would like to live a
long life. Longevity has its place.
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But I'm not concerned about that now.
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I just want to do God's will.
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And he's allowed me to go up to the
mountain.
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And I've looked over.
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And I've seen the promised land.
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It will become one of King's most famous
speeches, but it sounds almost as if
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he'd received a death threat.
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The son of a preacher, Martin Luther
King Jr., was born in Atlanta, Georgia,
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January the 15th, 1929.
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By the time he's 24, King is himself a
preacher, working at a Baptist church in
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Montgomery, Alabama.
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Two years later, Montgomery would become
known throughout the world when, on
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December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a 42 -year
-old black seamstress, refuses to give
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up her seat on a bus to a white man.
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Under what are known at the time as Jim
Crow laws, she's arrested, charged, and
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eventually fined $10 with $4 costs.
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This case causes outrage, not just in
the southern states, but throughout the
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country's entire black community.
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And in Montgomery itself, King decides
that his people have been pushed around
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enough. The Rosa Parks incident being
the latest in a long line of similar
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humiliations and violence.
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He organizes what becomes known as the
Montgomery Bus Boycott.
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It will last 13 months, during which
time black people steadfastly refuse to
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the city's buses.
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The issue is finally resolved on
December 13th, 1956, when the U .S.
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Court rules that Alabama state and local
policy on segregation is unlawful.
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Seven days later, King takes a ride on a
bus, sitting at the front in seats
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previously reserved for whites only.
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By now, he's a national figure. A firm
believer in non -violence, he spearheads
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the country's rapidly growing civil
rights movement under the umbrella of
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Southern Christian Leadership
Conference, more commonly known as the
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A passionate and powerful orator, he
works ceaselessly and tirelessly on
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of the black community.
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Meanwhile, as King's stature steadily
increases, A man is sitting out a prison
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term in Leavenworth, Kansas.
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James Earl Ray, an habitual criminal,
has been in and out of various prisons
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most of his adult life, since being
discharged from the U .S. Army in
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1948 for what was described as ineptness
and lack of adaptability for military
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service.
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However, the Army gave him something.
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It taught him how to use a rifle.
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Ray's life could scarcely be more
different from that of King.
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But one day in the future, they will
come together in dramatic circumstances.
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While America's black community might
regard Martin Luther King as a hero,
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are others who see him as a dangerous
man.
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In 1961, Convinced that the civil rights
movement is being infiltrated by
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communists, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover
gives orders to tap King's phones and
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keep close tabs on him wherever he goes.
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The surveillance would continue for the
next six years.
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But nothing can stop King's growing
influence and the massive impact he
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U .S. society.
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August 28, 1963, Washington, D .C.
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King leads a march through the nation's
capital calling for jobs and freedom.
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Earlier, President John F. Kennedy had
opposed the march, thinking it would
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impact negatively on civil rights
legislation.
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But in the end, he's persuaded to let it
go ahead.
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Despite Kennedy's earlier misgivings,
the march, involving around 250 ,000
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people, passes off without incident.
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And that evening, King, standing on the
steps of the Lincoln Memorial, delivers
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an address which electrifies the nation.
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I have a dream that one day on the red
hills of Georgia,
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sons of former slaves and the sons of
former slave owners will be
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able to sit down together at the table
of brotherhood. I have a dream.
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My four little children will one day
live in a nation where they will not be
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judged by the color of their skin, but
by the content of their character. I
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a dream today.
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The speech consolidates King's already
tiring stature. Even President
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Kennedy, shortly to be assassinated
himself,
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congratulates him.
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But there are those, particularly FBI
Director J. Edgar Hoover, who, alarmed
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King's success, wished to discredit him.
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July 2nd, 1964, the White House,
Washington, D .C.
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Martin Luther King arrives to witness an
historic event.
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The new president, Lyndon B. Johnson,
signs the groundbreaking Civil Rights
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At a stroke, racial segregation is
outlawed throughout the U .S.
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This Civil Rights Act is a challenge to
all of us to go to work in our
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communities and our states, in our homes
and in our hearts, to eliminate
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the last vestiges of injustice in our
beloved country.
