Arizona sun., 1961-10-05

COfney General ROBERT Kennedy
because of the false information
in the FBI description sent out on
Robert F. Williams, fugitive Ne
gro leader from Monroe, North
Carolina. This describes Williams
as extremely dangerous, arm
ed,'' ''schizophrenic." !" and threat
ened violence" Terming all of
these false and a deliberate incite-
ment to all policemen now hunt
ing Williams to shoot him on sight,
the CAMD demanded the immedi-
ate cancellation of the FBI Want
ed Flyer for Williams and notifica-
ton to all engaged in the man.
hunt of that fact.
"This is one of the most dis.
graceful pages in the history of
any law enforcement agency" the
committees letter stated. ut puts
your Dept. on the same moral
plane as Mississippi sheriff S
office" i,
In conclusion the letter declared:
''If as a result of your Depart
ment's false characterization of
Williams and the Indictment to
shoot him down, he is killed while
being apprehended, the blood of
that official lynching will be in
delibly on your hands and will
stain the Kennedy administration
for all time.
Complete text follows:
Attorney General Robert Kennedy
Department of Justice
. Washington, D. c.
{ The Committee to Aid the Mon
0 roe Defendants denounces in un-
qualified terms the steps laying
: the basis for the lynch murder
of Robert F. Williams Of Monroe,
= North Carolina, now being carried
!. out by your Department.
| This is one of the most dis
$ graceful pages in the history Of
r any law-enforcement agency. 1t
: puts your Department on the same
6 moral plane as Mississippi sher-
ifs office.
We demand immediate retrac-
ton of the vicious description OF
Williams in FBI Wanted Circular
Number 29O, now posted in post
offices and sent to local police
agencies, as well as in similar in
formation sent to newspapers ask
ing citizens help in capturing Will
liamS.
There is no justifiable bais for
the FBI circular characterizing
Williams as quote extremely
dangerous" and armed" Prior
to the present frame-up charge
brought by the racist> officials OF
Monroe there has never been any
allegation or accusation of an act
OF violence on Williams part.
In the course of his siX-year
struggle for racial justice in that
area his only arrest, and he sub
mitted peaceably to it, was for
leading a lunch counter sit-in..
The framed-up kidnap charge
which Monroe officials have brOugh
against Williams is based on the
alleged detention for two hours of
a white couple named Stegall who
drove into the Negro community
at the height of the police-condoned
rioting August 27 against Freedom
Riders and local Negroes.
That Williams did not detain the
Stegalls, that, on the contrary, he
protected them from injury and
possibly saved their lives, is amp
ly testified by Mrs. Stegall in the
interview which she gave to the
Charlotte IN. c. Observer o
August 20.
Nor is this any reason to assume
that, having left Union County
North Carolina, Williams would
still be armed. He armed him
self, as is perfectly legal in North
Carolina, and he so notified the
police and xxx, only after there
had been repeated threats against
himself, his family, his home and
: other residents of Monr0e's color
ed community.
When two attempts were made
on his life this summer in con-
nection with his efforts to inte-
CRATE the city's only swimming
pool-built with federal funds and
municipality maintained-local po-
lice refused to do anything. Will
liams' demands to the governors
office for protection were ignored.
His requests to your Department
for federal action in Monroe were
also ignored.
Describing Williams as lex
tremely dangerous" and armed
as is done in your Departments
wanted circulars is giving prior
justification and encouragement to
all policemen-federal, state and
local-to shoot on sight. to shoot
first and ask questions later.
This was admitted in almost as
many words last week by FBl
Agent Foley to Conrad ]. Lynn OF