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But a great many southern diehards
regard the act, and King's part in it,
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ultimate betrayal.
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They bitterly resent the emancipation of
black Americans, just as their
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forefathers resented the final abolition
of slavery just a hundred years
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earlier.
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Slaves have played a vital role in the
country's economy since the mid -18th
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century. particularly in the South,
where they toiled in the cotton and
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fields.
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But in 1865, the American Civil War put
paid to all that, as the North, led by
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President Abraham Lincoln, defeated the
forces of the South and did away with
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slavery.
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Black Americans continued to work in the
fields and elsewhere, but now as free
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men and women.
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Outraged at this reversal, a short time
later, a group of white supremacists
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found the Ku Klux Klan, an organization
totally dedicated to the violent
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suppression of black Americans.
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By the early 1960s, the Klan had faded
into virtual obscurity, but the
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resentment of the supremacists remained
the same.
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Now they're faced with the unpalatable
fact that the Civil Rights Act makes
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black Americans their equals in the eyes
of the law.
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And the one person they blame above all
others, Martin Luther King.
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He now encounters growing hostility and
violence wherever he goes.
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His life is in constant danger as
tension mounts.
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December 10th, 1964, Norway.
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King's considerable achievements are,
however, recognized elsewhere when he's
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awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
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April 23rd, 1967, Missouri.
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A man escapes from the state
penitentiary in Jefferson City after
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years of a 20 -year sentence for robbing
a grocery store.
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It's James Earl Ray, and this time he's
determined not to get caught, travelling
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first to Chicago and then on to
Montreal, Canada.
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A few months later, he's back in the US,
crisscrossing the country before ending
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up in Memphis.
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April the 4th, 1968, Memphis.
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James Earl Ray, giving his name as John
Willard, checks into a boarding house on
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South Main Street.
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The Lorraine Motel, Memphis, early
evening.
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Martin Luther King is standing alone on
the balcony of his room while his
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companions gather inside.
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Little does he know he's being observed
by a man intent on killing him.
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Suddenly a shot rings out and King
collapses.
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The Reverend Samuel Kiles recalls the
tragic event.
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And when I looked around, all I could
see was the lower half of Dr. King's
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because it threw him back beyond this
point.
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And when I looked, I just saw his leg,
his foot was on the rail.
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He was lying in this position.
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And I distinctly remember, looking at
him. I don't think I touched him. I
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at him.
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And I remember, sort of like you get a
just complete look in one moment.
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And I remember the necktie, the knot of
his tie had been severed, just cut and
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was laying open.
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There was a tremendous wound right here
where the bullet went in.
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King arrived at St. Joseph's Hospital
within 15 minutes of the shooting.
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Meanwhile, police race to the Lorraine.
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A team of medics get to work on King,
but there's nothing they can do to save
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him. He's just too badly wounded and
dies less than an hour later.
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Now police swarm all over the Lorraine
motel and the surrounding area.
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It's apparent that King has been shot
with a rifle from the boarding house
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overlooking the motel.
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The killer fired from a bathroom.
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The window is jammed open, and there are
footprints in the bath.
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A woman reports that she'd seen a man
running from the boarding house shortly
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after 6 p .m.
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He discards a bulky package in the
nearby shop doorway, jumps into a white
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Mustang, and speeds off.
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The package contains a number of items.
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including two cans of beer, a pair of
binoculars, ammunition,
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various tools, including a hammer, a
portable radio,
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and a Remington 760 Game Master rifle
fitted with a telescopic sight.
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The rifle is traced to a gun shop in
Birmingham, Alabama, where it's said to
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have been bought six days earlier by a
man calling himself Harvey Lohmeyer.
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However, fingerprints taken from the gun
belong to a 40 -year -old escaped
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convict, James Earl Ray.
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He is now America's most wanted man.
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April 4th, 1968, Memphis.
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As news of King's death is announced, a
riot breaks out.
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The violence soon spreads across 40 U
.S. cities.
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Looters take advantage of the worsening
situation.
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As the night wears on, 4 ,000 National
Guardsmen are drafted into Memphis to
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back up the hard -pressed police, who by
now have lost control.
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A dust -to -dawn curfew is ordered in an
attempt to ward off further
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disturbances.
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April 5th, Washington, D .C.
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President Lyndon B. Johnson makes a plea
for calm.
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I ask every citizen to reject the blind
violence that has struck
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Dr. King.
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Johnson is only too aware that unless
the country is to tear itself apart, the
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killer must be caught, and caught
quickly.
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Now, as police launch one of the
greatest manhunts in US history, A $100
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reward is posted for the capture and
conviction of King's assassin.
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Meanwhile, Ray has driven flat out to
Atlanta, where he abandoned her.
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From there, he makes his way to Toronto,
Canada.
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April the 8th, 1968, Memphis.
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Grief -stricken mourners file past
King's open coffin.
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Under strict security, King's body is
then flown to his hometown, Atlanta.
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April the 9th, 1968, Atlanta.
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As King's funeral takes place, some of
the mourners bitterly remember the civil
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rights leader's pragmatic views on
assassination.
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I'm realistic enough to know that I can
meet a violent end. I live every day
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under the threat of death.
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And I have no illusions about it. There
are enough sick people in the world for
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me to come to a violent end, just as
other leaders have come to a violent
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But I don't have any fear about it. You
can't function if you just go around day
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in and day out fearing death.
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May the 7th, 1968, Heathrow Airport,
London.
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James Earl Ray arrives from Toronto.
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00:18:24,050 --> 00:18:26,670
Later the same day, he flies to Lisbon,
Portugal.
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00:18:28,610 --> 00:18:32,650
Ten days later, Ray returns to London
and rents a room in Earl's Court.
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00:18:36,050 --> 00:18:39,390
June the 8th, 1968, Heathrow Airport,
London.
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00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:44,020
Once again, Ray is on the move.
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00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:48,780
But as he checks in for a flight to
Belgium, he's recognized by an alert
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official.
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He's arrested and charged with carrying
a false passport and firearm without a
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certificate.
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Following a lengthy legal process, Ray
is extradited to the U .S. and held in a
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special cell to await trial.
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March the 10th, 1969, Memphis.
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Among scenes of unprecedented security,
Ray finally appears in court, where he's
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charged with the murder of Martin Luther
King.
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In order to avoid a possible death
sentence, Ray admits killing King, says
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one else was involved, and is sentenced
to 99 years in prison.
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He's defended by legendary Texan lawyer
Percy Foreman.
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I didn't persuade James Earl Ray to
plead guilty.
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James Earl Ray wanted to live in
preference to death, and he thought he
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would be executed.
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And if he were executed, he couldn't
escape.
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But if he went to the penitentiary, he
felt that he could escape.
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However, three days later, Ray retracts
his admission of guilt.
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Now he claims he's innocent after all,
and demands a new trial.
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But no one listens to him.
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And there the matter rests, until nine
years later, when, in August 1978, Ray
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appears before the U .S. House Select
Committee on Assassinations.
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In protesting his innocence, he now
claims he'd been set up by a Mexican gun
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-running gang and that he'd been nowhere
near the scene of the crime.
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Instead, he'd been downtown at a Memphis
garage getting a tire fixed.
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00:20:40,370 --> 00:20:44,170
He then panicked at the police activity
and made off.
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00:20:44,390 --> 00:20:48,110
He knew that if he was questioned, there
was a strong chance his true identity
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as an escaped convict would be revealed.
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00:20:52,230 --> 00:20:54,450
The committee is unimpressed.
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However, its members were inclined to
agree he hadn't acted alone.
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They believe he'd been put up to the
assassination by a group of right -wing
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extremists who wanted rid of King.
250
00:21:09,940 --> 00:21:14,960
Meanwhile, despite continuing civil
rights lobbying to release them, the
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00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:19,020
Committee investigative files on the
killing are sealed until 2029.
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00:21:20,620 --> 00:21:26,400
For years after his death, King's widow,
Coretta, continues to push for answers.
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00:21:28,350 --> 00:21:32,930
to make it clear that I am not
interested in any form of retribution or
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00:21:32,930 --> 00:21:34,850
punishment of anyone.
255
00:21:35,590 --> 00:21:37,530
I just want to get the truth.
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00:21:39,410 --> 00:21:42,070
Now there's open talk of a government
cover -up.
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00:21:42,390 --> 00:21:46,490
And, as one of King's former colleagues,
the Reverend Ralph Abernathy, later
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00:21:46,490 --> 00:21:49,210
recalled, no one was above suspicion.
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00:21:50,070 --> 00:21:54,530
I think he was gotten rid of by a
conspiracy.
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00:21:56,080 --> 00:22:02,500
The evil forces of this nation in high
places, the
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00:22:02,500 --> 00:22:09,180
FBI under Hoover, who hated Dr. King,
and
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00:22:09,180 --> 00:22:15,760
these forces decided that Dr. King had
gone
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00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:21,020
too far because he was organizing the
Poor People's Campaign.
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00:22:21,820 --> 00:22:23,920
He was bringing black.
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00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:31,960
and white, brown, red, and yellow people
all together.
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00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:39,580
And that was too powerful for the
American
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00:22:39,580 --> 00:22:41,420
scene to endure.
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00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:47,720
And according to author and historian
Professor Christopher Andrew, racial
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00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:51,800
harmony in the U .S. is also the last
thing Russia's intelligence and security
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00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:53,940
agency, the KGB, wanted.
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00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:58,120
What they wanted was race war in the
United States.
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00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:04,520
So in the mid -1960s, they start
developing this whole series of active
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00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:08,260
to discredit Martin Luther King. It's
quite a sophisticated theme.
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00:23:08,740 --> 00:23:13,020
What they're going to do is plant
stories in the African press which
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00:23:13,020 --> 00:23:18,340
Martin Luther King as an Uncle Tom and
which produce bogus evidence that he's
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00:23:18,340 --> 00:23:21,640
actually in the play of President Lyndon
Baines Johnson.
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00:23:22,700 --> 00:23:27,920
What changes their mind, of course, is
that their immense relief, Martin Luther
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00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:34,000
King is assassinated in 1968, greeted
with whoops of joy in the centre, you
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00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:39,740
know, because the one man who could
prevent the long hot summers becoming
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00:23:39,740 --> 00:23:46,120
and hotter is out of the way. So now he
becomes a martyr to sinister right -wing
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00:23:46,120 --> 00:23:47,240
racist conspiracies.
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00:23:49,900 --> 00:23:54,060
April 23, 1998, Brushy Mountain
Penitentiary, Tennessee.
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00:23:56,260 --> 00:23:59,880
James Earl Ray dies from liver disease,
age 70.
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00:24:00,260 --> 00:24:03,940
He maintains his innocence of King's
assassination until the very end.
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00:24:06,380 --> 00:24:10,680
Four months later, as the rumors about a
high -level cover -up refuse to lie
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00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:14,460
down, the U .S. Justice Department opens
a review of the case.
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00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:20,200
In June 2000, after examining all the
available evidence, The U .S. Justice
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00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:25,780
Department concludes, in a 138 -page
report, that there was no conspiracy
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00:24:25,780 --> 00:24:26,780
to answer.
290
00:24:27,120 --> 00:24:29,320
In their opinion, Ray had acted alone.
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00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:32,900
There was never any question of him
having been framed.
292
00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:40,480
However, as the report concludes,
questions and speculation may always
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00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:45,040
the assassination of Dr. King and other
national tragedies.
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00:24:46,120 --> 00:24:50,520
In other words, the whole truth behind
King's death and Ray's part in it will
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00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:51,800
probably never be revealed.
296
00:24:56,420 --> 00:25:01,200
There is no doubt that while he was
alive, Martin Luther King inspired a
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00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:02,640
generation of black Americans.
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00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:10,380
But when civil rights passed into law in
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00:25:10,380 --> 00:25:15,600
1964... King's role as a radical racial
reformer became less relevant.
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00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:22,160
However, he will always be remembered
and revered by black Americans as the
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00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:26,680
who changed their lives forever, and in
doing so, lost his own.
28377
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